This seemed to be vacant in 2010. It had been city hall. I have a very bad picture of the stage through the dirty front windows, and they were clearly working on it. It may be back to its original function. I assume it was built sometime in the ‘20s. It’s not on the 1918 map. I couldn’t find a cornerstone.
Added a 1918 map view. The building is a double storefront which appears to date to around 1900. There are no other maps of this town. The current use is some sort of religious thrift store, and the front of the building (and all its neighbors) is disfigured by one of those awful shingle awnings that were popular about 50 years ago.
SethG
commented about
Airdomeon
Jun 11, 2025 at 10:33 am
This seems to be some sort of museum. It got an awful and cheap remodel with chintzy aluminum windows, and a lot of the original yellow brick replaced with trashy new brick. This entire side of the block was mutilated by the same ‘architect’, and it looks like a depressing Auto-CAD wasteland.
Address is wrong. The ‘North’ portion should be removed. I don’t think there ever was any such thing as a N-S divider. It’s quite simple. 1st St is at the north edge of town, and 30th St is at the south. Block numbers are then obvious.
This should just be closed. It did operate at least through late 2022 as a performing arts venue, although they did show some films. The building itself was built in 1886, and was a dry goods and clothing store until being converted to a theater.
Address is wrong. This was at 132 W 8th. There was an even older Tackett at the location listed, but all of the information appears to relate to the newer Tackett (and makes the Midland the THIRD Tackett). The theater was built sometime between 1913 and 1923 (probably after 1915, since it’s not listed in the 1914-15 AMPD). It was a large three story brick building. This corner is now a parking lot next to some really awful 1970s retail buildings.
Although dmt added a photo in 2016, he didn’t leave a comment. The timeline is wrong. This opened in 1912, in a large business block that must have been recently constructed, as it’s not on the 1908 map. It was originally the Columbia, and must have been remodeled and renamed in 1940. The building is disfigured by a repulsive ‘70s concrete awning, but is in pretty good shape. The theater space is a cafe.
The 1923 map shows a gas station on the SE corner, so this would have had to have been built as a very large theater, and then abandoned within 4 years. This location would have been an odd choice. Even before a lot of downtown became a wasteland, this was on the very edge of the business section. If it really was here (later maps are unavailable online), then the corner is occupied by a derelict car wash, which might date to the ‘70s.
Address on the mailbox is 206. This now appears to be vacant. Any idea when it opened? It appears to have originally been a garage or dealership associated with the building on the corner.
Address is garbled in the AMPD listing. This was at 203-205 W 9th. The theater was still open in 1923. Later maps not available online, but this is now just one of the many surface parking lots in a blighted downtown.
The building was constructed between 1896 and 1902. It was a grocery store in 1905, and the 1911 map shows the theater on the ground floor, with an Elks lodge on the second. The Elks have moved out on the 1917 map, so the theater may have been expanded. It was extended all the way to the alley during that period.
This has not been demolished. It’s had a fairly bad remodel, and has been an insurance office for years. Everything in the photo past the two story building next to the Vale is gone.
This theater was still open in late 1911. I’ve added a map view. This part of town survived until at least the early 1970s, but has been turned into a giant parking lot. Parsons is amazingly ugly, and has completely trashed their downtown.
The original theater was much narrower. The Nov. 1911 Sanborn shows it in a two story commercial building that was a grocery on the 1905 map. That building likely dated to before 1884, and originally had an 1817 E Johnson Ave address, before the street was renamed sometime after 1905.
Unfortunately, the 1923 map is not available online, even though it should have been scanned. I think the theater likely expanded to the west. I can’t identify any of the neighboring buildings on today’s streetview. Downtown is a complete disaster.
It appears that the building was remodeled in 1918, which is the date over a doorway now placed on the corner, but which previously was on the east face of the building. The horrible ground floor has been improved by un-stuccoing some of the windows, which revealed some nice Prairie style stained glass transoms.
It definitely could not have been the second. That intersection had been built out by 1914. 3 of the 4 buildings are still standing. I think I found the relocated one, I’ll add a listing. Thanks for the history.
Reminder that the status is wrong.
The building was a conversion. It appears on the 1905-06 map, and possibly also on the 1893 map, although only half as deep. It is currently vacant.
This seemed to be vacant in 2010. It had been city hall. I have a very bad picture of the stage through the dirty front windows, and they were clearly working on it. It may be back to its original function. I assume it was built sometime in the ‘20s. It’s not on the 1918 map. I couldn’t find a cornerstone.
