Regent Theatre
1022 Main Street,
Winfield,
KS
67156
1022 Main Street,
Winfield,
KS
67156
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I’ve found that, after a number of years practicing in Winfield, and not long after designing the Opera House, architect Willis Ritchie moved to the state of Washington, settling in Spokane in 1892. There he became one of the most successful architects in the Northwest, designing buildings throughout the region, from Vancouver, Washington, to Anaconda, Montana, as well as the Washington State Building at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
This page should be titled Regent Theatre, with the aka Winfield Grand Opera House. There is already another Cinema Treasures page for the Winfield Cinema, under its earlier name of Fox Theatre. It has the correct address. The address on this page is for the Regent Theatre, aka Winfield Grand Opera House (as listed in Julius Cahn’s Theatrical Guide), but several of the comments after the first five about the Fox/Winfield Cinema.
Here is a page with several photos of the Regent Theatre (click on the thumbnails) including a number of interior shots. The Opera House was opened in 1887, and was designed in the Romanesque Revival style by local architect Willis A. Ritchie.
Here is a large web page about Willis Ritchie, with contemporary news articles about his projects an numerous photos of various buildings he designed.
From the 1950s a photo postcard view of the Regnet Theatre in Winfield.
Forgot to add the link for the photo.
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This listeg is really messed up. The Winfield Cinema AKA Fox was located at 1007 Main St. The Regent Theatre AKA Opera House was located at 1022 Main St., The Regent and Winfield were two seperate theatres located across from each other and down the street. If this is going to be listed as the Winfield Cinema then the AKA Regent needs to be removed and AKA Fox added. There needs to be a seperate listing made for the Regent.
Here is a 2009 photo of the Winfield Cinema AKA Fox Theatre courtesy keith Wondra.
The website that I linked to about the renovation gives the address of the Winfield Cinema as 1007 Main Street. The Film Daily Yearbook gives the address of the Regent Theater as 1022 Main Street. This listing should be the Winfield Cinema aka Fox Theater with the address as 1007 Main Street.
I went by the address given in the header, the address in the header is for the Winfield Cinema, and now we know that it was formerly the Fox and not the Regent. So the Winfield Opera House/Regent still needs to be listed on CT.
Compare the photos from the first post (ken mc) and the post by Chuck1231. This is not the Regent this theatre the Fox House. From the pictures in the first post by ken mc, you will notice that the Regent is located at the end of the block, while the Fox is across the street and in the middle of the block.
Also the Winfield Cinema sign is identical to the Fox sign and the marquee panels at some point were changed out and replaced with plastic ‘Winfield Cinema 1 &2."
The description at the top says that this theater was located in the city’s Opera House. There is a Winfield Grand Opera House listed under Winfield KS in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. Unfortunately, the listings in this Guide do not include street addresses. The opera house was located on the ground floor; the proscenium opening was 33 feet wide X 20 feet high, and the stage was 30 feet deep. Gas illumination was used, and the Mgr. was T.B. Myers. It supposedly had 1,000 seats. The 1897 population of Winfield was 7,000. I don’t know if this is the theater which later became the Regent.
This building still stands. It’s being renovated for use as a performing arts center. Here is a website. Click on “Beginnings” for information about this theater.
This should be listed as the Winfield Cinema, AKA Regent Theatre, it’s last name was the Winfield Cinema. When was the Winfield Cinema Demolished. It still maps both on Google and MSN. Also it was converted to a two screen as seen in the photo.
1985 photo of the Winfield Cinema AKA Regent.
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1985 night photo of the Winfield Cinema
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Boxoffice magazine reported in May 1960 that O.F. Sullivan was closing the Regent and that the seats and equipment were being removed from the building.
That seat count is alot closer than the 845 given above. The Regent is listed in 1955 with 731 seats at the address given above.
From Boxoffice magazine, May 1950:
O.F. Sullivan, Wichita theaterman, has leased the Regent Theater in Winfield, Kas. Remodeling plans are under discussion. The Regent is a 750-seat house.
A Robert-Morton theater organ was installed in the Regent Theater in 1928.
Here are two photos. Click on the theater in the larger photo for a closeup:
http://tinyurl.com/jmvhz
http://tinyurl.com/ku2g7