Missouri Theatre

717 Edmond Street,
St. Joseph, MO 64501

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Related Websites

The Performing Arts Association (Official)

Additional Info

Previously operated by: Durwood Theatres Inc., Publix Theaters Corporation

Architects: Carl Boller, Robert O. Boller

Firms: Boller Brothers

Functions: Performing Arts

Styles: Moorish

Phone Numbers: Box Office: 816.271.4628

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News About This Theater

Missouri Theatre exterior

Opened by Publix Theatres on June 25, 1927 with Clara Bow in “Rough House Rosie”. The 1,391-seat Missouri Theatre was a first run movie palace for almost fifty years until film alone could no longer support the theatre’s cash flow requirements. The Missouri Theatre finally closed in the mid-1970’s.

The Town Hall Center was formed in 1976 to save the Missouri Theatre and took charge of managing the theatre for the city until 1979 – when management duties were transferred to the Performing Arts Association. The Missouri Theatre was then reopened as a fully operational performing arts center.

Contributed by Josh Bachman

Recent comments (view all 19 comments)

Edward Jurich
Edward Jurich on October 10, 2007 at 12:42 am

Anyone ever consider flying a screen and show a classic film now and then?

mp775
mp775 on March 25, 2008 at 3:02 pm

The link I posted on 9/19/07 no longer works; use this one instead:

Missouri Theater, probably early 1950s

rivest266
rivest266 on October 31, 2010 at 4:04 pm

June 25th, 1927 grand opening ad is at
View link

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on November 24, 2010 at 7:35 pm

The Missouri theatre was operated by DURWOOD and DUBINSKY and later it was an AMC THEATRE.{Dunwood Corp.}

RobbKCity
RobbKCity on March 17, 2011 at 9:12 pm

Missouri Theater complex experiences fire damage; theater saved by fast-acting firefighters.

A fire broke out in the Missouri Theater complex on Feb. 18, 2011. Fast-acting firefighters took drastic action to save the theater itself from fire damage. The theater only sustained smoke damage. Dressing and rehearsal rooms, and theater office space, in adjacent buildings were the only areas significantly damaged by fire.

View link

http://www.kmbc.com/news/26925078/detail.html

City looks into fire cause

View link

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on March 24, 2011 at 5:21 am

Thats good news RobbKCity.Thanks for the link.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on March 24, 2011 at 6:38 pm

Thanks RobbKCity.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on October 23, 2012 at 6:31 pm

A few photos of the restored Missouri Theatre are displayed in the portfolio of Henderson Engineers, one of the companies that has worked on the theater. Click on the Missouri Theatre thumbnail (#3, top row of featured projects) on this page.

Chris1982
Chris1982 on October 17, 2014 at 4:48 pm

The Missouri Theater used to be owned by Durwood Theaters Durwood also owned the Electric Theater, Skylark and Belt Drive-in theaters. It is located on Edmond Street, between 7th & 8th. It was and is still St Joseph’s most elegant theater. In 1927, 2 Seaman & Schuske workmen spent 2 months building the box office. The box office was constructed of ornamental steel and grille work, the upper and lower parts were covered with mosaic tiles of many colors This box office has since been replaced with a more modern one. There’s quite a bit of facial difference between what it looked like in the 1930’s and today. The Missouri usually only played a cartoon and one A Class movie. In 2011, the theater suffered some smoke damage from a fire in an adjacent building. The Missouri Theater is now primarily an Arts Theater; dancing, singing, & misc acts. The last date movies were shown: Tuesday September 8, 1970. The last movie shown was Elliott Gould and Candice Bergen “In Getting Straight”.

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on August 22, 2017 at 5:30 am

Wow what a theatre!!

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