Gayety Theatre
Photo from the Kansas City Public Library collection.
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189 W 12th St Kansas City MO
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| Record #10548 |
Opened: 1909
Closed: 1935
Demolished: 1950
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Capacity: 1570 seats
Architect(s): Boller Bros
Architectural Style(s):
National Register:
Current Organ: none |
Also Known As: |
Information for this tour was contributed by Kansas City Public Library. The Gayety Theater at the southeast corner of 12th and Wyandotte was built on a site formerly occupied by the residence of A. W. Armour of the meat packing firm. City directories as late as 1895 show Mrs. Armour continued living at the address after the death of her husband.
The Columbia Amusement Company leased the tract for 90 years from two owners, Albert Parker and James Savage, and erected the Gayety Theater of reinforced concrete and ornamental brick, facing on 12th. The cost was $115,000. Carl Boller was the architect.
A March 21, 1909, story in The Star described the new project: "The L-shaped property fronts 135 feet on Wyandotte, 62 feet on 12th and 142 feet on an alley south of and parallel to 12th street. Consequently in the rear the L-shaped property adjoins the Hotel Muehlebach.
"There will be a seating capacity of 1,600. Of these 570 will be on the orchestra floor, 100 in boxes, 400 in balcony and 500 in gallery.
"The main entrance to the theatre will be through a lobby 20 x 58 feet on the 12th Street side. The entrance to the gallery seating 500 will be on the Wyandotte side."
There were several stores and 17 offices in the building, most of them rented before the building was finished.
The theater owners formerly operated the old Majestic burlesque house located between 11th and 12th on Walnut.
The card was mailed July 10, 1912, with a green one-cent stamp to Mr. Hugh Tann, R.F.D. Nashua, Mo.
Kansas City Times July 21, 1978
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Last featured 3/8/2005. Last edited 9/6/2014.
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