Main Street Theatre

Tour of Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas Theatres in 2004
From June 26 through July 1, 2004 the Theatre Historical Society of America will tour a number of theatres in Kansas City Missouri and surrounding areas, including theatres in Lamar, Joplin, Richmond, St. Joseph and Springfield, MO, as well as Miami, OK, and these cities in Kansas: Leavenworth, Kansas City, Emporia, El Dorado, Augusta, Wichita, Hutchinson, McPherson, Salina, Concordia, and Topeka. More information is contained on their web site: http://www.HistoricTheatres.org and special photos and information concerning the Kansas City theatres: UPTOWN and the MIDLAND is available on this temporary page of their site at: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~angell/thsa/fromarch.html A glossy brochure about this "Heart of America" Conclave is available from the Society's headquarters listed on their homepage, via E-mail to the Ex. Director, or via snail mail. Membership in the Society is not required to attend the Conclave and tour the theatres, but fees do apply as detailed on their site. Bring your camera and lots of film, for it is usually difficult or impossible to enter these theatres for photos, and some of them will surely not be with us in the years to come.

I noticed the Empire is not on a list of theatres that will be toured on the Kansas City conclave.Is there a reason why?brucec

It would be wonderful if there were a person with the vision and ability to raise the necessary funds and put together a consortium so that the Empire Theater and the President Hotel could be renovated and made a part of Downtown Kansas City again. It is understandable if the City can only afford to resurrect the facade of the Empire. But more needs to be done. The Hotel President is a wonderful piece of architecture and history. Many presidents have stayed at that hotel and I'm sure there are stories to be told if only........

What a nice looking theater, the facade looks untouched. How is the interior looking? Any pics?

An interesting history of the Empire. Unfortunately, as mentioned, it appears from I have read in the Kansas City Star, that the building's fate is sealed and soon will become nothing more than a memory, unless anyone has heard otherwise which would be great. It's a shame with the Hotel President's renovation seemingly in progress again, that the same cannot be done for the Empire.

From what I've read in the KC Star (Article appeared on 8/13/03), the owner obtained a pre-demolition permit. Possibly wanting to raze the building for future development.

There is a lot of info & some pictures (interior & exterior) about this theatre in Mary Bagley's book: "Front Row: Missouri's Grand Theatres". At the time of publishing in 1984, the theatre was still operating.

The theatre was divided and turned into a four-plex at some point & I've heard that a lot of the interior elements & charm are gone. It has been closed since 1985 & I personally have never been inside of the theatre, though it is a really neat building & the exterior is a downtown landmark, though it has never been given specific landmark status.

I would love to see the building saved & hope someone can do it. If I had the funds I would open a nightclub/multi-use facility as has been done with other theatres like KC's Uptown.

http://cinematreasures.org/news/12025_0_1_0_C/

Things are looking up for the Empire Theater. It appears that the city has rejected a plan that would have constructed a new headquarters building on the site for Kansas City Power & Light. It appears that the Empire will be preserved. The Cordish Co. has plans to redevelop the property into a live music venue and nightclub as part an entertainment district they are developing across the street. City officials appear to be supporting this effort, since they turned down the request of two very powerful downtown property owners and developers.

For more information, read the Kansas City Star article from Nov. 11, 2004, here:

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/business/companies/10149232.htm

Here is a link to the Kansas City Public Library Local History database which shows a postcard of the Empire Theater from 1923 when it was the Main Street Theater.

http://www.kclibrary.org/localhistory/popup.cfm?http://www.kclibrary.org/lhimgs/kcpl/regular/20000678_reg.jpg&Main%20Street%20Theater

As for the President Hotel that was mentioned above, renovation has resumed and it is expected to open in 2006 as a Hilton Historic Hotel. It is just across the street from the Empire. There used to be a tunnel that ran from the hotel under the street to the theater. I don't know if it is still open or not.

Check here to see a photo of, and for updates on the President Hotel:
http://www.kcskyscrapers.com/projectdetail.php?ProjectID=29

Check here to see the new Power & Light Live entertainment district being developed around both the Empire Theater and President Hotel.

http://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/Website/overview.htm

"Future Looks Hopeful for Kansas City's Empire Theater"
http://cinematreasures.org/news/12324_0_1_0_C/

As far as the Empire goes I know of someone who went inside the building almost a year ago, from what I've heard it's a real mess and has a lot of water damage. some of the wood has rotted and there is filtered sunlight in some area's of the theater comming from the roof, From the exterior and interior point of view it is restorable but it's gonna need a lot of work done to it from what I've heard it's gonna an access of $10 million to totally fix and renovate the theater back to it's former glory. Again it is salvagable

Cinerama 3 strip played at the Empire Theatre from 6/14/56 thru 5/17/59. 3 strip was removed and 70MM installed and ran from 8/30/61 thru 12/8/63. On 12/19/63 Empire 2 started showing 70MM Cinerama thru 2/8/67.

Note: When the 3 strip Cinerama played it was called the Missouri Theatre. It became the Empire when AMC took over the theatre and then ran Cinerama in 70MM.

when my friend went into the theater he told me after words that it was completly wide open there was no split or divide to seperate the theater into two theaters may be at one time they did have a split but as far as he could tell there was nothing except a wide open balcony including the main floor when you the cinema room the only things that are still in there is the seat that I have to say is in very poor condition due to the damage of rain and neglect over the years but they are salvagable. there was some talk that the empire was split into four but I hardly doubt it there evidence of that unless someone could show up some pictures that could put the icing on the cake wether it was split or not.

