State Theater
418 N. Main Street,
Garden City,
KS
67846
418 N. Main Street,
Garden City,
KS
67846
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Commonwealth Amusement Corp., Dickinson Theatres
Nearby Theaters
The State Theatre was opened in May 1929. By 1941 and through to at least 1950, it was operated by Commonwealth Amusement. It was remodeled in 1967.
Contributed by
Signe Foreman
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Recent comments (view all 15 comments)
A 1987 view of the State Theater in Garden City here and here.
Hello BSeagraves, I have sent 4 photos to your email address of the State taken in 1950. My father, Jack Veeren, was assistant manager
there at the time. I’d also like to post them on this site, but was not able to. Ria Veeren
Seen Here a photo of the State Theatre I took back in November of 2007. Enjoy..
Randy A Carlisle – Historical Photographer
I worked at the State Theater in 1984. My boss was James Drake who was also the city manager. I spent more time at the Drive In theater. I’ll never forget the crusty old guy named Barney. Great Job! Paul R
Least favorite part of the job was taking the bucket of grease out the front door to Main Street to pour it down the sewer. People would drag Main Street in those days, including yours truly. People would yell at me and throw the occasional beer can.
Best part – watching random parts of the same movie 24 to 28 times in 14 days. My pay – minimum wage of $3.35/hour.
The “Renovate The State” project – aiming to raise funds for a restoration of the State Theater – is the marquee message this summer. Anyone out there from the area who can give us a progress report? New photos in the pictures section.
Mid `60’s photo added courtesy of Theo Tersteeg. Not the clearest photo, but it does show the original marquee & blade sign on the left beyond the Sinclair station. And that the height of the original facade must have been reduced when the new facade was added.
Would anyone have any photo’s of The State from 1959? This was the theater that Nancy Clutter and Bob Rupp went to for a midnight spook movie the night before the Clutter murders.
In 1967, Commonwealth Theatres' reopened the State Theatre on July 19 following an extensive remodeling project that had taken three months to complete. The house sported new seating, carpeting and decor, as well as remodeled lobby, concession stand, and lounges, and a new front and marquee. Paramount’s feature “El Dorado” was the opening attraction.
The State Theatre opened on May 29, 1929. Commonwealth Theatres took over operation in 1936 and still controlled the house at least as late as 1967 when the theater underwent a three-month remodeling, reopening with “El Dorado” on July 20. In December, the State Theatre hosted the premier of the movie “In Cold Blood” which had been partly filmed locally in Finney County, where the murders depicted in the film had taken place.
The last owners of the house were Dickinson Theatres, who took over in 1997 and closed the doors in January, 1999. In November that year the building was given to the municipality with the proviso that it not be used to show first run movies. An attempt to renovate and reopen the State as a theater was abandoned in 2003 when adequate funding could not be acquired. A later attempt at a less ambitions renovation also fell short. Proposals for some sort of public reuse of the building have been made as recently as 2023, but have come to nothing. I’ve been unable to discover the current status of the building, other than that is apparently still owned by the City of Garden City.