AMC Parkway Twin
8600 Ward Parkway,
Kansas City,
MO
64114
8600 Ward Parkway,
Kansas City,
MO
64114
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Kroh Brothers Development launched the Ward Parkway Shopping Center in 1959 as an enclosed shopping Mall but theatre-less. That changed with the opening of the Parkway Theatres One and Two by Shopping Center Theaters, Inc. / Durwood Theatres, the precursors to AMC on July 12th, 1963.
The venue closed as the Parkway 2 under the renamed American Multi Cinema (AMC) on April 26, 1977 with “The Seven-Per-Cent Solution” and “The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother.” The venue was to be be replaced by a Kroh Brothers Development second floor food court and multiplex theater in 1978. The $500,000 project started and stalled leaving the Ward Parkway Mall theatre-less until th Mall was able to sever relations with the Kroh Brothers in 1987. That paved the way for a major multiplex that was built in 1991 and opened November 22d.
July 12th, 1963 grand opening ad in photo section.
What’s funny is that the current mall’s owners, RED Development, boast of this being the first multiplex “with its original two screens (since renovated and expanded to 14 screens)”. Uh, that original twin theater closed in 1978 and the current multiplex didn’t open until 1992 – in a different area of the mall. It’s close to the original location, but there is no connection. Makes for a good PR spin though I guess.
AlAlvarez: you are right that there were other twin theatres before the Parkway, and that Cinema I-II in Manhattan predated it (and was likely the actual first twin theatre). General Cinema had a few twin theatres opened by mid-1963, with a few more on the drawing boards (or under construction). I think the legend that this was the first twin theatre is something that has been propagated by AMC in its attempt to grab all the credit for “inventing” the multiplex theatre. The more accurate landmark for the Parkway is that is was probably the first twin theatre to be opened that was located inside an enclosed mall—as opposed to being a free-standing building near or attached to a mall or shopping center.
Scott, the Cinema 1 & 2 was purpose built almost a year earlier.
Often the distinction people make about the “first” twin theatre was that it was BUILT as a twin theatre. It wasn’t a single that was turned into a twin as I imagine the Cinema 1 & 2 was in Manhattan.
Although numerous books repeat the Durwood mantra that this was the first ever twin theatre with a common box office and common concession stand, there were others around the country in existence when this opened. In fact, even the high profile Cinema 1 & 2 in Manhattan had opened the year before.