On September 12, 2011, Fort Worth’s Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission issued a resolution supporting the Nomination of The Ridglea Theater Complex to The National Register of Historic Places. “I’m committed to making The Ridglea a successful, long term attraction. So, it’s great getting this commitment from the city,” said Ridglea owner, Jerry Shults.

The restoration of The Ridglea is progressing well with the focus now on flexibility. Shults calls the process “RetroFlexing” – focusing on the best of the theater’s retro ambiance, while providing maximum flexibility. So, the lobby’s terrazzo floor, mural and concession stand are being restored to their original beauty, and the balcony’s unique panoramic view will be from traditional theater seating. However, downstairs seating will be mobile cabaret tables and chairs for optimum adaptability to all types of events: movies, concerts, dances, meetings and parties.

Contemporary conveniences will also include: the best movie projection, screen and sound systems; one of the area’s largest traditional movie theater screens and stages; a greater quantity and quality of restroom facilities; and new floors, ceiling and wall coverings. A new stage loading dock and Green Room will also make live events easier and more fun for performers and patrons alike. Prior to the grand re-opening, scheduled for early 2012, “The Moon” restaurant club will be moving from it’s old location to The Ridglea Complex. This will set the stage for much more fun and entertainment to come.

“The National Register status will help ‘Save The Ridglea’ by not allowing its demolition,” concluded Shults. “And the ‘Retro-Flexing’ process will provide Ridglea customers with a unique back in time experience, while also fulfilling many of the past’s promises for a better future.”

Proudly paid for by Save The Ridglea.

The Ridglea Theater's renovations are far from done but already reveal bits of history.

Earlier this year, the city of Fort Worth declared the theater on Camp Bowie Boulevard a historic building. Now the work to turn it back into its historic self has begun.

Construction workers continued demolition work inside the theater on Tuesday, taking down a balcony extension added in the last three decades. It’s clear that the theater is getting ready to go back in time.

View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.

“It’s been a challenge to make the decisions on the things we need to replace or restore, but for the most part, we've gone off memories and photographs,” architect Sam Austin said.

Photographs will help guide workers piece together the original entryway in the theater, which was cut up long ago in parts and covered with six inches of concrete for a kitchen.

The floor and the mural on the walls above it need some major work.

“There's been a lot of damage done due to the renovations and remodels,” Austin said, referring to projects in the '80s and '90s.

The balcony extension is gone, and old terraces made of wood on the balcony have been removed, revealing the original floor and concrete steps. And a wall dividing the balcony was torn down.

“Now we can see all these parts that have been sitting around for all these years that we saved [can] actually be brought back into the fold and be a part of this building,” said Richard Van Zandt, general manager of the theater.

Van Zandt made one such find years ago. He found a wooden structure behind the stage and used it as part of a bar. Photographs reveal it was the original concession stand in the lobby and will be moved there during redevelopment.

The project has both professional and personal meaning for Austin, whose father was the first chief projectionist at the theater in 1950.

“To be able to restore part of my own past is just incredible,” he said.

Those involved in the project say the finished theater will be an incredible gift back to the area and city.

“We're going to have something to be proud of and the city of Fort Worth can be proud of,” Van Zandt said.

The remodeling should be completed by the spring if everything goes smoothly. Once finished, the theater will show old movies and have some live performances.

It's official!  

The Ridglea Theater Entertainment Complex has added the Moon to it's roster and it will be open this November!

Currently, the Moon Bar which is at 2911 West Berry Street, right next door to Fuzzy's by TCU, is slated to close after it's Oct 29th Halloween show ( featuring House Harkonnen, Shaolin Death Squad, The Phuss, and Trebuchet), and will re-open two weeks later in it's new spot right next door to the Ridglea Theater.

Connected by a hallway to the Ridglea Theater, the new Moon Bar will feature over 4,800+ square feet of space, making enough room for around 500 patrons to experience live music in a totally new experience for Fort Worth live music.

Featuring an $80,000+ sound system and a venue design that rivals many of the best concert venues in Austin, the Moon will open with a bang and one which will greatly effect the Camp Bowie District neighboorhood that it resides.

Bands the Moon has helped spotlight over the past seven years in Fort Worth include: The Burning Hotels, Calhoun, The Orbans, Whiskey Folk Ramblers, Big Mike & the Box of Rock, Quaker City Nighthawks, and so many more.

Featuring a staff clued in to the Indie Rock scene in Texas, the Moon has been known as a first rate venue in North Texas and a venue which has set the bar for introducing the best bands to our musical community.

Now with it's addition to the Ridglea Entertainment complex, it will continue to showcase North Texas bands as well as bring in a mixture of national touring acts.

Along with bringing great music to Camp Bowie Boulevard, owner Chris Maunder wants to provide a spot where he can give back to the local community through his venue's support of local charities.

"The Fort Worth community has always embraced the art of music and supported The Moon, which is why I am jumping on the opportunity to give back by positioning The Moon with local charities" says Maunder.

We are extremely excited to have this awesome establishment linked with ( and alongside ) the Ridglea Theater!

