Mission, KS - Historic Mission movie theater reopens as event space

posted by ThrHistoricalSociety on January 13, 2017 at 11:14 am

From Fox4KC.com: A historic movie theater in Mission is being given new life.

The new owners of the Mission Theatre at 5909 Johnson Drive in Mission, Kan., are Kip and Kris Unruh. They have gutted the inside of the building to transform this former theater into a wedding event space.

The building first opened in 1938 by Glen Wood Dickinson, founder of the Dickinson Theatre chain. It was the first all-concrete movie theater in the area meant to withstand fires, tornadoes and other natural disasters. But over the years, the theater fell into disrepair.

The new owners loved the location and spent many months renovating it.

“It just had so much potential,” Kris Unruh said. “It was just waiting for somebody to come in and get a new life.”

They believe this is a unique place to hold weddings and receptions.

“Venues are something Kansas City needs more of,” Unruh said. “We married our own daughters and realized that there is a demand for venues. You have to sometimes wait 18 months to rent a place.”

They are now booking weddings, receptions and corporate events.

Full story, with video at: http://fox4kc.com/2017/01/12/historic-mission-movie-theater-reopens-as-event-space/

ABOUT THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA: Founded by Ben Hall in 1969, the Theatre Historical Society of America (THS) celebrates, documents and promotes the architectural, cultural and social relevance of America’s historic theatres. Through its preservation of the collections in the American Theatre Architecture Archive, its signature publication Marquee™ and Conclave Theatre Tour, THS increases awareness, appreciation and scholarly study of America’s theatres.

Learn more about historic theatres in the THS American Theatre Architecture Archives and on our website at historictheatres.org