Opened January 1942 in wartime New Braunfels, the Brauntex reserves a balcony seat for its original projectionist Walter Braune — staff say he still fires up the reels.
290 W San Antonio St, New Braunfels, TX 78130
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Ticket prices vary by performance. See brauntex.org for current schedule and pricing.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Restored historic theater with accessible seating
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1942 · National Register of Historic Places (2008) · Moderne architecture — Corgan and Moore design · New Braunfels performing arts anchor since 1999 restoration · Opened January 1942, wartime Texas
The Brauntex Theatre at 290 W. San Antonio Street was completed and opened in January 1942. Its timing placed the opening just weeks after the United States entered World War II following the Pearl Harbor attack — an opening-night audience that would have known the country was now at war. The premiere film was Birth of the Blues, starring Bing Crosby.
The building was designed by Jack Corgan and W.J. Moore, architects who modeled the New Braunfels design on the Washita Theater in New Cordell, Oklahoma. Edwin A. Hanz of Hanz Construction built the structure. Its Moderne style — a late variant of Art Deco — was current for its period, and the technical specifications placed it ahead of other downtown theaters that had recently been destroyed by fire.
The theater remained in operation as a movie house for decades. Pedro Gonzalez appeared at the Brauntex during the John Wayne Alamo filming period. Integration came in the 1960s. By the 1990s the building had deteriorated significantly, and restoration work began in 1998. The Brauntex Performing Arts Theatre Association acquired the property on December 10, 1999, and the restored theater reopened with a sold-out inaugural performance by the San Antonio Symphony.
The theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 24, 2008. It now operates as a full performing arts venue with concerts, comedy shows, tribute acts, and educational programming.
Sources
Walter Braune ran the projectors at the Brauntex from its January 1942 opening, threading film reels through the decades of the movie-house era. After his death — the date is not documented in available sources — staff and theatergoers began reporting experiences they attribute to him.
Marketing manager Lynda McLean told the Herald-Zeitung that a door slammed shut behind her without explanation while she was alone in the building. Her assessment of the presence: 'I do feel that he's a friendly ghost.' McLean and other staff members say they dispute outside accounts of a screaming female apparition at the theater, stating it doesn't match anything they have personally witnessed. The theater's working theory is that the benign entity is Braune, though staff acknowledge that another candidate — a construction worker — has also been proposed.
The theater honors Braune by permanently reserving a balcony seat for him with a posted sign. Tradition among staff and regular audience members holds the seat empty during performances. His image appears in a mural on the theater's exterior, one of New Braunfels's better-known pieces of public art.
A paranormal film crew has investigated the Brauntex twice, recording what the Herald-Zeitung described as 'eerie activity' on both occasions. The theater does not commercially promote paranormal programming but acknowledges the ghost tradition in its public communications.
Notable Entities
Catch a live show at the Brauntex — concerts, comedy, and touring productions fill the calendar year-round. The reserved balcony seat for Walter Braune is visible from the main floor; tradition holds it empty during performances.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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