The Rainbow Theatre

The Rainbow Theatre was once a popular theater located in Houston’s Freedmen’s Town. At the time, Houston was heavily segregated like the rest of the South during Jim Crow. The Rainbow Theatre was one of the few Houston-area theaters that Black Houstonians could patronize.

Location

Located at 907 W. Dallas / San Felipe, the theater was aptly placed along what was once the “main artery” of Freedmen’s Town. Today, West Dallas is little more than an easy way to reach I-45 or Downtown from Montrose, but prior to the construction of I-45, it was the main thoroughfare in one of Houston’s thriving Black neighborhoods.

To the left is an aerial clipping from 1944 that I’ve crudely labelled for illustrative purposes. Below West Dallas / San Felipe Street is the Rainbow Theater, enclosed in a large rectangle.

Catty-corner to the Rainbow theater is the Bebee Tabernacle Church, also enclosed in a rectangle. This church is still standing today and can serve as a great point of reference to the 1944 image.

Like many of the historical structures in Freedmen’s Town, the Rainbow Theatre is sadly no longer standing. Today, a Best Western Hotel occupies the former location @ 907 W Dallas.

To the right is the current aerial view of the same section of Freedmen’s Town. There are several changes, the main being the Best Western occupying the entire block and the razing of homes and businesses.

Another change is that Burton Street is now Buckner Street. However, the Bebee Tabernacle church is still standing in its original form and location.

Just think of the stories we’d hear if buildings were able to talk. I’m certain Bebee Tabernacle Church has witnessed a lot.