The theatre was split into 2 auditoriums and later 4 by AMC. I believe that at one point one side was called Empire while the other side was called Royal.

AMC did convert the Empire into four, there were two up and two down. They walls may have been removed but there were four auditoriums for a while.

Yes, to follow up on my previous comment; according to Mary Bagley's book on Missouri's Theatres:

"AMC changed the name to the Empire and opened it with the movie Exodus as a reserved-seat, road-show house. The theatre retained an organist until 1961, when there was a dispute with the musicians' union. Still under AMC ownership, the theatre was split into two- the Empire and Royal- in 1969. Then in 1980 it was halved again into the Empire 4 theatres."

As a matter of words I went by the place the other day it's not looking good as I said in my first comments it's gonna cost some money I've been following this deal about the developer wanting to tear it down now the city is supposed to get a hold of it and turn it over to the cordish people now if that happens the place a chance thats if the developer follows through on that agreement with the city. From my observation from the outside the place is salvagable I don't know and who knows why the developer wanted to have it condemed it down but my guess would probably be he doesn't want to pay taxes on it anymore it should look real hopeful for the RKO

The last two owners, Executive Hills, and (the late) Stan Durwood (local theater titan), let the Empire deteriorate for a long time. They didn't keep it up to code, because there are small trees growing on the roof in places. The west wall of the theater space had bricks buckling and falling off, which is also a code violation.

I wrote to the mayor and all city council members to bring the code violations to their attention and demand that Executive Hills make repairs on the west wall to secure it from further damage. I pointed out that the Empire was deteriorating quickly, and it needed to be secured from weather if their was any hope of restoring it. I ended up personally meeting with two council members to discuss the issue. Within a month, the west wall had new exterior stucco covering the areas of deterioration in that wall. Yay!

It was soon after that Executive Hills started floating the idea publically about tearing the theater down. The grapevine indicated that Executive Hills was threatening demolition to pressure the city into allowing it to tear down an old department store to build a parking garage for a large office building they owned a couple blocks away. Apparently, Executive Hills had purchased the theater property with the intention of turning it into parking if they couldn't find something closer.

The Empire has been included in two past redevelopment plans for the neighborhood. One was Stan Durwood's Centertainment plan, and the other was another plan of Durwood's called the Power and Light District. Neither plan succeeded, and Durwood died.

When Executive Hills indicated their intent to tear down the Empire, Some research was done and something historically relevent was found about it. This information was forwarded to the Historic KC Foundation, and the mayor. Up to that point, the mayor had indicated that she would like to see the facade saved and included in a new development, but said little else about saving the entire building.

I was told by a council member's office that city leaders had no intention of letting Executive Hills tear the Empire down. Executive Hills didn't end up gaining control of the old department store property. The city took it by eminent domain. I heard a deal was struck that Executive Hills tenants would have access to a new city-owned garage that would be built on that site. After the city shot down the KC Power & Light headquarters plan on the Empire's site, I think it became evident to Executive Hills that the city would also take the theater by eminent domain if need be.

Not long afterwards, the announcement was made that Cordish would restore the Empire as part of its new entertainment district, initially called "Kansas City Live." Cordish later decided to change the name back to the Power and Light District. The development plan has been approved by voters, and will be funded through revenue bonds, and funds from Cordish and the State of Missouri. Once the Empire is restored, the property will be owned by the city.

While restoration may cost $10 million or more, the project will be eligible for state and federal historic renovation funding, as well as state urban redevelopment money. This could pay for as much as half of the cost of restoration I've been told.

Mr. Cordish said in an interview recently that he wants to restore the Empire to its former glory. He does acknowledge that the Empire is in bad condition, and will be expensive to restore, but that it is worth it. He indicated that full restoration would increase its cache and value to the district at large. Cordish indicated that it's important to restore the theater because no developer could duplicate it today.

The Empire is completely salvageable. Union Station was restored several years ago, and it was in terrible shape. There was a lot of water damage and the ceiling had collapsed in several places. Some of the steel beams supporting the roof were rusted through. The ceiling in Union Station had an elaborate design as well. They hired a restoration expert that had worked on Windsor Castle, and a lot of European cathedrals, was hired to fix the ceiling.

Any lost decorative work in the Empire can be recreated.

As far as the divider walls not being there any longer, I'm guessing they were taken down a few years back either when Stan Durwood planned to renovate it; or, during an attempt to lure a Hard Rock Cafe / Planet Hollywood / House of Blues-type club into the building. The walls would have had to come down so that any developer could have seen the potential of the entire space.

Breaking news on the Empire Today (Also appears in today's newsreel)

Kansas City Buys the Empire:

http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2004/12/27/daily17.html

The Empire's downstairs auditorium was never subdivided and remained intact until the end. The balcony was subdivided into 2 additional theaters, and a small screening room was carved out of some upstairs space to make up the fourth screen in the Empire complex. This screening room was at one point called "The Academy" and had a separate entrance and box office. It was reserved for art films and second runs.

The Empire continued to screen the 3-strip Cinerama process on a reserved-seat basis well into the sixties with "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm" and "How the West Was Won." Beginning with "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," the 3-strip process disappeared and was replaced with the seamless 70 mm version of Cinerama.

The address for the Emoire theater was:
1400 Main St
Kansas City, MO 64105

Make that Empire theater and not Emoire theater.

After viewing a photo of the boarded up Empire why there were plans for it to become a Planet-Hollywood because of its unusual facade, but it needs to remain a theatre as originally intended!

