The Princess was at 216-218, and should be listed as demolished. It was replaced by the Lyric at some point after 1914-15. It was a very basic wooden one story building with a two story brick stage tower. It does not appear on the 1906 map, but had opened by 1913. If the Lyric history is correct, it was probably demolished around 1921. Both the Lyric and the Princess are still listed in the 1926 and 1927 Yearbooks, so it’s possible that the present Lyric building dates to sometime after 1921.
The theater at 106 Seneca was the Majestic. It may be that the Majestic was remodeled in 1916, and renamed the Lyric. The problem is that the large bank at 106 was constructed in 1926, meaning the Lyric name had to have been moved again.
The 1950 map claims that this building was built in 1914-15. If that’s true, this may originally have been the Plaza or Hippodrome, both of which are listed in the 1914-15 AMPD. There is an infuriating 37 year gap in the Sanborns, which is inexplicable given the many buildings constructed between 1913 and 1950.
The Odd Fellows building may have been constructed around 1914-15. The architectural style certainly matches. The curious thing is that the Star is listed at 222-224 in the 1914-15 AMPD, but that was the address of the Orpheum, which is also listed, and was demolished to allow the Odd Fellows to be constructed. The building appears to be derelict today. If the address is accurate, the theater was in the southern half.
All of the AKAs are spurious. The Princess was much smaller and was demolished to build the Lyric, the Orpheum was further north. The Cameo is listed in the 1926 and 1927 Yearbooks separately from the Lyric.
Odd little one story building with a boxy stage tower at the rear. Very nondescript facade of black metal paneling, which likely dates to the 1955 retail conversion. The stage portion is much older. Unfortunately, (this seems to happen frequently in small cities), the Sanborn map of 1913 is the last until a 1950 update, which is rather sloppily edited.
The 1913 map shows the Princess here, but that building was mostly wood, and not nearly as deep. It’s not clear when exactly the Princess was replaced by/remodeled into the Lyric, but the Princess is still listed in the 1914-15 AMPD. Oddly, the 1950 map does not show the stage tower, but it must have been there.
The website’s history is wrong. The Orpheum was to the north, and was replaced by the Odd Fellows building sometime after 1914-15. The Orpheum does not appear on the August 1906 map, so it likely could not have opened by the end of that year.
This theater was open by 1913. It was located in the Oil Exchange, a large 3 story brick building constructed sometime before 1886. The building is still retail and offices on the 1906 map. The maps show the address as 106.
The site is now a parking lot with a wall around it. Some of the ornamentation either survived or was reproduced to be included in the wall, and there’s a plaque on the corner about the theater.
This has not been demolished. It’s a True Value hardware store, and has been for many years. The address is 455 Ridgely St. The building is much older than 1929. It was originally a small church, which likely dated to the early 1800s. The church appears on the 1911 map, and was extended both at the front and rear to create the theater. You can still see the bricked-in windows.
This seemed to be vacant in 2010. It had been city hall. I have a very bad picture of the stage through the dirty front windows, and they were clearly working on it. It may be back to its original function. I assume it was built sometime in the ‘20s. It’s not on the 1918 map. I couldn’t find a cornerstone.
Added a 1918 map view. The building is a double storefront which appears to date to around 1900. There are no other maps of this town. The current use is some sort of religious thrift store, and the front of the building (and all its neighbors) is disfigured by one of those awful shingle awnings that were popular about 50 years ago.
SethG
commented about
Airdomeon
Jun 11, 2025 at 10:33 am
This seems to be some sort of museum. It got an awful and cheap remodel with chintzy aluminum windows, and a lot of the original yellow brick replaced with trashy new brick. This entire side of the block was mutilated by the same ‘architect’, and it looks like a depressing Auto-CAD wasteland.
Address is wrong. The ‘North’ portion should be removed. I don’t think there ever was any such thing as a N-S divider. It’s quite simple. 1st St is at the north edge of town, and 30th St is at the south. Block numbers are then obvious.
This should just be closed. It did operate at least through late 2022 as a performing arts venue, although they did show some films. The building itself was built in 1886, and was a dry goods and clothing store until being converted to a theater.
Address is wrong. This was at 132 W 8th. There was an even older Tackett at the location listed, but all of the information appears to relate to the newer Tackett (and makes the Midland the THIRD Tackett). The theater was built sometime between 1913 and 1923 (probably after 1915, since it’s not listed in the 1914-15 AMPD). It was a large three story brick building. This corner is now a parking lot next to some really awful 1970s retail buildings.
Although dmt added a photo in 2016, he didn’t leave a comment. The timeline is wrong. This opened in 1912, in a large business block that must have been recently constructed, as it’s not on the 1908 map. It was originally the Columbia, and must have been remodeled and renamed in 1940. The building is disfigured by a repulsive ‘70s concrete awning, but is in pretty good shape. The theater space is a cafe.
The 1923 map shows a gas station on the SE corner, so this would have had to have been built as a very large theater, and then abandoned within 4 years. This location would have been an odd choice. Even before a lot of downtown became a wasteland, this was on the very edge of the business section. If it really was here (later maps are unavailable online), then the corner is occupied by a derelict car wash, which might date to the ‘70s.
The Princess was at 216-218, and should be listed as demolished. It was replaced by the Lyric at some point after 1914-15. It was a very basic wooden one story building with a two story brick stage tower. It does not appear on the 1906 map, but had opened by 1913. If the Lyric history is correct, it was probably demolished around 1921. Both the Lyric and the Princess are still listed in the 1926 and 1927 Yearbooks, so it’s possible that the present Lyric building dates to sometime after 1921.
