Paramount Theatre in downtown Austin to be renovated next year

Paramount Theatre to be renovated in 2026

The Paramount Theatre in downtown Austin will soon be getting a makeover. The theatre has been around for 110 years, and the hope is it lasts another century.

AUSTIN, Texas - The Paramount Theatre in downtown Austin will soon be getting a makeover. 

The theatre has been around for 110 years, and the hope is it lasts another century. 

Paramount Theatre makeover

The backstory:

"We have six generations of Austin who have come through our doors. We're looking forward to the next five and six generations," said Jim Ritts, CEO and executive director of the Austin Theatre Alliance. 

Starting in June 2026, the Paramount will close for renovations. The project will take about nine months. All the seats in the theatre will be replaced, but the historic end caps on the ends of the seating rows will be restored.

The circular caps under the seats are part of the air circulation system from the year 1915. Those will stay. 

All the art will be touched up.

"It is artists doing it by hand lying on scaffolding, on ladders, as if they're doing the Sistine Chapel," Ritts said.

An unfinished lounge that was in the plan from 1915 will be brought to life. There will be updated infrastructure, sound, and lighting systems. 

"We have some incredibly talented lighting people and sound people, but we're right now not giving them the most current tools to really demonstrate the full breadth of their artistry," Ritts said.

Next door, the State Theatre renovation will take 13–16 months and will start when the Paramount is done. There will be added seats and infrastructure.

To fund renovations at both theatres, there's a fundraising goal of $65 million. $55 million is for construction and $10 million as an endowment for future unexpected times, if something like a pandemic happens. 

So far, $27 million has been raised, which allowed them to move forward with the project. You can donate as much or as little as you want. 

"It gives the entire community the opportunity to be able to own a bit of this theatre," Ritts said.

That way, visitors can continue to take in this piece of Austin history. 

"What I hope they experience is that what we held onto was the intimacy of this theatre. The thing that allows you to be so close to one another and so close the artist, but what you'll feel is everything's been freshened up," Ritts said.

For more information and to donate, click here.