"The lobby area is topped by a dome encircled by circular windows." How very unique and will look so beautiful when this Kansas City landmark is restored to its former beauty and grandeur!

Photos and an article on the Empire/Mainstreet theater are here:
http://cinerama.topcities.com/mainstreet.htm

http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=10550

http://www.cinematour.com/picview.php?db=us&id=14071

In the mid '60's, I worked for Durwood Theaters as an assistant manager of the Empire. One of the ushers was a young man named Richard Rivas who was a very good artist. He gave me a charcoal sketch about 14x20 which I still have. If there is a place in Kansas City where this could be preserved as part of the theater heritage of downtown, I would consider donating it. By the way, does anyone know Richard Rivas or his whereabouts? It would be good to visit with him some forty years later. RevJLS@aol.com

The address listed for the Empire is:
1400 Main St
Kansas City, MO 64105

The Kansas City Star today reported that AMC has joined together with Cordish Co to redevelop this theater as part of a larger entertainment district that has been on and off for a number of years. Current plans call for the Empire to be turned into a six-screen movie theater with digital projection to present foreign and independent film.

In addition, the Midland Theater, currently being used for live performance, is to be updated as part of the overall district plans. The office portion of the Midland is to be converted to high end condominiums.

Plans call for both theater renovations to be completed by spring of 2007

Yet another link to old photo of the Empire from 1934. http://www.kclibrary.org/localhistory/media.cfm?mediaID=213277

Detail of dome: http://www.kclibrary.org/localhistory/media.cfm?mediaID=7432

When the Mainstreet / RKO Missouri was converted into the Empire I & II, AMC Theatres was then known as Durwood Theatres. From 1963 to 1969 this theatre was known as Durwood's Empire I & II. After 1969 it was AMC Empire Twin, and in 1980 the AMC Empire 4. 6 years after the AMC Empire 4 closed, AMC opened the AMC Empire 25 Theatre in New York City.

The Empire is currently under renovation and AMC will be reopening it soon as a multiplex. This was according to yesterdays KC Star.

Recent photos of the deteriorated interior of the Empire are found at this web link:

http://www.kcurbex.org/Gallery/thumbnails.php?album=9

oh no! it looks like they will have to gut most of the theater. It's strange what 20 years of neglect can do.....

The developer, Cordish Co., has committed publically to restoration of the theater.

Photos of the interior of the original Empire "Mainstreet" Theater can be found at:

http://cinerama.topcities.com/mainstreet.htm

Those recent pictures are very sad but I think the theatre is restorable. All it takes is enough money.

The cost of restoration and re-use of the theater has been budgeted at $18 million.

Here is a press release from last November:
http://www.ded.mo.gov/cgi-bin/dispress.pl?txtpressid=1505

This will require quite a few trips to Home Depot.

I've seen a drawing of what this theatre is gonna look like when it reopens. It is located at http://imageevent.com/kcgridlock/renderings;jsessionid=z4mg3x8vr1.lion_s?p=2&n=1&m=-1&c=3&l=0&w=4&s=0&z=9 and it appears that the original Main Street Marquee will be reproduced for the new (old) theatre.

The press release regarding the restoration of this theatre isn't very specific. They plan to have six digital projection screens - does that mean the auditorium will be carved up? If not, where will the six screens be located? Can anyone shed some light on this?

I just saw the interior of the Empire Theater earlier today and it has been completely gutted down to the bare concrete, steel and brick.
There is nothing left - however, I was told that some of the ornmentation was salvaged including some brass and bronze from steps and a lost of pictures. It is pretty much cleaned out and they are ready to begin exterior resoration while the interior is all redone to turn it into 6 very stylish screening rooms and some lounges and cafe's etc. I am hopeful that care will be taken to design interior elements that would duplicate some of the original pieces. It is so sad what happened to the interior. There was once a lot of beauty in there. You can always drive up to Omaha and visit the Orpheum Theater since it's interior is almost a clone of what the Empire once looked like. At this point, I am glad that building is being saved even though it will not be the same as it once was.
Mike Gallagher

So much for restoration. That's a shame. I didn't think they would restore this theatre. Hopefully the exterior will be restored at least.

From seeing the pictures posted on here by RobbKCity, from dec 31 2005, I thought it would be almost impossible to "restore" this theater, as opposed to gutting it and starting from scratch. Just way past the point of no return. I am happy that the building itself is at least going to be saved and used. Such a great facade. Also I'm not surprised that it's interior used to look similar to Omaha's Orpheum, since they were both designed by Rapp & Rapp, as pointed out by Mike Gallagher.

Here's an update on the renovations of the Empire and Midland theaters. The big news is that the Empire will be renamed the Mainstreet Theatre. This was the theater's original name when it opened in 1921.

Asbestos removal on the Empire Theater has been completed, so renovation of that structure can now begin.

The following is a recent article in the Kansas City Star.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/15043738.htm

(article text follows in case the link goes dead)

Empire to transform from eyesore to eye-catcher

The one-time vaudeville venue will be a modern movie house.

By KEVIN COLLISON
The Kansas City Star
July 15, 2006

For 20 years, the shuttered Empire Theater has rotted at the corner of 14th and Main streets, trees sprouting from its roof, a poignant symbol of downtown neglect.

On Friday, for the first time in a generation, Kansas City got a peek inside the former vaudeville palace where crowds once plopped 50 cents —a dime if you were a kid—during the Roaring ’20s to be entertained by the likes of Charlie Chaplin, and George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen.

