FORT WORTH, Texas — After efforts to preserve the Berry Theatre failed, crews demolished the historic building Saturday in Fort Worth.
The theater opened at the corner of Hemphill Street and Berry Street in 1940. It was among the first local facilities to show Spanish-language movies, according to film history aggregator Cinema Treasures.
People who live in the area continued to use the building as a landmark, even after it closed.
"People would meet up there," said Carlos Posada, who lives nearby. "It's sad to see that go."
Posada is among the few who stopped to watch the building's destruction. Drivers slowed as they passed by, rubbernecking as workers used heavy machinery to knock over walls.
"I'm watching Fort Worth history disappear," said Rene Gomez, who believes he took one of the last professional photos of the building.
In 2021, Mercy Clinic of Fort Worth accepted the building as a donation. Architects soon deemed the structure unstable for occupancy, Mercy Clinic executive director Aly Layman said in a statement.
Clinic administrators considered incorporating the rotting building into their expansion plans, but ultimately determined the work required to stabilize the structure would be too expensive.
"Built in the 1930s, the building has not been taken care of and is too costly to renovate," Layman wrote. "Even potential federal grants for historic preservation would not bring this cost down enough to not pull funding from the Mercy Clinic mission."
The nonprofit provides free medical, dental and spiritual care to people who do not have insurance.
After meeting with community leaders and residents, clinic administrators determined the facility could not be saved.
Crews will soon clear the rubble and begin construction on a new facility with 10 patient care rooms and six dental chairs. The annex will compliment Mercy Clinic's existing facilities across the street.
"A new clinic facility will show this community many more decades of mercy," Layman said.