Guided Tour Booking Required
Attend a ticketed performance
Attend a show at the restored 1914 Empire Theatre, adjacent to the Majestic Theatre. The downstairs restrooms are most frequently cited in paranormal reports.
- Duration:
- 2.5 hr
Photo coming soon
Theater / Performance Venue
Charline McCombs Empire Theatre
1914 vaudeville and silent-film theatre by Mauran, Russell & Crowe — the city's first modern theatre when it opened — where tour patrons report cold drops, whispers, shadows, and a beggar spirit asking for the 1930s ticket price of twenty-five cents.
226 N St Mary's St, San Antonio, TX 78205
Wheelchair Accessible
Research-Backed · 3sources
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Ticketed performances only; price varies by show. No standalone paranormal programming offered by the theatre.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Restored historic theatre with accessible main floor; balcony levels reached by stairs and elevator.
Equipment
No Photos
Est. 1914 · First modern theatre in San Antonio at its 1914 opening · Designed by Mauran, Russell & Crowe of St. Louis as a European-style opera house · Site of former Rische's Opera House · Damaged in the September 1921 San Antonio flood · Restored 1998 as the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, paired with the Majestic
Thomas Brady, a San Antonio developer, commissioned the Empire Theatre on the downtown site formerly occupied by Rische's Opera House. The St. Louis firm of Mauran, Russell & Crowe designed the building as a European-style opera house, and it opened on December 14, 1914. At opening it was acclaimed as the first modern theatre in San Antonio and the largest in the city, primarily hosting vaudeville and silent-film bills.
The theatre was catastrophically damaged by the September 1921 San Antonio flood, when the San Antonio River overran much of downtown; the venue was repaired and continued in operation. It served as a movie palace through the mid-20th century before falling into disrepair.
The Empire Theatre was restored beginning in the late 1990s and reopened in 1998, renamed the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre after a major gift. It now operates jointly with the adjacent, larger Majestic Theatre as the Majestic & Empire Theatres complex, a Las Casas Foundation property.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charline_McCombs_Empire_Theatre
- https://sanantonioreport.org/100-years-empire-theatre-san-antonio/
- https://ghostcitytours.com/san-antonio/haunted-places/empire-theatre/
Sudden temperature dropsDisembodied whispersShadow figuresScratching soundsConcentrated activity in the downstairs restroomsMale spirit asking passersby for twenty-five cents outside the theatre
Per Ghost City Tours' San Antonio coverage and the River City Ghosts walking tour, the Empire Theatre reports the typical pattern of historic-theatre phenomena: 'sudden drops in temperature, disembodied whispers, creepy unexplainable shadows and scratching sounds.' The downstairs restrooms are consistently cited across tour-operator sources as the most active location in the building.
A distinctive secondary strand of the lore concerns a male apparition reported outside the theatre on N St Mary's Street, near the entrance. The figure is described as approaching passersby and asking only for 'twenty-five cents — the price of a ticket in the 1930s' — before disappearing. The 1930s ticket-price detail is consistent across tour-operator retellings and ties the figure to the theatre's Depression-era vaudeville and movie-palace operations.
These reports are primarily tour-driven; primary news coverage of specific named paranormal incidents at the theatre is thin. The lore is included in San Antonio's standard haunted-downtown walking circuits alongside the adjacent, more elaborately documented Majestic Theatre.
Notable Entities
Unnamed male spirit asking for the 1930s ticket price
Media Appearances
- Ghost City Tours — Ghosts of the Empire Theatre feature
- River City Ghosts app tour — Empire Theatre stop
- TEDxSanAntonio — 'The Ghosts of the Charline McCombs Empire Theater'
Plan Your Visit
2 ways to experience Walking Tour Booking Required
San Antonio ghost tour stop
The Empire Theatre is a regular stop on Ghost City Tours and River City Ghosts walking and app-based tours of downtown San Antonio.
- Duration:
- 1.5 hr
#texas
#san-antonio
#haunted-theater
#vaudeville-theater
#silent-film
#downtown-san-antonio
#majestic-theatre-complex
Sources & Further Reading
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Charline McCombs Empire Theatre family-friendly?
An operating performing-arts theatre; lore is folkloric and atmospheric. Overall family fit: High.
How much does it cost to visit Charline McCombs Empire Theatre?
Ticketed performances only; price varies by show. No standalone paranormal programming offered by the theatre.
Do I need to book in advance?
Yes, reservations are required.
Is Charline McCombs Empire Theatre wheelchair accessible?
Yes, Charline McCombs Empire Theatre is wheelchair accessible. Terrain: Restored historic theatre with accessible main floor; balcony levels reached by stairs and elevator..