A sheet of the cheap metal siding installed to deter vandals had been peeled back to reveal the old address, 1402, etched on the red granite facade. Inside, the vast auditorium where a million people laughed in 1921, the first year it opened, was a dank tomb stripped to its concrete and brick foundation.

Only a few stretches of terrazzo floor and the once-grand staircase remained from the rich, original French Baroque interior. A guide likened it to exploring the wreckage of the Titanic.

It was not until recently that the building could even be entered without wearing a protective suit and using a respirator. Tons of asbestos and mold-covered debris had to be removed, an estimated 200 dump-truck loads, before it reached the point where new construction could begin.

“It was quite a mess,” said Guy Gingrich, senior project manager for Kingston Environmental Services. “We found the building on the inside had been completely falling apart and asbestos was everywhere.”

Now, the theater is poised to be reborn as a six-screen, digital movie complex where patrons will be able to dine before enjoying their film with wine. It is also getting back its original name, the Mainstreet Theatre.

Kansas City-based AMC Entertainment and The Cordish Co. of Baltimore are reviving the theater’s role as a cornerstone of downtown entertainment. It is scheduled to reopen in early 2008, following a $25 million renovation.

“We’re going to celebrate the historic fabric and roots of the building …Taking it back to its historic roots, making it a place where people return to for entertainment, theater and culture,” said Reed Cordish, a vice president at the firm.

The 90,000-square-foot theater has had a bumpy history and some close calls with the wrecking ball. The Mainstreet shut down in 1938 because of the Depression, briefly resumed business in 1941, then closed again until it reopened as the RKO Missouri in 1949. In 1960, AMC purchased the old theater and rechristened it the Empire. The auditorium, a breathtakingly lofty space, had a false ceiling built to create two theaters in 1966. But as downtown declined, it finally closed in 1985.

The theater’s succeeding ownership neglected it to the point that trees took root in the roof, growing more than 25 feet tall, and water ruined the interior with mold and decay. Pigeons relieved themselves on the dome sheathed in terra cotta scallops. Chunks of the ornate cornice cracked and fell on the roof.

While a landmark in the hearts of many, it did not have formal historic designation and protection from City Hall.

Even after Cordish announced in 2003 it would like to save the theater as part of its Power & Light District, there was one last push to have it demolished.

Developer Larry Bridges wanted to team with DST Realty to build a new headquarters for Kansas City Power & Light on the site. The plan called for saving the facade, but razing the core building. But the city said no.

Then last summer, Cordish announced it had a new partner, AMC Entertainment. The two companies formed a partnership to not only renovate the Empire but redevelop the Midland Theatre, too.

“AMC has been a longtime Kansas City business and very supportive of downtown. Our downtown headquarters are here,” said Frank Rash, senior vice president for strategic development. “(AMC founder) Stan Durwood had a longtime vision for downtown, and this is a chance for us to be part of that.”

In a way, the project already is under construction. Workers from Kingston Environmental began to remove tons of toxic debris from the interior last December and only finished in recent weeks.

Cordish has hired STK Architecture of San Jacinto, Calif., as executive architect. Helix Architecture & Design of Kansas City will assist with historic preservation design.

“Our philosophy is to restore as much as possible, celebrate it in our new design, and at the same time create the most state-of-the-art theater experience in the country,” Cordish said.

The plan calls for two larger auditoriums seating roughly 300 people in each, and four smaller screening rooms with 50 to 100 seats. The main entrance and ticket booth will be under the signature dome. Developers hope to remove floors to reveal the full three-level interior of the rotunda.

The restaurant will occupy the former lobby of the old theater. The idea is to create a place where people can watch movies and discuss them.

“We’re excited as a theater exhibitor to have a facility close to our offices where we can introduce and experiment with new technologies and new programming options,” Rash said.

All six auditoriums will use state-of-the-art digital projection equipment.

“It’s still a novelty, but it’s gaining a lot of momentum,” Rash said.

Developers expect to have the building’s exterior completed as soon as possible so it complements the expected opening of the rest of the Power & Light District next summer.

Cordish and AMC also are moving ahead with the Midland renovation, but that project is far less involved. The preliminary plan calls for a restaurant to go into the front office space, and the theater interior to be tweaked to create a more clublike atmosphere for live music.

“Our emphasis now is on the Mainstreet,” Rash said. “Then we’ll turn out attention to the development of the Midland property.”


------------------------------------------------------------

Mainstreet Theatre

Then …

•Opened: Oct 30, 1921 as a vaudeville palace with 3,000 seats, the largest in Kansas City until the Midland Theatre opened in 1927.

•Designers: George Leslie Rapp and Cornelius Rapp of Chicago, designers of more than 400 theaters nationwide.

•Cost: About $1.25 million.

…and now

•Open: Early 2008 as a state-of-the-art, six-screen movie house with a restaurant/wine bar.

•Developers: AMC Entertainment of Kansas City and The Cordish Co. of Baltimore.

•Designers: STK Architecture of San Jacinto, Calif., and Helix Architecture & Design of Kansas City.

•Cost: About $25 million.

