Wichita Theatre
310 E. Douglas Avenue,
Wichita,
KS
67202
310 E. Douglas Avenue,
Wichita,
KS
67202
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Fox Midwest Theatres
Architects: Carl Boller
Firms: Boller Brothers
Styles: Spanish Renaissance
Previous Names: Crystal Theatre
Nearby Theaters
A conversion of an existing building, the Crystal Theatre was opened as a vaudeville theatre in 1905. It was remodeled and reopened on December 23, 1918 with Constance Talmadge in “Sauce for the Goose”. This Spanish Renaissance styling has to be from the drawing board of Boller Bros. architectural firm. The Wichita Theatre was operated in the 1940’s by Fox Midwest Amusement Corp. It was closed by Fox Midwest Theatres on November 30, 1960 with Brian Keith in “Ten Who Dared” & Pat Goldin in “The Half Pint”. It was demolished in July 1970.
Contributed by
J. D. Chapman
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
These web pages contains vintage images of the Wichita Theatre,
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The Wichita very likely had a Reproduco to accompany the silent flicks. These instruments combined a piano with three ranks of organ pipes and used player piano-type rolls.
Look into this fun link to see hundreds of photos of historic Kansas theatres,
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The Moving Picture World of March 15, 1919, confirms J.D.’s surmise that the Wichita Theatre was designed by Carl Boller. The article says nothing of a Reproduco, or any organ or piano at this time, but says that the Wichita Theatre had a 12-piece orchestra accompanying the movies at both the evening and the matinée performances.
As can be seen from the photo I just uploaded, the Wichita Theatre was much more Spanish than French in style.
The “Hot Rod Gang” World Premiere was at the Wichita Theatre in August 1958, photo added via John Stutzer. More about the premiere in the link below.
http://www.kansas.com/cars/article1112410.html
More pics here too.
http://www.carnut.com/ramblin/ddouglas/ddouglas.html
Unless the original building was demolished and a new theater built on the site, this house opened in 1905 as the Crystal Theatre. This article is from the January 20, 1905, issue of The Wichita Eagle:
Opened as the Wichita theatre on December 23rd, 1918
Fox Midwest closed the Wichita Theatre at the end of a leasing period on November 30, 1960 with “Ten Who Dared” and “The Half Pint.” The building was demolished in July of 1970.