Mainstreet KC at the Power & Light District
1400 Main Street,
Kansas City,
MO
64105
1400 Main Street,
Kansas City,
MO
64105
14 people
favorited this theater
Related Websites
B & B Theatres (Official)
Additional Info
Operated by: B & B Theatres
Previously operated by: Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, AMC Theatres, Durwood Theatres Inc., Orpheum Circuit, RKO
Architects: Cornelius Ward Rapp, George W. Leslie Rapp
Firms: Rapp & Rapp
Functions: Movies (First Run)
Styles: French Renaissance, Neo-Classical
Previous Names: Mainstreet Theatre, RKO Missouri Theatre, Empire Theatre, Empire Cinerama, AMC Mainstreet Theatre, Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet
Nearby Theaters
No theaters found within 30 miles
News About This Theater
- Mar 31, 2013 — "2001: A Space Odyssey" 45th Anniversary – The Cinerama Engagements
- Nov 16, 2012 — Former AMC Mainstreet Theater in Kansas City reopens as Alamao Dafthouse Mainstreet
- Jun 4, 2012 — Alamo Drafthouse Cinema appears poised to take over Mainstreet
- Mar 4, 2011 — Article on how to improve movie theaters
- Jun 8, 2009 — Remembering Cinerama (Part 32: Kansas City)
- Aug 24, 2007 — Kansas City's restored Midland, Mainstreet Theaters will reopen
- Jul 22, 2005 — AMC Brings Entertainment Home
- Nov 15, 2004 — Future Looks Hopeful for Kansas City's Empire Theater
- Aug 30, 2004 — Empire Theater Removal Debated
The 3,000-plus seat Mainstreet Theatre opened in October 30, 1921 with Conway Tearle in “After Midnight” on the screen and on the stage Eddie Foy & the Younger Foy’s in “The Foy Fun Revue” plus vaudeville acts. It was the only theatre in Kansas City designed by the Chicago firm of Rapp & Rapp. Its interior design was French Baroque style and the exterior a blend of Neo-Classical and French Empire styles. The lobby area is topped by a dome encircled by circular windows. In 1924 it was equipped with a Kimball 3 manual 10 ranks theatre organ.
It was the first theatre in Kansas City to contain a nursery for parents attending shows. The Mainstreet Theatre also featured an underground tunnel which connected it to the nearby President Hotel. Also, its basement and sub-basement contained space for animals used in the elaborate vaudeville shows put on at the theatre, including cages for animals as large as elephants (and elevators big enough to carry them up to the stage) and pools for seals.
From the time the Mainstreet Theatre opened until 1938, it was part of the so-called “Junior Orpheum” circuit, and among the famous names to play its stage were Charlie Chaplin and Cab Calloway, Harry Lauder, The Marx Brothers & Olsen and Johnson.
The Mainstreet Theatre closed for the first time in 1938, briefly reopened in 1941, and remained closed until 1949, when it was reopened by the RKO circuit, as a movie palace, called the RKO Missouri Theatre. It became a Cinerama house operating 3-strip and then single lens 70mm. On December 1, 1960 it was renamed the Empire Theatre. The Kimball organ remained in use until 1961 when there was a dispute with the Musicians Union and it was later removed. The Empire Theatre was twinned in 1967 and became a 4-screen theatre in 1980, but it closed once again in 1985.
Though plans to turn it into a Planet Hollywood-style entertainment venue and eatery were floated, it never came to fruition. Its owner was then seeking to demolish the historic (though not landmarked) structure, but local preservationists sought to save the former Empire Theatre. The Empire Theatre was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in February 2006.
In September 2008, work began to convert the theatre into a six-screen movie theatre. It reopened in April 2009, and reverted back to its original name Mainstreet Theatre. The two largest theatres have 300 seats each, and the smaller theatres will have 50 to 100 seats. On November 15, 2012, it became the Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet. It was closed on march 16, 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas declared bankruptcy on March 3, 2021 and the Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet would be closed permanently.
In April 2021 it was announced that B&B Theatres chain will reopen the movie theatre in the fall of 2021. Reopened by B&B Theatres on 10/1/2021.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 123 comments)
Upstairs Empire theatre renamed Royal on June 26th, 1968
This theater was shown during coverage of a royals game today and was featured in AMCs coming soon snipes in the late 2000s.
How much, if any, of the original auditorium is still in place?
JackCoursey, none of the original auditorium is visible to the general public. But when I was with AMC, the manager took us up to the old balcony section behind the new upper level theatres. That area still has the stadium tiers for the old upstairs theatre.
The Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet closed along with the circuit’s other locations on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Alamo Drafthouse then declared bankruptcy and announced permanent closure of three locations on March 3, 2021. Seven months shy of its 100th Anniversary, the Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet joined the New Braunfels Alamo Drafthouse Market Place and one Austin location on that list.
The original auditorium was so completely destroyed by water damage by the time they restored it, that there was no chance of actually restoring it. There were several tons of ruined ornamental plaster hauled out of there by guys with masks on before they could even begin to work in there.
December 21st, 1960 reopening ad as Empire
Durwood’s Empire theatre opening 21 Dec 1960, Wed The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Missouri) Newspapers.com
Empire 1 reopening ad:
Durwood Empire 1 12 Mar 1967, Sun The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Missouri) Newspapers.com
Kansas City, MO: AMC Mainstreet Opens to the Public May 1, 2009 [Apr 29, 2009]
Kansas City, MO: AMC Mainstreet 6 Closed, Will Reopen as Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet [Jun 27, 2012]
Kansas City, MO: B & B Mainstreet KC at the Power & Light District Closed [Mar 2, 2026]
B&B Theatres announced this weekend that it has closed its movie theater on Main Street. Its closure means one fewer first-run movie theater in Kansas City’s core.
Downtown Kansas City is now without a first-run movie theater, after B&B Theatres announced this weekend that it shut down its location in Power and Light, in the historic Main Street theater.
B&B, which is based in Liberty, operated the theater at 1400 Main St. since spring 2021, taking over shortly after the previous operator, Alamo Drafthouse, left the space that same year. As part of its acquisition of the historic theater, B&B Theatres renovated the six-screen theater to include heated recliners, a wall-to-wall screen and Johnnie’s Jazz Bar & Grill downstairs.
Still, it wasn’t enough to keep the business afloat.
In a statement, B&B said it “routinely reviews the theatres in our circuit and makes decisions based on what will best strengthen the Company going forward.”
“After thoughtful review, we have made the decision to exit this location,” B&B said, adding that the company is grateful to patrons for their loyalty and support.
The B&B’s closure follows the shuttering of other theaters in the city’s core over the past decade, including the Cinemark on the Country Club Plaza, which remains closed, and the Tivoli Cinemas in Westport.
Downtown resident Justin Short frequently saw movies at the B&B on Main Street, including big releases like “Wicked” and “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.” The theater was within walking distance for Short.
“Losing a popular downtown amenity like a movie theater, particularly one in a historic building, is always really frustrating to see,” Short said. “The convenience of being able to watch first-run films in such an iconic location is always so enticing to folks like myself.”
Short said the closure is also a loss for people who ride the Kansas City streetcar, since the theater is right off its Power and Light stop.
Short said the next operator of the building should understand the moviegoing experience that people who live downtown look for, including a full-service restaurant and bar. He also said the space needs improvement, citing out-of-order bathrooms as an example.
“It was just kind of dirty, and you can see that it was not well kept,” Short said. “And those are things that I hope that the next operator understands: that those things do return investment, they do bring people back to the theater.”
Originally built in 1921, the theater on Main Street was formerly known as the Empire Theater. Real estate developer The Cordish Companies, which still owns the building, renovated it as part of its plans to revive downtown Kansas City. National movie theater chain AMC Theatres, which has its headquarters in Leawood, reopened the theater in 2009 before Alamo Drafthouse took over in 2012.
Adam Roberts, who owns the Screenland Armour Theatre in North Kansas City, said it was difficult for a movie theater to succeed downtown.
“Prior to them, there was two other chain theaters in there, and they both closed for the same reasons, which is financial,” Roberts said. “It just didn’t make sense. The business wasn’t there.”
Roberts pointed out that three major theater chains — AMC, Alamo Drafthouse and now B&B Theatres — did not turn that location around.
“Seeing them close is just kind of the norm, unfortunately, for movie theaters these days,” he said. “More theaters every year close than open.”
Roberts said the closure of the B&B downtown could push moviegoers to other locations in the metro, including the Screenland Armour, which is a 9-minute drive away from 1400 Main St.
He said while major movie theater chains, like AMC, are struggling; the Screenland Armour’s business is on the upswing. He attributes that increase to more people looking for an analog experience. He said more people are looking to find “community over convenience.”
“The thing we hear the most from our audience is they come to the theaters to find their community and find like-minded people,” Roberts said. “That doesn’t mean talking or texting during a movie. People come here because they really love the movie experience.”