The historic and beautifully restored Guadalupe Theater was the anchor to a colorful and thriving entertainment district that stretched to Zarzamora Street in the 1930s and 40s. Circus performers, singers, stage actors, comedians and other vaudeville performers entertained audiences in the Theater and from the carpas (tents) that lined the district. The Theater was remodeled in the early 1980s and today provides the stage for the Guadalupe's exciting dance, music and theatrical productions, as well as film and video exhibitions, conferences and workshops. The Theater also houses the GiftShop and the Tejano Conjunto Festival Poster Exhibit. The Guadalupe Theater was built in 1942 at a time when a complete theater bill included two features, several short subjects and cartoons, endless previews, give-aways, live performances by musicians and appearances by film personalities. Toward the end of the 1960s, an economic hardship struck and overcame many stand-alone theaters. The Guadalupe Theater suffered a double hardship. It succumbed to the hardships facing theaters generally, but it also suffered from the blight that steadily overtook the Guadalupe Street neighborhood. In a last attempt to adapt the building shell for profit, the Guadalupe Theater became a short-lived flea market.Among the goals of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center is to preserve and present the Hispanic arts. The reconstruction of the theater served two aspects of this goal. It restored and preserved a space important to the Mexican American culture of San Antonio and it provided a premiere venue to showcase for the presentation of Hispanic arts. With the assistance of the then Hispanic mayor Henry Cisneros and council members, loans were obtained in the amount of $1 million to refurbish the Guadalupe Theater.A private developer and an architectural firm began the reconstruction of the Guadalupe Theater in 1983. The architectural changes in the remodeling were kept to a minimum in order to preserve as much of the original design as possible. Several features were added to fully adapt it to its multipurpose function, among them removable seats and a dance floor. A stage house and props storage spaces were also included. The Guadalupe Theater had its Gala Grand Reopening in March of 1984, with a weeklong series of events that included free films, guided tours, concerts, and a fundraising banquet. Since its opening, the Guadalupe Theater has acquired a reputation for exhibiting films of special interest to Hispanics, important new cinema from Latin America and from US independent producers. As a multipurpose space with a versatile and diverse design, the Guadalupe Theater can function as standard theater for dramatic productions and motion picture exhibitions. It can easily be converted into a cabaret or a ballroom. There have been Quinceañeras (15th birthday debuts), business gatherings, receptions, weddings, cabaret-style dances, workshops, and general meetings. Throughout the year, the Guadalupe Theater presents theater and dance productions, readings, films and art sales. The Guadalupe Theater has been honored for presenting independent films. In keeping with its location, the Guadalupe Theater provides free shows for residents of the surrounding community, including a series of classic Mexican movies for senior citizens.