According to an old postcard, this was the Orpheum. The building originally had an elaborate cornice with a raised central portion containing the name of the building on a curved tablet.
Very poor entry. This first appears in the Yearbook in 1939. No capacity is noted up to at least 1945. The 1947 Yearbook lists it as closed, but it is shown as open in the 1951 volume. It has disappeared by 1956. This was likely located in an older two story commercial building which probably had a similar appearance to the sad wreck at 106. Given the appearance of the dull one story building on the site, it was likely torn down by 1960.
The original name was ‘Meade’ with an ‘e’. The owner’s name is misspelled as well. The KHRI entry says that it was built to replace the Kingman Opera House, which was located on W Avenue A about where the tin-clad garage is today. That building was destroyed by fire sometime between 1905 and 1911.
The capacity of the Meade was reduced to 400 in 1931. It was still called the Meade in 1956. The capacity was raised back up to 700 by 1945, but then down to 620 by 1951.
Thanks for supplying an architect! I guess one of the two tiny theaters on the 1911 map must have been the Phoenix, unless this was the Phoenix before it was the Cozy. I do agree that this was probably the Cozy. Odd that both the 1914-15 AMPD and 1926 Yearbook seem to be missing theaters, especially ones that had been operating for a while.
SethG
commented about
Airdomeon
Jan 16, 2026 at 3:05 pm
That must be this one. The was another airdome on the other side of the street to the south, but it doesn’t appear until the 1916 map.
Hard to believe they had the money between 1991 and 2008 to completely destroy the historic facade next door, and put that trashy gray brick all over their own ground floor, eliminating the historic storefronts.
Looking at the old photos, those bizarre squiggly modernist panels are not present. Do they date from a remodel, or from after the newspaper took over? If I had to guess, they are maybe late ‘50s to mid '60s? The Pratt Tribune has been folded into other papers to become the Tri-County Tribune. It’s still published, but I think this building is now vacant.
I’ve added a map view. Note that the telephone exchange is still there, and the hardware store was either remodeled or replaced by the current structure, which housed the new Pastime on the south side.
I don’t entirely trust the KHRI information. The old Pastime had 250 seats, and is listed through 1930. Indeed, the 1930 entry shows it with the capacity reduced to 225. It is only in 1931 that the larger capacity is shown.
The Pastime building can’t be much older than 1927. The building is your typical bland flat-fronted thing which could be anywhere from 1920 to 1950. The 1917 map shows a large hardware store on this site. It had been built sometime between 1899 and 1905. It had a tin front, or at least a cornice. The Pastime building does have a similar footprint, so the front might have been remodeled. I wonder if there wasn’t a fire. The building that is where the old Pastime was is pretty old. The KHRI entry for that one says it’s from 1930, but that’s an estimate based on tax records, and I’ve found dates on KHRI derived from that to be extremely unreliable.
SethG
commented about
Airdomeon
Jan 13, 2026 at 7:48 pm
Added a map view. Only the garage to the right is shown on the 1911 map. Coldwater does not appear in the 1914-15 AMPD.
Not to throw Cold Water (hah!) on the data from the KHRI, but the 1926 through 1929 Yearbooks list a Pike theater with the same 350 seats as the later Gossett/Comanche/Chief. The 1930 Yearbook lists a Covsett (which is obvious nonsense), the Gossett with 350 seats and Royaltone sound, and a Pleasant Hour with no capacity, but Movie-Phone sound. I suspect the original theater which became the Gossett was the old Pike, which was constructed sometime after 1923 (as it does not appear on that Sanborn). At some later point, even though the capacity is unchanged, I believe it may have been remodeled into a two story building.
Surprisingly short on dates in the entry. The KHRI entry for this building says it was built in 1928. It was originally the Gossett. The 1935 map shows this building as one story, only 18 feet tall. I’m not sure when/if it was expanded (looks taller to me, but…?) Listed as the Gossett through 1940, it became the Comanche in 1941. It was renamed the Chief in 1947.
This is an incredibly poor listing. This theater opened in 1948 as the Harris, with 450 seats. It seems to have been a Boller Brothers design. There had apparently been an earlier, smaller Harris, with 300 seats. Unfortunately, there are no Sanborns for this town, so I’m not sure where it was. The Harris is still listed in the 1956 Yearbook, but with no capacity (possibly closed?). Unclear when it became the Showplace, which was closed before 2010. The theater was apparently vacant for years, but has been restored, and became the High Plains Theatre some time between 2018 and 2023. It offers live performances, community events, and movies. Website here: https://www.highplainstheatre.com/
I can now say for sure that this was not the Orpheum.
According to an old postcard, this was the Orpheum. The building originally had an elaborate cornice with a raised central portion containing the name of the building on a curved tablet.
Thanks for all the research! It is frustrating that I am still not receiving notifications.
Useless aside, but the Westside Odd Fellows Lodge in Wichita was built in 1911, and is very similar in form. I assume that was a Terry effort as well.
