Downtown Edinburg has lost much of its luster with aging infrastructure and block after block of lawyers’ offices filling up what were once retail spaces.

For one day at least, on May 1, downtown was buzzing again. It was the day when the new Hidalgo County Courthouse celebrated its much-delayed completion and the venerable Citrus Theater marked its rebirth with a grand reopening event.

Frustrations mounted in recent years over the many construction and legal delays that put off opening the nearly $200-million courthouse. Across the street, Nick Cantu, a Millennial-aged developer and hometown boy, was working diligently on his vision to revitalize an over 80-year-old theater. The goal was to remake it into a venue for comedy shows and live music.

Cantu experienced delays of his own in being meticulous in reviving the historic elements of a beloved Edinburg building. It’s now called The Citrus Live. His hopes to open in 2023 or 2024 didn’t materialize. The neighboring courthouse project received complaints a plenty as delays piled up. For Cantu and the Citrus, there were only words of support, with prayers offered as well. 

“We had our share of setbacks and disappointments,” Cantu said. “I underestimated a lot of things, but I’m proud of how we’ve moved forward. The buy-in from the community has been overwhelming.”

‘A Lot Of Firsts’

The degree of community sentiment for the Citrus is drawn from the library of memories Edinburg has for the 84-year-old Citrus.

The building lay dormant for years with its most previous use being one of storage for a local lawyer. It was quite a different scene at the Citrus during its glory years. It was the only place in town to watch movies for nearly four decades. There were also talent shows and premiere events that had blocks-long lines in anticipation of big shows at the downtown theater. 

“The Citrus is a place for a lot of firsts,” Cantu said. “First dates, first kisses, everything happened at the Citrus.”

The Citrus Live version will serve a different purpose than its forerunner did. Instead of first-run movies the new Citrus will feature comedy shows, live music, theater and the arts. The venue’s seating capacity provides a just-right feel for the events it will host.

“It’s just big enough to accommodate having a big crowd, but at the same time intimate enough to enjoy a great show,” Cantu said.

The Citrus Live is at just over 1,000 seating capacity. The majority of seating is on the venue’s lower level. Up high, there are second floor suites and over 200 original Citrus seats that were upholstered with great care. Taking in the view from a spacious and lighted stage is to see with sweep of an 11,000-square-foot facility with a ceiling that’s about three stories high. There’s more than a little wonder looking up at it all in realizing the historic building has been brought back to life.

“I can’t explain how exciting it is to be here and seeing people enjoy the Citrus again,” Cantu said.

Revitalizing Downtown

“It’s movie time in Texas,” says a 1950s-era framed poster at the top of a Citrus Live staircase. 

Meet the stars, the poster proclaims, “in person – in Edinburg.” A row of stars from mid-century America is pictured. They visited Edinburg courtesy of Doc Boyle, a legendary promoter and general manager of the Citrus during its 1940s and 50s hey days. 

“Doc was a showman and everything he did was bigger than life,” said Joshua Kennedy, a local historian who narrated and produced a video about the Citrus’ illustrious history. “He took any chance he could to promote the Citrus and its movies.”

It’s all part of “the vintage aspects” of The Citrus Live. Cantu describes it as “bringing back the personality of these buildings to what they had back in their days.” And now it’s on to the future. In true Doc Boyle fashion, the first event in The Citrus Live featured a trio of Latino comedians. The May 9 event was a sellout. The Citrus Live could become “the church of comedy” in South Texas due to its size and quality acoustics is how one promoter put it to Cantu.

Another hope is that the revitalized Citrus and the next-door courthouse seven-story behemoth will be the catalysts in revitalizing downtown Edinburg.

“May first was a special day for Edinburg,” Cantu said of the Citrus and the new courthouse opening their doors to the public on the same day. “It was when two big projects got going.”