At the busy intersection of West Houston and South Glenwood Boulevard in an area known as Historic Old Tyler stands a reddish brick building that in a span of 50 years has played a variety of roles. As of 1990, it is playing several roles at once-as the class-act Midtown Arts Centre.
Winner of the 1990 Historic Tyler Award, the Midtown Arts Centre is the home of the Brickstreet Playhouse, the Backstage Cafe and a collection of artists` galleries and studios. It also is a natural showcase for the next-door garden designer who bought the property and opened it up last
December.
I can`t promise you an exact repeat of the delightful evening of dinner theater I spent here recently, but I`ll cross my fingers that the quality will be just as good.
A visiting chef the first evening of my visit went all out to produce a very special repast. The second evening, the regular dinner caterer, Josephs of Tyler, served an equally enjoyable meal.
The building goes back to 1939, when on May 16 the Tyler Little Theatre moved into its own new Art Deco quarters. For six years the facility was a center of artistic expression and interaction, but World War II eventually brought about its demise.
The structure was sold to the congregation of Ahavath Achim, who remodeled it and used it until they built a new temple. In 1984, the building was sold to Bethel Church (now Bethel Bible Church), which soon outgrew the space and put it up for sale in 1988.
Longtime dreams realized
Noel David Pullam, who operates a custom landscape design business next door, bought the building last year and put longtime dreams into operation. Thus in 1989, the 50th anniversary of its opening, the building was returned to its original but expanded role.
The main auditorium is the setting for most performances of the Brickstreet Playhouse`s six-performance season. Former Sunday School rooms to the rear have been converted into the garden-level Backstage Cafe while upstairs spaces are now studios, galleries and offices.
Artworks, including numerous paintings by the late Bert Millar, decorate the cafe and hallways. A pretty patio area for outdoor dining is graced by several sculptures and a large fountain.
The cafe contains a small stage where less elaborate productions of the regular season, as well as weekend Cabaret shows, are presented.
On our first visit we enjoyed a one-woman show, ”The Belle of Amherst,” starring Ann Russell in the life story of Emily Dickinson. More recently we saw Pat Crenshaw of Dallas in a program of zany songs enlivened by a wild array of hats a la Hedda Hopper.
The Playhouse`s premiere season is winding up with ”Vanities,” a comedy written by Texan Jack Heifner, which plays through Oct. 14 in the Backstage Cafe.
Performances take place Friday and Saturday at 8:15 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
`Fiddler` up next
The new season begins Oct. 19 during the Tyler Rose Festival with
”Fiddler on the Roof,” which plays through Nov. 11.
The Backstage Cafe is open from Monday through Saturday for lunch, tea and cocktails (with club membership) under the management of Michael Vesze. On Friday nights it remains open after the dinner hour until midnight and on Saturdays until 1 a.m.
The Midtown Arts Centre is in a historic midtown section of Tyler that includes the Brick Street Shoppes and several imposing landmarks.
Members of the Brick Street Shoppes include a dozen antiques stores and galleries, a half dozen specialty shops (custom lamps, used maternity and children`s clothing, wearable art, primitive folk art and more) and several food services and various other businesses.
B&B accommodations
Three bed-and-breakfast operations are within the area: the handsome two- story Rosevine Inn, built strictly for the purpose; Mary`s Attic Bed & Breakfast, a two-bedroom bungalow furnished with antiques from neighboring Mary`s Attic Antiques; and the ”Lil” Dutch Inn, with two upstairs bedrooms, also adjacent to the proprietor`s antiques shop.
Most of the Brick Street businesses are on South Vine, South College and West Houston.
Several landmark early homes remain as private property or have been put to other uses, among them the Woldert House (legal offices), the 1880 McClendon House (birthplace of Washington news correspondent Sarah McClendon and restored for community use), the 1898 Butler House (private), 1888 Chilton House (now a playschool), the 1903 Ramey House (law offices), and the 1885 Bonner House (until recently the home of the Brick Street Antique Mall).
The Carnegie History Center, which was the Carnegie Library from 1904-1979, is now a museum containing artifacts and exhibits of local history, the archives collection of the Smith County Historical Society and rotating exhibits. Be sure to see the video on the history of Tyler`s many brick streets.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Some things to know before you head for Tyler:
Midtown Arts Centre: 1014 W. Houston, Tyler, Texas 75702. For Brickstreet Theatre ticket reservations, call 214-592-7850; individual tickets are $10;
season tickets, $45. For dinner theater package, call 214-592-7859; price is generally $20.
Backstage Cafe is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Dinner theater guests are served beginning at 6:30 p.m.; the cafe remains open for the Cabaret after the show until midnight Friday and 1 a.m. Saturday.
Brick Street Shoppes of Tyler: Formed by merchants in this older historic section of Tyler; brochure contains map showing points of interest as well as shop locations. For more information, contact Noel David Pullam, 924 W. Houston, Tyler, Texas 75702; 214-592-5915.
Carnegie History Center: 125 S. College, Tyler, Texas 75702; open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; free; various areas devoted to ways of the Native Americans, life of the pioneer, a turn-of-the-century sitting room and a kitchen of the `30s.
For more information: Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 390, Tyler Texas 75710; 214-592-1661. SOURCE: Jean Simmons.
