{{short description|Concert hall in El Paso, Texas}} {{Multiple issues| {{One source|date=April 2022}} {{More footnotes|date=April 2022}} {{Update|reason='''Did the falling-apart theatre get the repairs needed per the 2016 reference? Did it become the home of a Mexican-American Cultural Center, under consideration in 2016?'''|date=October 2023}} }} {{Use American English|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox venue | name = Abraham Chavez Theatre | native_name = | native_name_lang = <!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead --> | image = | image_size = | image_alt = | caption = | image_map = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = | pushpin_map_caption = | address = | city = El Paso, Texas | country = United States | designation = | coordinates = {{coord|31|45|27|N|106|29|26|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}} | architect = Carroll & Daeuble / Garland & Hilles | owner = City of El Paso | tenant = | operator = ASM Global | capacity = 2,500 | type = | opened = 197?{{clarify|date=October 2023}}{{Year needed|date=October 2023}} | reopened = | years_active = | rebuilt = | closed = | demolished = | other_names = | production = | current_use = | website = {{Official URL}} }}
'''Abraham Chavez Theatre''', known simply as the '''Chavez Theatre,''' is a 2,500-seat concert hall located in El Paso, Texas. It is adjacent to the Williams Convention Center. Its lobby features a three-story glass main entrance. The Abraham Chavez Theatre is named after Maestro Abraham Chavez, who was the longtime conductor of the El Paso Symphony. It was built in the early 1970s, with the framework of the curved structure of the theatre visible under construction in scenes shot at the nearby Laughlin Hotel (since demolished) in the 1972 Steve McQueen film ''The Getaway''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Things To Do - Abraham Chavez Theatre |website=visitelpaso.com |url=https://visitelpaso.com/places/abraham-chavez-theatre |access-date=2023-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021024502/https://visitelpaso.com/places/abraham-chavez-theatre |archive-date=2023-10-21 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Hotel Laughlin, El Paso, Texas |quote=The Laughlin Hotel is part of the Old San Francisco District. … A scene in "The Getaway" starring Steve Mc Queen was filmed in the Laughlin. It was located where the Chihuhahua´s stadium is now. At the time of filming, the convention center was under construction… and the frame work for the Abraham Chavez Theater can be seen… |website=digie.org |url=https://www.digie.org/en/media/7 |access-date=2023-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610180909/https://www.digie.org/en/media/7 |archive-date=2023-06-10 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Famous people who have performed here include Gabriel Iglesias, George Lopez and Joshua Ryan.
Inside, the theatre has a {{convert|5000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} lobby and a 40-by-56-foot stage as well as 14 dressing rooms. The theater's seating is in three levels. There is also a meeting room adjacent to the theater.
Events held at Chavez Theatre include concerts, Broadway shows, graduation ceremonies, performances of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, and other special events.
By late 2016, though the theatre was under consideration to be the designated home of the El Paso Mexican-American Cultural Center, a significant impediment was the need for "extensive repairs" to the half-century-old building.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.elpasoinc.com/news/local_news/article_6838ddde-c874-11e6-a2bd-fbac74e6b116.html |title=Change of heart: Arena site switch |last=Crowder |first=David |date=2016-12-25 |newspaper=El Paso Inc. |access-date=2017-07-23}}</ref> Repeated City Council cancellations of El Paso's proposed Downtown Arena project may yet cause those funds to be reallocated to improvement of the Chavez Theatre, among other city facilities.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/local/el-paso/2023/01/03/el-paso-city-council-duranguito-vote-downtown-arena-project/69773465007/ |title=El Paso City Council votes to abandon arena in Duranguito, reallocate remaining funds |last=Powell |first=Adam |date=2023-01-03 |newspaper=El Paso Times |access-date=2024-05-22}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Official website}}
{{El Paso}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Concert halls in Texas Category:Culture of El Paso, Texas Category:Buildings and structures in El Paso, Texas Category:Theatres in Texas Category:Economy of El Paso, Texas Category:Tourist attractions in El Paso, Texas