Crescent Theatre
402 Main Street,
Neodesha,
KS
66757
402 Main Street,
Neodesha,
KS
66757
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The building was constructed in the 1890’s and was used as a dry goods store until around 1913. Crescent Theatre was opened by 1914 and is listed in a 1916 Neodesha city directory. It closed in late-1931 and had been demolished by 1934.
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Photos and additional history added credit W A Rankin Memorial Library – Neodesha, KS “From the files of Joe Allen: Neodesha, Kansas. Picture 1: On the northwest corner of Fourth and Main in Neodesha, Kansas, 1916 was the Crescent Theatre owned by Cliff and Willis Robinson. It was the leading theatre in it’s time, down the street 1 ½ blocks on Main was the Princess Theatre, owned by Doc Pingrey and Fred Williams. Both movie houses packed in the crowds on Saturday afternoons. Picture 2: The recessed front of the Crescent Theatre in the old Hubbell Brothers building at Fourth and Main, as it appeared at the end of the horse and buggy era, 1915. Cliff and Willis Robinson sold out in 1919 to Ed C Allen, who sold it to G. E. Klock in 1926. Klock also bought the Princess Theatre which was built 1912. Mr. Klock closed the Crescent Theatre in 1926.”
Demolished years ago. There’s a prefab shed there now.
The building was constructed between 1892 and 1899. It was a dry goods store up through the 1912 map. The 1914-15 AMPD lists the Crescent at 408, which is either an error, or indicates that it was originally further west. The 1926 Yearbook lists the capacity as 500.
The Crescent did not close in 1926. It is listed through 1931, and listed as closed in 1932. The 1930 Yearbook does not list the Crescent, but lists a Dickinson with 500 seats. By 1931, the Crescent is listed at 400, the capacity of the old Princess, and the Dickinson is listed at 652. I’m not sure what happened. The Crescent name may have moved, or they reduced their capacity, and the Dickinson perhaps took over the larger building that later became the Klock.
Among theater changes listed in Kansas in the July 23, 1934 Film Daily is the notice “NEODESHA - Crescent (dismantled).” Oddly, a new house called the Gem appeared under the “openings” heading in the same column. The Gem was run by an A. J. Long, and was mentioned again in the December 8 issue of the <em<Daily, so lasted at least half a year.