State Theater
326 Houston Street,
Manhattan,
KS
66502
326 Houston Street,
Manhattan,
KS
66502
1 person
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Dickinson Theatres, H.J. Griffith Theaters Inc.
Architects: Carl Boller, Robert O. Boller
Firms: Boller Brothers
Functions: Retail
Previous Names: Marshall Theater, Dickinson Theater
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The Marshall Theater was opened December 6, 1909. In May 1921, it became the first movie theatre to be operated by Glen W. Dickinson Sr, which led to the foundation of the Dickinson Theatres chain. It was renamed Dickinson Theater on September 9, 1930 following a remodel and reopened with Ann Harding in “Holiday”. It was renamed State Theater on May 19, 1940, when it was listed with 808 seats.
Still listed in the 1955 Film Daily Yearbook with 779 seats. It closed in 1957. In 1961 it was converted into a J.C. Penny store. It now operates as a discount store.
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Lost Memory
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Recent comments (view all 13 comments)
Dickinson Theatres says their first movie theatre opened in 1920 in Manhattan, Kansas and was the Marshall Theatre. See info here http://www.dtmovies.com/about.htm
The Riley County Historical Society says “1910 – Marshall Theatre opens downtown.” This reference is to downtown Manhattan, Ks.
The Dickinson site says, “"1920, company founder Glen W. Dickinson, Sr quit the family business –a Ford dealership in Brookfield, Missouri specializing in tractors—to purchase a small two-screen theatre in a booming agricultural college town. The Dickinson Marshall Theatre in Manhattan, Kansas was christened in November 1920 as the first of many Dickinson Theatres.”
It appears Dickinson bought the Marshall Theatre.
A document about historical resources in Manhattan, prepared for the National Register of Historic Places, says that the Marshall Theatre was Manhattan’s first purpose-built movie house, and that it was originally designed by Carl Boller. This project was undertaken in 1909, a decade before the firm Boller Brothers was formed, though Robert Boller was working in his older brother’s office as a draftsman by this time.
The list of known Boller Brothers theaters says that Boller Brothers did additional work on this theater in 1929 and 1950, but doesn’t reveal the extent of these projects.
Boxoffice of August 19, 1939, calls this house the Dickinson Theatre. It must have been renamed the State sometime between 1939 and 1941.
J.J. Marshall has his grand opening of the Marshall Theatre on December 6, 1909 with the 3-act play of “Girls.” It had a seating capacity of 1,100. In May of 1921, Glen W. Dickinson bought the theatre. It was converted in 1961 to a J.C. Penney’s department store.
Reopened as the Dickinson theatre on September 9th, 1930
Renamed State on May 19th, 1940.
And closed in 1957
I’ve added a Sanborn view of this theater to show the arrangement, which seems to have been fairly consistent up through the last map in 1947.