The historic Pecos Theater in downtown Santa Rosa, N.M., closed for the winter in October and won’t reopen, it was reported in the current print edition of the Guadalupe County Communicator.
After a screening of “Lending of the Guardians,” owner Rudy “Spider” Sanchez on Oct. 9 closed the doors of the theater, which has been operating a stone’s throw from Route 66 since 1919. The newspaper reported it was the oldest still-operating movie theater on the Mother Road.
With the Pecos’ closure, I would guess the oldest still-operating theater on Route 66 is the Center Cinema in Vinita, Okla., built in 1922.
Sanchez said the theater’s interior needs an extensive renovation, including the right aisle, where the flooring has rotted away. He also said ticket sales had declined to where the Pecos was open only two to three nights a week.
The Pecos Theatre began as the El Paso Tiempo in 1919, then was the Santa Rosa Theatre in 1920, the Kiva in 1951, the Rodeo in 1936, and finally the Pecos in 1981. Except for a nine-month period in 1980, the theater had been operating continuously.
Sanchez told the Communicator he had no plans to sell the theater or any of its vintage equipment. “I feel an obligation to preserve it,” he said. About the only option Sanchez has left is to land a grant to renovate the theater.
On a semi-related note, the historic and art deco Odeon Theatre in nearby Tucumcari, N.M., is on the block for $65,000. The Odeon, built in 1935, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. Apparently the owner of the theater wants to retire.
With the Pecos Theatre out of commission, one would figure the Odeon might see a bump in business. For information about the Odeon, call 575-461-0100.