Fox–Watson Theater Building

For other uses, see Fox Theatre.

The Stiefel Theatre (originally the Fox–Watson Theater) is in Salina, Kansas. Opened in 1931,^[1] it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 as the "Fox–Watson Theater Building".^[2]

Stiefel Theatre

Side exterior c. 2015
Full name	Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts
Former names	Fox–Watson Theater (1931–1987)
Address	151 S Santa Fe Ave Salina, KS 67401-2809
Location	Downtown Salina
Coordinates	38.83847°N 97.60876°W / 38.83847; -97.60876
Owner	City of Salina
Capacity	1,265
Construction
Opened	February 23, 1931; 93 years ago (1931-02-23)
Renovated	1997-2003
Construction cost	US$400,000 (equivalent to $7,098,000 in 2023)
Architect	Boller Brothers
Website
Official website
Fox–Watson Theater Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Architectural style	Art Deco
NRHP reference No.	88001171
Added to NRHP	August 4, 1988

History

Marquee for Mat Kearney, May 2015

The Fox–Watson Theatre was opened in late February 1931 by Winfield W. Watson, a local businessman and banker. He led the campaign and donated the land, to bring a movie house to Salina. Fox West Coast Theatres built the art deco style movie house at a cost of US$400,000 (equivalent to $7,098,000 in 2023). Boller Brothers, an architectural firm out of Kansas City, Missouri, designed the structure.^[3]

The opening feature was Not Exactly Gentlemen featuring Fay Wray. The theater was closed in August 1987 by then owners Dickinson Theaters, because competition from Dickinson's mall theaters made the downtown location unprofitable.

Dickinson gave the theater to the city in 1989. It was restored by a non-profit group over several years and reopened as The Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts on March 8, 2003.^[4]

Its mission is to "enrich, educate and entertain", and the programming goal is to "offer a broad base of quality entertainment in a variety of genres that will appeal to a large demographic". It houses the Salina Symphony.^[5][6][7]

References

1. "Stiefel Watson Theatre". Abandoned, Old and Interesting Kansas. February 6, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
2. Hagedorn-Krass, Martha (April 22, 1988). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Fox–Watson Theater Building". National Park Service. Retrieved February 9, 2016. Accompanying 31 photos from 1931, 1937, and 1988.
3. "The Historic Stiefel Theatre in Salina, Kansas". Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts. February 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
4. Salina History Book Committee, ed. (November 17, 2008). Salina: 1858-2008 (Images of America). Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 89. ISBN 9780738561813.
5. Demuth, Gary (March 1, 2015). "Stiefel Theatre director strives to book diversity of musical acts for all ages". The Salina Journal. Harris Enterprises. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
6. Schnyder, Melinda (September 16, 2016). "Road trip to one of Kansas' historic theaters". The Wichita Eagle. The McClatchy Company. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
7. "Stiefel Theatre Shows since 2003". Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts Official Website. July 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.