I have a copy of a 1921 play bill from the Orpheum Theatre circuit. In 1921, they listed 46 in total theatres that belonged to the circuit. The program is available in the Special Collection at UMKC

Here's some links to some old photos of the theater (circa the 1930s) when it was operating.

http://www.kclibrary.org/localhistory/popup.cfm?http://www.kclibrary.org/lhimgs/kcpl/regular/10017673_reg.jpg&Mainstreet%20Theatre

http://cinerama.topcities.com/mainstreet.htm

Here are links to renderings of how the theater will appear after the renovation is completed. The name will change back to the original name, the Mainstreet Theater.

http://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/Website/popups/render/r05.htm

These renderings show how the theater will fit into the surrounding entertainment district that is being constructed around it.

http://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/Website/popups/render/r02.htm

http://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/Website/popups/render/r06.htm

Here is a live web cam view of the ongoing construction of the new entertainment district, named the Power & Light District, around the existing Mainstreet (Empire) Theater. The theater is the domed structure near the top of the image.

http://www.kcmo.org/cimo/webcam2.htm

The view will not be as good at night, obviously, and also will be affected by weather. It may take a few seconds for the screen to appear on slower computers, or those using dial-up service.

The district will be anchored by the nearby, refurbished Midland and the restored Mainstreet (Empire) theaters; the new downtown arena --called Sprint Center, and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Museum; and the newly restored Hilton President Hotel.

Another new theater is also being constructed across the street from the existing Mainstreet (Empire) and Midland theaters that will be an additional performance venue for the Kansas City Repertory Theatre company. It is the building in the lower right center next to the parking garage. When viewing at night, it's the building with the upturned floodlights on the sides of the structure.

I don't know how long the web cam will be in operation, so at some point it will probably come down.

Here's a bit of interesting theater history. The new KC Rep. performance space sits on the former site of the Globe Theater, which was demolished in 1932. According to an article in the Kansas City Star reporting the demolition, the Globe's "greatest claim to histrionic distinction here [Kansas City] is that the talking movie. ..was introduced within the Globe walls."

The theater introduced Vitaphone to Kansas City with the screening of "Don Juan," starring John Barrymore, on June 11, 1927.

The reason I'm posting all the photos and details of the restored theater, and surrounding entertainment district, is to inspire individuals in other cities as to what can happen with threatened theater buildings. It illustrates that it's not always a hopeless situation, and that cities can find ways to save and find new uses for these historic buildings.

The lesson here is that it all starts with individuals speaking up and demanding these architecturally-significant structures be saved and reused in modern life. This can be done by doing research into the history of the buildings; involving the local media; and getting other people to contact city officials, building owners, developers, and even local chapters of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The Internet, email, and web sites have made this all easier to do. Local historic societies and foundations are often vital participants in such efforts as well.

City leaders, developers, and your neighbors need to be shown that old theaters are important to not only our heritage, but that new uses can be found. People need to be shown examples of how these beautiful old buildings have been be used to bring new life back to downtown business districts, and other retail districts.

These structures are valuable assets to an entire community whether they be reused as film theaters, live performance venues, nightclubs, live broadcast studios, retail stores, book and music stores, art galleries, community centers, meeting halls, ballrooms, or even churches.

No longer is the only alternative to tear theaters down. There are examples that can be cited of what can be done. The most important lesson for me has been the effect and power of a few concerned individuals. It can make a huge difference.

If they don't know, they don't care. In many cases, city leaders and developers just have no idea what these old theaters mean to local residents. Often I think, developers immediately assume the best use of the property is to tear it down and start over. They just don't have the imagination to think otherwise. One effective argument--to use with any developer or property owner--is to educate them about how local, state, and federal historic preservation funding, tax-increment financing, and urban development funds can be used to offset the expense of restoring these buildings. Often these funding sources combined can pay for up to 50 percent of the cost of restoration and reuse. In some cases, another potential tool is selling the naming rights to the reopened facility, or renaming the facility after a charitable benefactor or popular local figure.

There's hope if individuals are willing to step forward.

I think is important is to be proactive. First of all, these old theaters cannot be allowed to continue to deteriorate while waiting for something to be done. Hundreds of these buildings are slowly rotting all over this country. Many times it's a deliberate act by the property owner in hopes the local municipality will condemn the building because of safety and health issues. There are some property owners that allow the perfectly good theater buildings to fall into ruin to justify tearing them down. The common refrain is that "it's prohibitively expensive or economially unfeasable to save the building because of its condition," or "it's unsafe, or too far gone."

On some occasions, the city itself contributes to the problem by not enforcing local building code violations. City inspectors might cite the building owner, but nothing is done to enforce the action. Or, the fines are so small that it's cheaper to pay the fines than repairing or stabilizing the structure to meet code.

To be fair though, there are also as many owners who don't have the money to stabilize or maintain the property adequately, or just don't know what to do with the structure. Some owners can't even afford to tear the structure down, which might actually result in delaying demolition of some theaters.

Difficulties also arise when the property sits in economically depressed, or unsafe, areas. This makes it difficult or impossible for property owners to get financing to renovate the structure. In these cases, the property owner is hostage to condition of the adjacent neighborhood. Often the only solution is development of a wider community plan to stabilize and improve the entire area, which requires action of city leaders, developers, and other property owners.

People do purchase old theaters will good intentions, but things happen to prevent them from carrying out the plan. Market conditions and technology change, and a myriad of other obstacles arise.

Under some situations, a theater can really only be saved if city officials authorize and create an urban redevelopment zone around it, and assume possession of the theater through eminent domain, or property trades. This forces speculators and negligent property owners to turn over ownership of the property to another party to develop. Under this scenario, old theaters can be saved, renovated, and reused as part of a greater community development plan.

