Historic Sugar Land Auditorium is the last remaining public building of the original company-owned town of Sugar Land and the only building left from the original Sugar Land Independent School District #17. Sugar Land Auditorium’s story is very much a part of the history of Imperial Sugar Company and the early settlement of Fort Bend County. In 1912, Imperial Sugar Company erected a small, two-roo
m wooden building at the corner of Wood and Lakeview (then 3rd St.) to serve as a school during the week and as a church facility for all faiths on Sundays. It soon became apparent that the original two-room wooden building was not going to meet the needs of the growing community for long. Recognizing this, Imperial Sugar sent an employee, M. Wood, to California to look at a campus they thought would serve as a good model for a local school. Wood returned with plans and construction of a new school began in 1916 on the north bank of Cleveland Lake on land donated by Imperial Sugar. All the buildings were finished in white stucco on the outside and had large windows that allowed fresh air to circulate and cool the buildings. The superintendent’s office was at the front of the auditorium and there was an apartment for the custodian on the second floor of the auditorium. The Sugar Land Independent School District #17 was incorporated in 1918 by an act of the Texas Legislature and was soon fully accredited with the state. Students from the school had no difficulty in attending colleges and universities and competing with those from much larger districts. In April 1959, Sugar Land I.S.D. #17 consolidated with Missouri City I.S.D. and became part of the newly formed Fort Bend I.S.D. Combined, these two excellent schools later emerged as one of the premier districts in the state. There is no doubt that the auditorium was one of the earliest and finest auditoriums available on a public school campus in 1918. The auditorium had a raised stage and a large movie screen and projector and originally seated 500. The community would gather there to watch films, which were originally silent movies, for dances that were held on the flat-tile rooftop, and for other events. In 1993 the auditorium was given a historical marker from the Texas Historical Society, as well as a marker was for Sugar Land Independent School District #17. These markers, as well as the original preservation and restoration efforts, were made possible by the work of Jane McMeans as President of the Sugar Land Heritage Society. Although in good condition, the building required significant work to meet current laws to accommodate the needs of the handicapped, replace wiring, add air conditioning, and redo floors and chairs. The Sugar Land Cultural Arts Foundation (SLCAF), a tax-exempt organization, was formed in 1999 to raise the additional funds required for restoration of the auditorium, to develop policies for the use of the building, and to protect the investment for future generations. From the very start, the SLCAF received outstanding support from generous members of the community. Additionally, Houston Endowment, Inc. awarded the SLCAF with a $100,000 Challenge Grant in 2006. Today, the interior is restored and upgraded with state of the art sound and lighting equipment and the building is regularly rented for recitals, performances and meetings. Phase 2 restoration efforts were completed in 2011, with the renovation of the building’s exterior, the construction of a backstage area, provision for handicap access to the stage and upgraded lighting and landscaping.