Added a 1918 map view. The building is a double storefront which appears to date to around 1900. There are no other maps of this town. The current use is some sort of religious thrift store, and the front of the building (and all its neighbors) is disfigured by one of those awful shingle awnings that were popular about 50 years ago.
Thanks, Joe!
This theater first appears in the 1929 Yearbook, but without a capacity, and may not have opened until 1930.
This seems to be some sort of museum. It got an awful and cheap remodel with chintzy aluminum windows, and a lot of the original yellow brick replaced with trashy new brick. This entire side of the block was mutilated by the same ‘architect’, and it looks like a depressing Auto-CAD wasteland.
Address is wrong. The ‘North’ portion should be removed. I don’t think there ever was any such thing as a N-S divider. It’s quite simple. 1st St is at the north edge of town, and 30th St is at the south. Block numbers are then obvious.
This should just be closed. It did operate at least through late 2022 as a performing arts venue, although they did show some films. The building itself was built in 1886, and was a dry goods and clothing store until being converted to a theater.
Note that the captioning in the photo is wrong. The theater names are swapped.
Address is wrong. This was at 132 W 8th. There was an even older Tackett at the location listed, but all of the information appears to relate to the newer Tackett (and makes the Midland the THIRD Tackett). The theater was built sometime between 1913 and 1923 (probably after 1915, since it’s not listed in the 1914-15 AMPD). It was a large three story brick building. This corner is now a parking lot next to some really awful 1970s retail buildings.
Although dmt added a photo in 2016, he didn’t leave a comment. The timeline is wrong. This opened in 1912, in a large business block that must have been recently constructed, as it’s not on the 1908 map. It was originally the Columbia, and must have been remodeled and renamed in 1940. The building is disfigured by a repulsive ‘70s concrete awning, but is in pretty good shape. The theater space is a cafe.
Here’s the KHRI page: https://khri.kansasgis.org/index.cfm?in=125-1050-00012
The 1923 map shows a gas station on the SE corner, so this would have had to have been built as a very large theater, and then abandoned within 4 years. This location would have been an odd choice. Even before a lot of downtown became a wasteland, this was on the very edge of the business section. If it really was here (later maps are unavailable online), then the corner is occupied by a derelict car wash, which might date to the ‘70s.
Address on the mailbox is 206. This now appears to be vacant. Any idea when it opened? It appears to have originally been a garage or dealership associated with the building on the corner.
Address is garbled in the AMPD listing. This was at 203-205 W 9th. The theater was still open in 1923. Later maps not available online, but this is now just one of the many surface parking lots in a blighted downtown.
Surely there is a better choice for a ‘cover’ photo?
The building was constructed between 1896 and 1902. It was a grocery store in 1905, and the 1911 map shows the theater on the ground floor, with an Elks lodge on the second. The Elks have moved out on the 1917 map, so the theater may have been expanded. It was extended all the way to the alley during that period.
This has not been demolished. It’s had a fairly bad remodel, and has been an insurance office for years. Everything in the photo past the two story building next to the Vale is gone.
This theater was still open in late 1911. I’ve added a map view. This part of town survived until at least the early 1970s, but has been turned into a giant parking lot. Parsons is amazingly ugly, and has completely trashed their downtown.
The original theater was much narrower. The Nov. 1911 Sanborn shows it in a two story commercial building that was a grocery on the 1905 map. That building likely dated to before 1884, and originally had an 1817 E Johnson Ave address, before the street was renamed sometime after 1905.
Unfortunately, the 1923 map is not available online, even though it should have been scanned. I think the theater likely expanded to the west. I can’t identify any of the neighboring buildings on today’s streetview. Downtown is a complete disaster.
Parsons' downtown is a total wreck. This entire block is now a cheap modern bank, some depressing public housing, and 50 acres of surface parking.
Address would have been 114 S 18th. This is now the Parsonian, a 1950s hotel that’s become apartments.
It appears that the building was remodeled in 1918, which is the date over a doorway now placed on the corner, but which previously was on the east face of the building. The horrible ground floor has been improved by un-stuccoing some of the windows, which revealed some nice Prairie style stained glass transoms.
It definitely could not have been the second. That intersection had been built out by 1914. 3 of the 4 buildings are still standing. I think I found the relocated one, I’ll add a listing. Thanks for the history.