The Odeon Theatre of Tucumcari, N.M., which is just a few blocks north of Route 66, has been one of six theaters in New Mexico nominated to the State Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places, according to the Quay County Sun.
In his nomination of the theater, historian David Kammer of Albuquerque, wrote that the Odeon “retains a strong feeling of a pre-World War II motion picture theater.
“Its association with popular taste in theater design during the 1930s is particularly compelling with its modest but well-articulated use of Art Deco details, rendering it the best remaining example in New Mexico of a theater embodying that style.” […]
The six theaters, including the Odeon, will be considered by the new Mexico Cultural Properties Review Committee in Santa Fe on Aug. 11, Murphey said.
The designation provides financial incentives and it does make it eligible for state and or federal income tax credits for certain work done on the theater.
The Odeon is a wonderful place to watch a movie. As the photo above shows, we were there for one the worst films we’d ever seen, “Kangaroo Jack.” But the sheer awfulness of that movie didn’t detract from the enjoyment of sitting in a cool, historic theatre. The $5 ticket prices and reasonably priced popcorn didn’t hurt, either.
Actually, the tickets were $3. If I’d paid more than that to see Kangaroo Jack, I’d have been seriously hacked off, no matter how beautiful the theater was….