Very poor entry. This first appears in the Yearbook in 1939. No capacity is noted up to at least 1945. The 1947 Yearbook lists it as closed, but it is shown as open in the 1951 volume. It has disappeared by 1956. This was likely located in an older two story commercial building which probably had a similar appearance to the sad wreck at 106. Given the appearance of the dull one story building on the site, it was likely torn down by 1960.
KHRI entry here: https://khri.kansasgis.org/index.cfm?in=095-66
The original name was ‘Meade’ with an ‘e’. The owner’s name is misspelled as well. The KHRI entry says that it was built to replace the Kingman Opera House, which was located on W Avenue A about where the tin-clad garage is today. That building was destroyed by fire sometime between 1905 and 1911.
The capacity of the Meade was reduced to 400 in 1931. It was still called the Meade in 1956. The capacity was raised back up to 700 by 1945, but then down to 620 by 1951.
Thanks for supplying an architect! I guess one of the two tiny theaters on the 1911 map must have been the Phoenix, unless this was the Phoenix before it was the Cozy. I do agree that this was probably the Cozy. Odd that both the 1914-15 AMPD and 1926 Yearbook seem to be missing theaters, especially ones that had been operating for a while.
That must be this one. The was another airdome on the other side of the street to the south, but it doesn’t appear until the 1916 map.
Hard to believe they had the money between 1991 and 2008 to completely destroy the historic facade next door, and put that trashy gray brick all over their own ground floor, eliminating the historic storefronts.
Looking at the old photos, those bizarre squiggly modernist panels are not present. Do they date from a remodel, or from after the newspaper took over? If I had to guess, they are maybe late ‘50s to mid '60s? The Pratt Tribune has been folded into other papers to become the Tri-County Tribune. It’s still published, but I think this building is now vacant.
I’ve added a map view. Note that the telephone exchange is still there, and the hardware store was either remodeled or replaced by the current structure, which housed the new Pastime on the south side.
Still listed in the 1956 Yearbook. The KHRI entry for this building is uselessly vague. Maybe someone can supply a firm closing date?
I don’t entirely trust the KHRI information. The old Pastime had 250 seats, and is listed through 1930. Indeed, the 1930 entry shows it with the capacity reduced to 225. It is only in 1931 that the larger capacity is shown.
The Pastime building can’t be much older than 1927. The building is your typical bland flat-fronted thing which could be anywhere from 1920 to 1950. The 1917 map shows a large hardware store on this site. It had been built sometime between 1899 and 1905. It had a tin front, or at least a cornice. The Pastime building does have a similar footprint, so the front might have been remodeled. I wonder if there wasn’t a fire. The building that is where the old Pastime was is pretty old. The KHRI entry for that one says it’s from 1930, but that’s an estimate based on tax records, and I’ve found dates on KHRI derived from that to be extremely unreliable.
Added a map view. Only the garage to the right is shown on the 1911 map. Coldwater does not appear in the 1914-15 AMPD.
Not to throw Cold Water (hah!) on the data from the KHRI, but the 1926 through 1929 Yearbooks list a Pike theater with the same 350 seats as the later Gossett/Comanche/Chief. The 1930 Yearbook lists a Covsett (which is obvious nonsense), the Gossett with 350 seats and Royaltone sound, and a Pleasant Hour with no capacity, but Movie-Phone sound. I suspect the original theater which became the Gossett was the old Pike, which was constructed sometime after 1923 (as it does not appear on that Sanborn). At some later point, even though the capacity is unchanged, I believe it may have been remodeled into a two story building.
KHRI entry here: https://khri.kansasgis.org/index.cfm?in=033-1070-00005
It notes that R.E. McGaully designed the ‘new’ interior.
Surprisingly short on dates in the entry. The KHRI entry for this building says it was built in 1928. It was originally the Gossett. The 1935 map shows this building as one story, only 18 feet tall. I’m not sure when/if it was expanded (looks taller to me, but…?) Listed as the Gossett through 1940, it became the Comanche in 1941. It was renamed the Chief in 1947.
Uses FB as their website: https://www.facebook.com/p/Chief-Theater-100057226429524/
Possibly demolished. Maybe 2/3 of downtown is still there.
I see no evidence that this was ever called the Rusada, unless that came between the Harris and Showplace names.
This is an incredibly poor listing. This theater opened in 1948 as the Harris, with 450 seats. It seems to have been a Boller Brothers design. There had apparently been an earlier, smaller Harris, with 300 seats. Unfortunately, there are no Sanborns for this town, so I’m not sure where it was. The Harris is still listed in the 1956 Yearbook, but with no capacity (possibly closed?). Unclear when it became the Showplace, which was closed before 2010. The theater was apparently vacant for years, but has been restored, and became the High Plains Theatre some time between 2018 and 2023. It offers live performances, community events, and movies. Website here: https://www.highplainstheatre.com/
An earlier, smaller version of the 1948 building. No idea where it was.
Better website here: https://www.dorictheatre.com/
Note that 114-116 stood alone on the 1911 map.