Rockhill Theatre
4608 Troost Avenue,
Kansas City,
MO
64110
4608 Troost Avenue,
Kansas City,
MO
64110
2 people
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Fox Midwest Theatres
Architects: Charles E. Shepherd
Firms: Shepherd & Pickett Architects
Previous Names: Rockhill Art Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Rockhill Theatre opened May 20, 1927 with Laura La Plante in “The Love Thrill” and a stage show. Organist Morrill Moore played the Robert-Morton pipe organ. It was located on Troost Avenue at Brush Creek Boulevard. It was closed in 1954 and reopened as the Rockhill Art Theatre on September 6, 1956. Following an arson fire, it has since been demolished. The only remnants of the once beautiful theatre is part of the front entrance with the dome above the building.
Contributed by
Chuck
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Recent comments (view all 15 comments)
Troost is beginning to make a comeback. Some of the retail strip along Troost north of Linwood has slowly been cleaned up. There was a volunteer effort to plant tulips along Troost this past autumn to bring some landscaping and beauty back to the street. There appears to be an effort to build community support for restoring the Apollo Theater on Troost just south of Linwood as well.
The voters in Kansas City recently passed a light rail project as well, and it will run along some parts of Troost. Hopefully, this will help spur some development along parts of it.
Listed in the 1943 edition of Film Daily Yearbook with a seating capacity of 1,466, the Rockhill Theatre was then operated by Fox Midwest Amusement Corp.
Fox Midwest’s Rockhill Theatre had been closed for over a year when, in 1956, it was purchased and reopened as an art house by Louis Sher and Edward Shulman. A $75,000 renovation and redecoration was carried out by the Teichert Studios of Chicago. The seating capacity was reduced by nearly half, to 720, with new 21-inch seats in 44-inch rows. Decoration throughout the house was simplified, and a coffee bar was installed in place of the lobby concession stand. The new screen had a 3 degree curve and flexible masking to accommodate a variety of aspect ratios.
Boxoffice Magazine of September 1, 1956, announced that the renovation project had been completed ahead of schedule and that, after a benefit premier on September 5, the Rockhill would have its public opening the following day with “The Proud and the Beautiful.” On the 19th, the house would participate in the world premier of “Lust For Life,” the Vincent Van Gogh biopic which featured paintings loaned from the collection of the nearby William Rockhill Nelson Art Gallery.
L.L. Thatcher penned a three-page article about the Rockhill’s renovation for Boxoffice of October 20, 1956. There are several photographs illustrating the article.
ATG what a story,guy never should have been a manager,Thankgoodness no one was killed.
Linkrot repair: The October 20, 1956, Boxoffice article about the remodeling of the Rockhill Theatre now begins at this link.
I loved the Rockhill Theater and as a teen had some enjoyable dates seeing some of the famous art films of the era. I had a girlfriend that also loved those movies and always dress up in the prettiest dresses. I can still recall sitting there watching the movie – David and Lisa. I think it was there for nearly a half a year. Nearly all of Sweden’s award winning films were shown at The Rockhill – It was so sad that it was lost due to arsen. I never liked the new moderan marquee – the original was so beautiful at night and the domed area all lit up. I also saw 3 James Bond movies there for a 007 Festival. I think that was pretty close to the end. It was a very nice theater. Had it survived, it would have probably become a Fine Art’s Theater and maybe still in operation.
1966 print ad added courtesy of Comic Book Resources.
This opened on May 20th, 1927. Grand opening ad in the photo section.
Closed in 1954 and reopened as Rockhill Art on September 6th, 1956. Another ad posted.
The architectural plans of 1926 for the proposed Star turned Rockhill Theatre are by Charles E. Shepherd then of Shepard & Wiser Architects. Shepherd’s dome at the north end of the project are in both drawings for Midwest Theatres Circuit. The expansion of multi-use offices as seen in the revised 1927 now Rockhill plans are also signed by Charles E. Shepherd though then of Shepherd & Pickett Architects. I haven’t found any Boller input in the building’s drawings that are available.
The project was expensive for its era as a neighborhood theater at $300,000 including its Robert Morton pipe organ on just a 15-year leasing contract - netting a guarantee of $180,000 over that period. It worked out, though, with Fox re-upping the lease though closing on March 10, 1954 with a repertory double feature of “The Public Enemy” and “Little Caesar”.
The venue reopened as the Rockhill Art Theatre September 6th, 1956 with “The Proud and the Beautiful.” Fire interrupted things gutting the auditorium on October 31, 1967 after the venue’s final film, Bob Dylan in “Don’t Look Back.” They didn’t with the operators posting “That’s All Folks” on the marquee and the building was refurbished for other purposes.