Some developers and city officials though are now understanding the marketing value and cache of historic properties that are restored or reused. They can be used as anchors, or trophy buildings, for greater redevelopment efforts in the neighborhoods around them. The architecture, unique history, or sense of place can be a vital selling device to encourage other parties to buy into a greater urban redevelopment plan.

The Empire had four screens as early as 1975, as this newspaper ad shows.

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=642513029&size=l

I saw Superman The Movie there in 1978 and I know it had four screens, three upstairs and the main auditorium on the main floor as I recall. Here's the ad for Superman's release.

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=642513139&size=l

I can't wait to see the new theater when AMC reopens it.

Here's a picture of the marquee from 1975. It's from the book The Front Row: Missouri's Grand Theaters by Mary Bagley.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18822933@N00/710076418/

In the Newly renovated Main Street Theathre I noticed there is a taller building behind the movie theathre. Is that a new hotel behind it? What is it?

No. There are going to be residential apartments, and some retail, constructed on the vacant parcels surrounding the Empire. The Empire is part of the much larger Power & Light entertainment district. The nearby Midland Theater, a block north, is also being renovated. A new theater venue, the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, has been constructed across the street to the northeast. The new Sprint Center arena, and the collegiate basketball Hall of Fame, is two blocks away. The new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is being constructed three blocks to the southwest. A new ballroom has been added to the convention center one block from the Empire. An outdoor public amphitheater is being constructed on a plaza nearby with nightclubs and restaurants surrounding it. A new 1000-room convention hotel is being discussed now, but no location has been set. The developer of Power & Light, the Cordish Co., is planning to construct another 200-room W Hotel a block away. The restored Empire is one of the anchor projects in the district. Two nearby historic hotels, the Aladdin and the President, have been restored and reopened recently.

During the recent work on the exterior of the theater, one could see some of the underlying infastructure. The "guts" of the building. It was well-constructed and a solid building. This is probably the reason it endured such deterioration for so long and can still be salvaged.

I'm reposting the photos since some of the earlier links have gone dead.

A rendering looking down 14th Street through the Power & Light District towards the restored MainStreet Theater.



Before: A recent photo of the former Empire Theater being tranformed into the new AMC MainStreet Theater.



After: A rendering of the exterior of the restored MainStreet Theater.



A rendering looking south down Main Street past the H&R Block tower (left) towards the marquee of the MainStreet Theater.



A photo looking south along Main Street showing locations of the MainStreet and Midland Theaters.



An aerial overview rendering of the Power & Light District with various buildings identified.



Aerial photos of construction activity of the Power & Light District with various buildings identified.

It sounds like the Emprie theatre is gone and they are going to save the facade,dome and lobby and the theares will be six state of the art theatres.Im sad the city didn't make more of an effort to restore the Empire and Midland and use them as there Performing Art theatres and not build a new Performing Arts Center and AMC could have built a megaplex with 14-16 screens in the district. Cleveland and Chicago have done a better job saving there historic theatres within the revival of an entertainment distiict. I will say the entire project will give a major boost to Downtown Kansas City and will be successful but wished they had made better use of there historic theatres.brucec

The Empire is being restored. It was landmarked and placed on the National Register of Historic Places last February, and will be using historic tax credits to help finance the restoration. Thus, National Trust guidelines must be followed to maintain the historic ambiance and design of the theater. The marquee has to be constructed on the roof so as not to disturb the facade. Many missing elements will simply be recreated from the original plans. Moldings were taken.

Kansas City has a long history of restoring grand old buildings like Union Station, which brought in artisans from Europe who worked for the Vatican and Royal family to restore Windsor Castle.

Blake Cordish made a public commitment to restore the theater and not drastically change the theater building itself.

The Midland Theater is not going to have many changes at all. The renovation there is mostly sprucing up (painting, new carpets, plumbing, modern and more-efficient cooling and heating. The stage is being expanded into the ample back staging area that has gone unused. The Midland has a large lobby, and some old retail space, for the nightclub and restaurant portion of the reconfiguration. The kitchen will most likely go into the large basement.

Kansas City has more theatrical spaces per capita than most large cities. The new Performing Arts Center spaces are not meant to drastically affect the Midland and Mainstreet (Empire) Theater. The Mainstreet/Empire hasn't been a performance space for more than 57 years anyway. It was a movie theater that has been closed for 22 years. The Midland is going to get more public use after the renovation than it did in the last decade before it. A professional booking company is overtaking the operations portion.

Quote from recent KC STAR article:

"In a related development, Reed Cordish said good progress is being made on renovating the historic Mainstreet Theater, more recently called the Empire Theater, into a six-screen digital movie complex. That project, which will include a two-level restaurant and dessert bar, is part of the joint venture between Cordish and AMC.

“We’re under heavy construction, and full historic approvals have been received,” he said.

Cordish said the Midland is expected to reopen in early spring and the Mainstreet a couple of months later."

http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/216759-p2.html

Im still in doubt about the interior restoration of the Empire how are they saving the historic Auditorium if six state of the art theatres will be in that space. I have seen this done many times where they say this is a restoration, please give more details on the auditorium, is it being chopped up or is it being restored. The article seems to dance around this issue. Whats the point of building six screens today when almost all theatre construction is at least 14 screens. A better idea would have been to restore the main house and add 14 screens next to it. The Rex in Paris, Arclight in Hollywood and the Odeon in London added screens on to there main house which would have been a nice way to go. The historic Empire could have been more flexible with film and concerts in the main historic auditorium. The need to build another performing arts facility when you have two large capacity historic theatres makes no sense.Look at St Louis they have both the restored Fox and St Louis theatres one for Broadway shows and concerts and the other for Symphony. Look at Cleveland with the restored Allen,State,Ohio,Palace and Hannah theatres which are a huge success story. I feel you should use and restore your historic theatres first and if demand dictates then build a new Performing Arts Center. San Francisco could have saved there Fox Theatre for one Million back in 1963 and then built Davies Symphony Hall which cost 74 Million and has had to correct sound problems a number of times.The City to this day still mourns the loss of the Fox.Please give more details on the Empire is it a restoration or a renovation where the theatre Auditorium no longer exists.brucec

I seem to recall reading that the auditorium was in total ruins? It does seem likely this will complete that process. Fortunately, Kansas City has or is restoring at least one movie palace, regardless of whatever is being done to this one.

