I visited 2 historic theaters while walking in the rain on Saturday.
Main Street Theater
The Mainstreet Theater, also commonly referred to as The Empire Theater, is a historic theater in downtown Kansas City, Missouri in the Power & Light District. The theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in February 2007.
The Mainstreet was the first theater in Kansas City to have a nursery for children whose parents were attending a show. Located in the basement and staffed by a trained nurse, it offered toys and games for older children and cribs for babies.
A tunnel connected the theater's lower level to the nearby President Hotel. Built to allow actors to enter the theater from their dressing rooms, it became infamous as a passage for bootleggers to escape police during Prohibition.
The theater also had space in the basement and sub-basement to keep animals for vaudeville shows. The space included an elephant cage, a pool for seals, and an elevator large and powerful enough to haul elephants to the stage.
The theater changed hands several times but finally reopened in the 1960s as the Empire. The first film shown at the theater under the new name was Exodus. In 1985 the theater was closed again.
Between 1985 and 2005, the Empire was often at risk for demolition. Numerous efforts took place to prevent each demolition attempt. In 1986, actor and comedian George Burns joined the effort and wrote a letter to have the theater declared a historic landmark. Since the theater was not listed as a local landmark or listed on the National Register of Historic Places, there was not much legal protection to prevent the deteriorating structure's demolition.
The City of Kansas City reached an agreement to purchase the theater in late 2004 while it was acquiring properties. In November 2005, the State of Missouri approved up to $938,538 in tax credits to help offset costs involved in the cleanup of asbestos at the theater. An estimated 200 dump-truck loads of asbestos and mold-covered debris were removed from the theater during the cleanup process.
This theater has changed ownership so many times since it first opened with many names. During covid, the owners announced they would be closing the location permanently. In April 2021 (only a month later), B&B Theatres acquired the Mainstreet Theater, and it reopened at the end of September 2021.
Midland Theater
It was built by Marcus Loew, completed in 1927, at a cost of $4 million and was the largest historic theater within 250 miles of the city.
The theater is well known for its over 500,000 feet of gold leaf, five giant Czechoslovakian hand-cut crystal chandeliers, irreplaceable art objects and precious antiques, and spectacular wood and plaster work.
AMC Theatres (then a small Kansas City-area regional chain) purchased the Midland in 1966, and the theatre continued to operate as a movie house until 1981. In conjunction with the AMC Empire Theater, located two blocks south, the complex was known as the AMC Midland-Empire. Since then, it has become a performance hall, still used today for concerts, Broadway and stage shows, ballet and other events. The theatre was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
The Midland's exterior marquee has been restored to its original 1927 appearance. The five level office portion of the theatre that faces Main Street was converted into a mix of bars, lounges, and administrative space.
This building is huge and spans from one side of the block to the other.
At least half of the building has been developed into loft apartments.
Remember I was soaking wet after this walk.
Until tomorrow.
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