spouse: Lillian Croney
William D Nevills, owner of the Washington and Princess Theaters and part owner of the Gaiety Theatre of Dallas, has been identified with the theatrical life of this city since 1890, when he first came here from Portland, Oregon.
The Favorite Moving Picture Theatre, built by Mr. Nevills in February, 1907, was one of the first in Dallas. Having given that to the amusement seeking public, Mr. Nevills’ fascination bought and remodeled the Candy Theatre and took over the Nicolodian in the latter part of the following year, adding the Palace and Empress theatres to the chain of play houses under his control in 1909-1910. Having made a phenomenal success in the management of these theatres, Mr. Nevills, in 1913, built the Washington Theatre, then the finest in Dallas and surpassed by none at the present in the quality of amusements offered. The buildings occupied by the Palace and Candy theatres were combined and this house was known as the Gaiety.
These theatres have supplied a real necessity in Dallas and Mr. Nevills has done much to afford the public a varied and wide range of wholesome entertainment in well equipped and perfectly appointed play houses.
He has not confined his activities to the theatrical business alone. He is director and one of the organizers of the Guaranty Bank & Trust Company of Dallas.
Mr. Nevills was born in Joplin, Missouri, March 29, 1873, and when still a child moved with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Nevills, to Kansas from Joplin, Missouri, then to Portland, Oregon, being educated in the public schools of Kansas and Oregon.
He married Mrs. Lillian Croney Reeves. The couple have no children.
He is a member of the Dallas Automobile Country Club and the Dallas Automobile Club.
Mr. Nevills is enthusiastic over the ultimate success of the Trinity River project and says that with that completed there is no end to the development of Dallas and the surrounding territory.
Davis, Ellis Arthur and Edwin H. Grobe, editors. The encyclopedia of Texas, Vol. 2, Book, 1922; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth39129/ : accessed December 18, 2013), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
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