The Grand Lake added 3 screens in Oakland. London's Odeon Leicester Square has tiny additional auditoriums which aren't so relevant to this example. Movies really move over to the twin Odeon West End (until that falls). The last I read the Grand Rex in Paris was in danger because redo plans for the additional screens, etc weren't being approved.

Howard they are spending 25 Million on the Empire which is new construction and just not adding additional screens next door to there main theatre as was done with the Grand Lake, Odeon and Rex.I hope I am surprised and part of the main auditorium will be restored. Remember the New Amsterdam in NYC was also in total ruins before it was restored. Plaster can be restored but there has to be a will to restore the theatre. I have read that this will be a specialty theatre and a flagship for AMC who is not known for running specialty theatres.I am glad that the facade will be saved and a new marquee will be added.brucec

The Empire was at one time a four-plex theater with screening spaces carved out of additional footage in what was formerly the playroom, lounge area, the upper mezzanine lobby, and the balcony. That with the main auditorium.

There is also additional space in the basement where there were cages for animals and a seal tank, as well as the dressing rooms. There is a also a rather large space behind the original staging area. It was a vaudeville theater originally, not a movie theater.

In addition, a new building. that is reportedly going to be attached, is being constructed to the west of the theater building on a vacant block that takes up half the block.

Apparently, whatever is being done is passing muster with the National Trust, who has already approved the restoration plan since historic tax credits are being used.

The Empire was a top movie palace longer than it was a vaudeville theatre. Most vaudeville theatres were converted to movie palaces. I noticed that I can't get a straight answer about the renovation of the Empire Auditorium. I will assume the worst and hopefully I will be surprised. Remember there are not that many movie palaces left to be restored so we should treasure what we have left. The Greatest Geneartion spent many hours in these beautiful theatres to escsape the Depression and help get them through WW11. We will never see there likes ever again. These theatres also represent the heyday of Hollywood and when the movie stars were American Royalty. The preservation of these movie palaces are just as important as the preservation of film. Three of the most successful theatres in the United States are former movie palaces the Fox in Detroit,Fox in St. Louis and the Fox in Atlanta. These theatres are a point of pride in there respective cities. The Midland should have been a huge success story for Kansas City but has not been booked properly under the ownership of AMC so now its going to be a major nightclub/performance space relegated to second place behind the new Performing Arts Center. The Midland was not just any movie palace it was considerered by many inlcuding Maruus Loew himself to be one of the finest ever built. I hope I am proved wrong and both the Empire and the Midland will surprise me.brucec

A Kimball theater organ opus KPO 6776 size 3/10 was installed in the Empire Theater in 1924.

This is a recent photo of the Empire Theater during restoration. Date given for photo is 10/10/07.

Here's a photo of the Empire I took last week. It looks like things are going pretty good with the restoration.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18822933@N00/2486466365/

Here's another photo I took on August 16. It doesn't look like they've progressed very much.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18822933@N00/2775013896/in/photostream/

The most recent word I've heard is that the AMC Mainstreet (formerly the Empire) is set to reopen for film screenings in December, 2008.

I saw many movies at the empire in 70s and early 80s .I remember one huge fancy auditorium and three smaller less detailed ones either upstairs or down, no wall between the main auditorium. it would be a shame to make it like the new multiplexes. I sincerely hope the original grandeur can be preserved or at least recreated.

Does anyone have any recent information on the progress of the AMC Mainstreet?

Construction is ongoing. The reopening date has been changed to summer of 2009.

KC Star had an article about the progress the other day. The Main Street, formerly the Empire will reopen in March. The large AMC signage on the building as well as one of the old fashioned blade marquees are now up. Six screens, all digital projection. I believe a restaurant is being bult next door. The KC Film Festival usually held at an independent cinema in the Westport district will move downtown to the Main Street. Originally a single screen theatre that played many 70 MM and Cinerama reserved seat engagments in the 60's.
I believe the first reserved seat show here when it was the Empire was Otto Preminger's EXODUS. The theatre converted to 2 strip Cinerama for THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM and HOW THE WEST WAS WON. For IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD regular 70MM
equipment was installed. In the mid 70's the theatre balcony was cut up into several smaller auditoriums.
Glad the theatre is coming back! Downtown needs a first class cinema to go along with our Power and Light District, Sprint Center and refusbished Music Hall and Midland (once the Loew's Theatre) live venues.

I just drove by the theater about an hour or so ago and I didn't see any AMC signage although I was driving and didn't get a great look. I did see the support for the vertical marquee and the lights were on so I got a very quick look at the interior. I'm real excited to see it open.

Drove by yesterday on I-70 and the vertical marquee is up, it looks nice, unusual to see this kind of marquee on theatres around here. There are also big red modern AMC signs visible from the highway.

