Regent Theatre
109 East 12th Street,
Kansas City,
MO
64106
109 East 12th Street,
Kansas City,
MO
64106
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Located in downtown Kansas City, the Regent Theatre was built in 1914 for Frank Newman. The Regent Theatre was bought in 1920 by Maurice, Edward and Barney Dubinsky, who then incorporated as Dubinsky Theatres. In around 1943 until at least 1950, it was operated by Commonwealth Amusement chain, and they had architecture firm Boller Brothers remodel the theatre in 1947.
Later going back to Dubinsky Theatre, who later changed their (and the company’s) name to Durwood, they built a chain of theatres in the Kansas City area. In 1961, the chain passes to Edward’s son Stanley,who changed the name to American Multi-Cinema (AMC).
It 1963, AMC opened its first multiplex cinema, the Parkwood Twin. Later in the early-1960’s, the Regent Theatre closed and was demolished to make way for an office tower.
Contributed by
Chuck Van Bibber, David A. Litterer
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Recent comments (view all 15 comments)
I never thought of using theater organ records. Good Show! The Royal 1913 date is still possible. They could have started with a piano in their theater band. In 1913 most theaters had stage shows along with movies. Either way it’s a guess plus or minus a year. Growing up, my elderly neighbor had a theater band in the vaudeville days. He told me a lot about the “good old days”. One of my favorite research sources is the Theater ads in the Kansas City Star/Times of earlier days. It’s amazing what you can find about the entertainment of a time period.
According to the book, Kansas City Style: A social and cultural history of Kansas City as seen through its lost architecture, the Royal Theater, 1022 Main, was built by Frank Newman in 1914. The Kansas City Star reports that it opened June 10.
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The book states the Newman (aka Paramount) Theatre was built in 1918. It doesn’t state whether that was the construction completion, or opening, date though.
However, the book, Saturday Matinee in Olde KC states the Newman opened in June, 1919.
Photo from 1950 of the Regent Theater.
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A photo of the entrance from 1925.
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A photo from 1961.
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Thanks all. Would anyone be interested in helping me get to the bottom of the mystery theater on Main st. Believe it was located at the old Royal address, closed in 1936. It is known to have operated in the late 40’s and early 50’s, showed cheap movies like the Regent, had no marquee or apparent name and never had an ad in the paper. A real bare-bones operation. Seemed to have some seedy looking characters hanging around it. I know others that remember seeing it there but no one seems to know any more about it than I do. I have a theory but no proof.
The first comment for this theater notes its demolition for an office tower. There’s no trace of the theater building currently. Status should be closed/demolished.
Just repeating what others post?
Hey Dave W. The mystery theater you are looking for may have been the Palace, which was a block north of the Royal on Main Street and was open into the early fifties. It had a marquee in the forties, but it could have been taken down in later years. I asked a friend who was acquainted with the theaters in the downtown area, and he said it was indeed on the seedy side.
O.K.
David and Noelle’s list of known Boller Brothers theaters says that the remodeling of the Regent Theatre by Robert Boller was a 1947 project.
The original architect of the Regent Theatre in 1916 was H. Alexander Drake, who also designed Frank Newman’s Royal Theatre of 1914 and the Newman Theatre of 1919, which later became the Paramount. According to the March 4, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World, the Regent was then nearing completion:
Described in this 1917 trade article: archive