The theater at 106 Seneca was the Majestic. It may be that the Majestic was remodeled in 1916, and renamed the Lyric. The problem is that the large bank at 106 was constructed in 1926, meaning the Lyric name had to have been moved again.
The 1950 map claims that this building was built in 1914-15. If that’s true, this may originally have been the Plaza or Hippodrome, both of which are listed in the 1914-15 AMPD. There is an infuriating 37 year gap in the Sanborns, which is inexplicable given the many buildings constructed between 1913 and 1950.
The Odd Fellows building may have been constructed around 1914-15. The architectural style certainly matches. The curious thing is that the Star is listed at 222-224 in the 1914-15 AMPD, but that was the address of the Orpheum, which is also listed, and was demolished to allow the Odd Fellows to be constructed. The building appears to be derelict today. If the address is accurate, the theater was in the southern half.
All of the AKAs are spurious. The Princess was much smaller and was demolished to build the Lyric, the Orpheum was further north. The Cameo is listed in the 1926 and 1927 Yearbooks separately from the Lyric.
Odd little one story building with a boxy stage tower at the rear. Very nondescript facade of black metal paneling, which likely dates to the 1955 retail conversion. The stage portion is much older. Unfortunately, (this seems to happen frequently in small cities), the Sanborn map of 1913 is the last until a 1950 update, which is rather sloppily edited.
The 1913 map shows the Princess here, but that building was mostly wood, and not nearly as deep. It’s not clear when exactly the Princess was replaced by/remodeled into the Lyric, but the Princess is still listed in the 1914-15 AMPD. Oddly, the 1950 map does not show the stage tower, but it must have been there.
The website’s history is wrong. The Orpheum was to the north, and was replaced by the Odd Fellows building sometime after 1914-15. The Orpheum does not appear on the August 1906 map, so it likely could not have opened by the end of that year.
This theater was open by 1913. It was located in the Oil Exchange, a large 3 story brick building constructed sometime before 1886. The building is still retail and offices on the 1906 map. The maps show the address as 106.
If that address is correct, this must have been demolished. The entire block is the massive Oil City National Bank, from 1926.
The tile in the entry, obscured by the ugly storefront and cheap aluminum door, indicates that this was a J.C. Penney store for some time.
The site is now a parking lot with a wall around it. Some of the ornamentation either survived or was reproduced to be included in the wall, and there’s a plaque on the corner about the theater.
This has been closed for a long time. The inside looks like a mess, and the website is wrong.
This has not been demolished. It’s a True Value hardware store, and has been for many years. The address is 455 Ridgely St. The building is much older than 1929. It was originally a small church, which likely dated to the early 1800s. The church appears on the 1911 map, and was extended both at the front and rear to create the theater. You can still see the bricked-in windows.
Reminder that the status is wrong.
The building was a conversion. It appears on the 1905-06 map, and possibly also on the 1893 map, although only half as deep. It is currently vacant.
This seemed to be vacant in 2010. It had been city hall. I have a very bad picture of the stage through the dirty front windows, and they were clearly working on it. It may be back to its original function. I assume it was built sometime in the ‘20s. It’s not on the 1918 map. I couldn’t find a cornerstone.
Added a 1918 map view. The building is a double storefront which appears to date to around 1900. There are no other maps of this town. The current use is some sort of religious thrift store, and the front of the building (and all its neighbors) is disfigured by one of those awful shingle awnings that were popular about 50 years ago.
Thanks, Joe!
This theater first appears in the 1929 Yearbook, but without a capacity, and may not have opened until 1930.
This seems to be some sort of museum. It got an awful and cheap remodel with chintzy aluminum windows, and a lot of the original yellow brick replaced with trashy new brick. This entire side of the block was mutilated by the same ‘architect’, and it looks like a depressing Auto-CAD wasteland.
Address is wrong. The ‘North’ portion should be removed. I don’t think there ever was any such thing as a N-S divider. It’s quite simple. 1st St is at the north edge of town, and 30th St is at the south. Block numbers are then obvious.
This should just be closed. It did operate at least through late 2022 as a performing arts venue, although they did show some films. The building itself was built in 1886, and was a dry goods and clothing store until being converted to a theater.
Note that the captioning in the photo is wrong. The theater names are swapped.
Address is wrong. This was at 132 W 8th. There was an even older Tackett at the location listed, but all of the information appears to relate to the newer Tackett (and makes the Midland the THIRD Tackett). The theater was built sometime between 1913 and 1923 (probably after 1915, since it’s not listed in the 1914-15 AMPD). It was a large three story brick building. This corner is now a parking lot next to some really awful 1970s retail buildings.
Although dmt added a photo in 2016, he didn’t leave a comment. The timeline is wrong. This opened in 1912, in a large business block that must have been recently constructed, as it’s not on the 1908 map. It was originally the Columbia, and must have been remodeled and renamed in 1940. The building is disfigured by a repulsive ‘70s concrete awning, but is in pretty good shape. The theater space is a cafe.
Here’s the KHRI page: https://khri.kansasgis.org/index.cfm?in=125-1050-00012
The 1923 map shows a gas station on the SE corner, so this would have had to have been built as a very large theater, and then abandoned within 4 years. This location would have been an odd choice. Even before a lot of downtown became a wasteland, this was on the very edge of the business section. If it really was here (later maps are unavailable online), then the corner is occupied by a derelict car wash, which might date to the ‘70s.