Here's a photo I found of the marquee being installed:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ramseymohsen/3302138756/in/photostream/
And another taken Saturday, A little blurry but all lit up:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ramseymohsen/3302144400/in/photostream/

Yes, the new marquee is awesome! Here are a few more photos of the Main Street during renovation at my KC Theaters on Flickr. Hope you enjoy the other theaters too. I will continue to add new theaters as time allows.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kcfan/3305041217/in/set-72157614384317224/

I drove by the theater last night and the exterior looks fantastic. The inside was still being worked on but everthing looks great. I can't wait for it to reopen. Here are a couple of shots I took from my car while waiting at the light. It snowed earlier so there my windshield was still pretty wet.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34443508@N08/3319323576/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34443508@N08/3319323490/in/photostream/

My buddy and I went downtown today and took a bunch of pictures. The restaurant off the lobby is open but the actual theater is a little behind. It's due to open May 1. The KC police officer who was watching the place let us into the lobby so I got a couple of shots of the interior of the lobby. It looks great. I also took a couple of pictures through the window that turned out pretty good too.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34443508@N08/3396753578/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34443508@N08/3396753760/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34443508@N08/3395941685/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34443508@N08/3395942031/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34443508@N08/3396754662/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34443508@N08/3396755270/in/photostream/

1984 photo of the Empire Theatre.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c25%2c3%2c-1&SortField=ProductName+DESC%2cProductName&catpageindex=30&ProductID=29158

Today's Kansas City Star has a pretty good article about the new Mainstreet. It promises to be quite a place.

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/1146859.html

The Star has a nice photo slideshow with several old and new pictures: http://www.kansascity.com/938/gallery/1146145.html

It's sad that none of the interior was saved but I'm excited to check this place out.

Story in today's KC Star about the reopening: http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/preview/story/1168094.html

Features of the theatre mentioned in the article:


•All seats are reserved. If you buy tickets online you will be given the best available seats. But you can always exchange them for other seats in person at the box office.

•Six all-digital auditoriums, three downstairs and three upstairs (the upstairs houses are Cinema Suites and feature full food service). And one can show 3-D films.

•Oversized screens twice as big as the industry standard for auditoriums of this size; digital projection offering four times the resolution of HDTV.

•Expanded digital sound with speakers overhead and at the rear of the auditoriums.

•Red leather seats throughout. Plus, each seat is wired with subwoofers that vibrate to low-frequency noises on the soundtrack.

•Improved leg room. Even a 7-footer can stretch out.

•Foot railings. Each row has a raised railing on which patrons can rest their feet, sort of like an old-fashioned saloon, except you’re sitting.

•A “flavor wall” where you can spike your soda with specialty flavorings or sprinkle toppings on your popcorn.

•The Marquee, a full-service restaurant in the lobby.

•Digital posters. Yep, even the movie posters move here.

•Movie-themed restrooms. A life-size Bogie and Bacall greet you at the doors.

•Quotes in the floor. Inlaid in the terrazzo lobby floor are quotes from famous films: “There’s no place like home.”

My wife and I are planning on going sometime this weekend. I'm looking forward to it. Claydoh77, I was going through some old comments about the Glenwood and saw that you had postcards from when the place opened. I'd love to see them. I've been looking for them for quite a while. Please e-mail me at aparofan@comcast.net Thanks!

We ended up going yesterday and had a great time. AMC did a wonderful job renovating the place and everything was very nice. While I wish they would have tried to recreate the original theater, the new theater is very modern and high tech. I'm thrilled that there are movies being shown again at 14th and Main. I took a punch of pictures and posted them on my Flickr page.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34443508@N08/

Here are two more 1984 photos:

Photo1

Photo2

While the previous owner allowed the theater to deteriorate beyond all hope of repair, at least AMC has pulled off a fairly flawless recreation of the original exterior. The blade marquee can be seen from from Union Hill and the gorgeous terra cotta restoration has made this one of the most beautiful theater exteriors anywhere in the country. Thanks to all responsible for saving this important part of Kansas City history.

Here's a closer link for Aparofan's photos of the Empire/Main St Theatre:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34443508@N08/sets/72157612569113715/

Thanks for the link. My earlier links weren't very user friendly.

This theater can be seen in AMC's new coming attractions trailer.

This is a recent night photo.

Restoration of the exterior looks wonderful but the interior looks like any other multiplex theatre. brucec

Here are some additional photos:

Postcard View

Circa 1932 Photo

1989 Photo

The other night after the show one of the theater workers took me upstairs and showed me the original auditorium. I found it fascinating to see what they've done with it. The French Rennaisance plaster-work is all gone, both on the walls and the ceiling. But, the integrity of the original interior walls, balcony seating area, and floor plan is all intact. The existing six screen-rooms and lobby areas are all built as a sort of inner shell within the auditorium. From the top balcony you can see all of these little structures built between it and the stage. This theater could easily be turned back into a very large house.

I think the philosophy behind the Main Street Theater renovation is fascinating. On the surface it looks as though the whole place has simply been gutted and replaced, with so historical/architectural continuity. In other words it is definitely no longer a French Rennaisance theater. But if a person studies the original photographs and architecture carefully, and then takes a closer look at the current theater, it is actually very much in the spirit of the original place. Grand stairways, spacious two-story lobby spaces with soaring ceilings. This is a very good modern adaptation of the same basic principles that Rapp and Rapp were using when they built it.

Here is a 1962 newspaper ad:
http://tinyurl.com/yfczpws