Fox–Watson Theater Building
Historical theater From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
 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 |
| Owner | City of Salina |
| Capacity | 1,265 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | February 23, 1931 |
| Renovated | 1997-2003 |
| Construction cost | US$400,000 (equivalent to $7,325,000 in 2024) |
| Architect | Boller Brothers |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
Fox–Watson Theater Building | |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| NRHP reference No. | 88001171 |
| Added to NRHP | August 4, 1988 |
History
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 $7,325,000 in 2024). Boller Brothers, an architectural firm out of Kansas City, Missouri, designed the structure.[3]
The opening feature was Not Exactly Gentlemen featuring Fay Wray.[citation needed] The theater was closed in August 1987 by then owners Dickinson Theaters, because competition from Dickinson's mall theaters made the downtown location unprofitable.[citation needed]
Dickinson gave the theater to the city in 1989. It was restored by a non-profit group over several years and reopened as 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
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.