HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
A 1946 Art Moderne movie house on Hidalgo Street where flickering lights and a ghostly figure believed to be a former performer have unnerved staff for decades.
1018 Hidalgo St, Laredo, TX 78040
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Exterior visible from street; interior currently closed for restoration.
Access
Limited Access
Downtown sidewalk; building interior currently inaccessible
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1946 · Only Art Moderne building remaining in Laredo · City of Laredo-owned historic property · Hand-painted interior murals
The Plaza Theater opened in 1946 on Hidalgo Street in downtown Laredo, built as a first-run motion picture house with a capacity of 1,586 seats. Architect Harwood K. Smith designed the building in the Streamline Moderne style — one of the final flourishes of a design movement that had peaked in the late 1930s. The result was a building unlike anything else in the city: a slender vertical marquee rising above the Hidalgo Street sidewalk, and an interior decorated with hand-painted murals across the walls and ceilings.
For decades the Plaza served as Laredo's primary downtown cinema, screening both American and Mexican releases to an audience that reflected the city's binational character. Rowley United Theatres operated it through much of its commercial run. In November 1983, United Artists subdivided the single auditorium into three smaller screens — a cost-saving measure common to theater chains of that era that significantly reduced the building's capacity and altered its interior flow.
United Artists closed the theater in 1992 or 1999, depending on the source. The City of Laredo subsequently purchased the property and began pursuing restoration. As of late 2025, Laredo Plaza Theatre restoration was still ongoing, with funding concerns and construction delays continuing to push the reopening date.
The building is recognized as an important piece of Laredo's architectural heritage. Plans call for restoring the original single-screen configuration and reopening the theater as a civic venue.
Sources
According to the official Laredo tourism website and US Ghost Adventures documentation, the Plaza Theater has accumulated a paranormal reputation stretching back to its years as an operating cinema. Reports describe lights flickering without electrical cause, unexplained sounds in the auditorium and projection booth, and sightings of a figure that staff and late-night visitors have attributed to a former performer connected to the building.
The specific identity of the supposed apparition is not documented in any historical source — no named performer or documented death at the property is on record. The story functions as a folklore tradition attached to the theater's long run as a downtown anchor, of the kind that tends to accumulate around old movie houses where late-night staff worked alone in darkened auditoriums.
The Plaza Theater appears on the self-guided San Agustín Ghost Walk pamphlet distributed in Laredo's historic district, which treats it as one of several haunted landmarks in the downtown core. US Ghost Adventures also includes bordertown venues in their Laredo ghost tour documentation, referencing unexplained phenomena at downtown theaters.
Notable Entities
The Plaza Theater's striking Art Moderne vertical marquee is visible along Hidalgo Street in downtown Laredo. The building is the only remaining example of the Art Moderne style in Laredo. Interior access is currently closed pending a city-funded restoration that has faced repeated delays since 2020.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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