The Palace, located at 810 South Austin Avenue in Georgetown, Texas, was built in 1925 by A. C. Moore of Bartlett, Texas. A grand opening in February of 1926 brought silent films to this new community gathering place, followed three years later by the wonder of “talkies.” The first showing of a film with sound in November of 1929 was so successful that the Williamson County Sun reported “… the new theatre was marked by record breaking attendance, standing room not even being available Monday night.” (Sun, Nov. 15, 1929)
The buff brick exterior of the original building became the present Art Deco facade in 1936 during a 3-day remodeling period by Mr. & Mrs. O. A. Englebrecht. The Englebrechts owned the theatre from 1927 until 1968. The stucco exterior of 1936 brought a major distinction to the Palace. The Georgetown Heritage Society reported it to be the only Art Deco building found in Georgetown. Without the Palace, it is hard to imagine what would have sparked the creative and questing urges of thousands of youngsters who grew up here during the Depression, World War II, and the drought-plagued 5Os. (Sun, Dec.23,1990)
When the Palace could no longer compete as a movie theatre and was forced to close in late 1989, it became known as the oldest continuously operated movie theatre in the same building in Williamson County.
In December of 1990, a group of concerned citizens founded the Georgetown Palace Theatre, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to save this historic theatre for Williamson County. In just one week, this group met the challenge of raising $10,000 for a down payment, and about a month later an additional $10,000 for operating expenses and equipment. These are the Gold and Silver Charter Members whose plaque hangs in the historic Palace lobby. Those who participated in the physical task of cleaning up the building became known as The Palace Guard.
In a little more than 90 days, the Palace was given back to the people of Williamson County through the cash donations, volunteer efforts, and hard work of hundreds of citizens.
Annual donations by individuals and business sponsors in Williamson County helped to maintain the day-to-day success of the Palace from 1991 to 1999. Over that nine-year period, hundreds of volunteers were involved in performing, directing, selling tickets, ushering, maintenance, marketing, outreach, and fundraising.
For the sesquicentennial celebration in 1998 for the City of Georgetown and Williamson County, a Palace tradition was formed, producing You Can’t Do That, Dan Moody! Author Ken Anderson (then Williamson County District Attorney) and Tom Swift (then Artistic Director for the Palace) teamed up to write the stage play.
The play was produced by the Palace and performed in the Williamson County Courthouse where the original trial of several Ku Klux Klan (KKK) members in 1923 were successfully prosecuted by Dan Moody (who later became governor of Texas). In fall of 2009, the fifth Palace production of this play was performed by the Palace and the Williamson County museum. And in 2023, the Palace produced the play for the trial’s 100-year anniversary.
In November 1998, the Board of Directors, with the help of Harold Steadman and an influential Steering Committee, launched a capital campaign, Palace 2000, to restore and transform this historic landmark to better meet the growing civil and cultural needs of Williamson County. The primary goal of the renovation project was to recapture its historic Art Deco design, while making it a safe and accessible facility for the entire community. The theatre closed in July 1999 and the grand reopening was held on Oct. 6, 2001.
A couple of tough years followed for Georgetown Palace Theatre, Inc. With a debt of more than $800,000 in an economy struggling through the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the beloved Palace nearly closed. A new Board of Directors took over on Feb. 1, 2004. This Board was framed around 15 citizens who were financial “shareholders,” that is to say they were guarantors of a portion of the mortgage held by Union State Bank and had a vested interest in the success of the Palace.
This was a turning point for the Palace. In their very first month as a Board under the leadership of Doug Smith, the new directors raised more than $40,000 at a fundraiser. And as the fiscal year 2004 began (July 1), the new Board hired Artistic Director, Mary Ellen Butler, to produce, direct, hire, design, and manage theatrical summer workshops for children and teens. In 2004-05, a fundraising campaign began with a challenge grant of $25,000, bringing in almost $100,000. This money was needed to pay off lingering debt from the restoration. With this campaign, the Palace stage was named in honor of Frances and Angus Springer, beloved theatre teachers.
Growth occurred in 2005-06, and the 2007-08 season was a banner year; but, with the economic downturn across the country, the 2008-2009 season was less successful from a financial standpoint. We did, however, finish the 2009-2010 fiscal year in the black.
In 2007, the Board of Directors accomplished the purchase of the Tin Barn, located behind the historic Palace Theatre. Because the Palace historically operated as a movie theatre, there were no dressing rooms or restrooms for the cast and crew, and no back stage area. With several important grants, donations large and small, a generous $100,000 gift from Joanne & Bill Harrah, and more than 8,000 hours of volunteer labor donated by Bob’s Bunch (men & women volunteers, far too numerous to name), the Tin Barn emerged as the staging area for our productions. It currently includes dressing rooms, bathrooms, mirrored makeup areas, laundry room, green room, rehearsal stage, set-build area, costume work room and storage, prop storage, and offices.
In 2013, the Texas Commission on the Arts designated Georgetown a Cultural District in the State of Texas. The Georgetown Cultural District, 1 of 54 districts in the state, covers the 40-block area of the downtown around the Courthouse Square, with arts and cultural attractions like the Georgetown Art Center, Palace Theatre, Williamson Museum, Georgetown Public Library, Grace Heritage Center, Shotgun House Museum, downtown art galleries, and shops featuring handcrafted items.
In 2015, the Palace established a small black box theatre dubbed the Palace Playhouse. The Playhouse is home to our nonmusical plays and is an intimate setting to see live performances. It currently seats 75 and produces six plays annually.
The Palace welcomed a new Executive Artistic Director in 2019. Ron Watson started as a performer in 1998, became the technical director in 2013, and replaced Mary Ellen Butler in 2019. As of 2025, Ron is still in this leadership role and has grown the organization into a powerhouse of live performance with 12 shows annually, a robust education program, and a host of special events and rentals. The current operating budget is $2.6 million dollars.
July 2020 ushered in a new era for our education program. Thanks to an angel investor, a successful capital campaign, and several top-tier donors, the Palace opened the doors to a new building dedicated to our education program. The Doug Smith Performance Center is a 14,500 square foot building that includes a 175-seat performance space, several classrooms, a full dance studio, office space, and a beautiful open lobby. They have been successfully operating since 2020 under the direction of Kristen Rogers, PhD. The $4.6 million-dollar building was paid off in December 2020 with a gift bequeathed by the estate of Doug Smith. The education program offers year-round education in the live and performing arts. They host classes, camps, Theatre for Young Audiences, student productions, and a Palace Performance Company. The program sees more than 6,600 students annually.
As of June 2025, the Palace continues to find ways to rejuvenate itself by hosting special events, concerts, an annual gala benefiting Palace Education, and its first ever single day music fest, the Renegade Revival Music Fest. As we look to 2026 and our 100-year anniversary, we are proud of where we came from, appreciate our current position, and look forward to forward to serving our community for years to come!