“I’m real excited about [The Moon],” owner Jerry Shults said. “It fits into my whole idea of this being an entertainment complex."

When it opens in November, please go support this awesome new venue!

The Moon, the longstanding indie-music venue near TCU, is relocating next to the historic Ridglea Theater on Camp Bowie Boulevard. The new Moon’s grand opening is set for early November.

The TCU-area Moon will close at some point over the next several weeks. The landlord is currently in discussions with a potential buyer.

In need of a “bigger box”: The Moon’s Chris Maunder has found the ideal spot, adjacent to the historic Ridglea Theater. Moon owner Chris Maunder has been looking for a “bigger box,” he said, for about a year now. “I want to help spread Fort Worth music,” he said.

“We’ve got to have something cool to house it in,” quickly adding that he’s not saying that venues such as The Moon and Lola’s Saloon, in the West 7th Street corridor, are not cool. However, he continued, “you’ve got to have something different. … I want everything that Fort Worth and the arts are about to be an ‘I-remember-when’ type thing,” meaning that the average music lover will be able to see Fort Worth artists before they go big.

Maunder’s journey to the Ridglea began a few months ago, when Casey Mack, the theater’s new manager and an acquaintance of Maunder’s, popped into The Moon one night. Mack waxed poetic about plans for the Ridglea to become a major venue for touring artists, piquing Maunder’s interest. A few weeks later, 35-year-old TCU grad Maunder met with Jerry Shults, the owner of the Gas Pipe, a Southwest chain of smoke shops, who saved the theater from certain demolition about a year ago (“Ridglea Purchased by Gas Pipe Owner,” Blotch, Nov. 22, 2010). “I’m real excited about [The Moon],” Shults said. “It fits into my whole idea of this being an entertainment complex,” one that will also include a bar-bar.

Maunder assessed his strengths and weaknesses. “I did my due diligence,” he said. “I asked myself, ‘Am I good enough at what I do to handle a room of that size, to handle [500 to 600] people after [200 to 215] people at The Moon?’ … It didn’t take me long [to decide]. It was a no-brainer.”

When Maunder saw the room, he fell in love with it: 4,800 square feet with street-level entrance around the corner from the Ridglea’s front doors, with a massive stage, green room, and lounge area –– the space is about three times the size of the TCU Moon. “Just as much as the musicians have challenged us to grow as venues, we need to keep on top of new bands and different things and the industry as a whole,” Maunder said. “This is now my opportunity to help [local bands] get to the next level.”

Unlike the forthcoming Live Oak Music Hall & Lounge on the Near South Side (“Readying for Live Oak,” Aug. 24), the new Moon will focus on North Texas bands. “I obviously want the exposure that the theater’s going to bring,” Maunder said. “It’s not about the money. It’s about pushing our artists into a bigger venue. We haven’t had a mid-size room [for North Texas indie-rock] in a long time.”

But not all of his North Texas bands will be indie-rockers. Thursdays will be devoted to Americana artists, and Sundays will belong to purveyors of hip-hop and dubstep.

The new Moon and Ridglea Theater will not compete, Maunder said. “It’s about developing bands,” he said. “When there’s country at the Ridglea, there’s rock at The Moon, so we have a bunch of different genres and different tastes right there.”

The new Moon, Maunder said, will also be heavily involved in the community, hosting various fundraisers. “If somebody needs help,” he said, “I want them to know that somebody is there for them, and through our arts we can help you. We can raise awareness to your cause and raise money.”

Maunder has a lot of work to do before the grand opening, including remodeling pretty much the entire interior. A team of designers, including noted local architect Joe Self of Firm 817, will help realize Maunder’s vision of a ’60s-mod look but one that’s comfortable, not cold.

Maunder has been hiring and hopes to have 15 staff members, more than twice his current staff size at the TCU Moon. “I’m really looking forward to these new people coming on,” he said. “I wish I could hire more, and, hopefully, at some point, I’ll be able to. I don’t see me stopping at any point now. It’s ‘What can I do next?’ ”

The opening of the theater, Maunder said, will “create demand again.” Too many musicians, he said, are playing bars instead of larger venues, thanks to huge payouts from the pockets of bar owners and some booking agents. “The person who’s booking [the artists] isn’t booking them for the music, just bar sales,” he said. “Where people like [Lola’s owner] Brian [Forella] and me …. we are thinking about our bands. … We just wanna see our buddies blow up and do cool stuff and live out their dreams.”

Fort Worthians such as Telegraph Canyon, Calhoun, Burning Hotels, The Orbans, and The Hanna Barbarians are the types of artists Maunder will be looking to book. Some have played the TCU Moon –– but have packed the place to over-capacity. The new Moon, Maunder said, will relieve the stress of cramming. “I’ve got to grow up, too,” he said. “Like I said, it’s time for a challenge.”

Our architectual & construction crews have been vigorously yet carefully restorating the Historic Ridglea Theater all Summer long, but alas, we got word that we will not be able to open in time this Fall like we were expecting.  

Spring 2012 is currently our planned re-opening timeframe.  

Sign up to our email list at http://www.ridgleatheater.com/email-signup.asp and stay up to date when we make our official grand re-opening announcement!