Columbian Theatre, Museum & Art Center
521 Lincoln Avenue,
Wamego,
KS
66547
521 Lincoln Avenue,
Wamego,
KS
66547
1 person
favorited this theater
Related Websites
The Columbian Theatre Museum & Art Center (Official)
Additional Info
Functions: Art Gallery, Performing Arts
Previous Names: Columbian Theatre
Nearby Theaters
At the close of the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair, JC Rogers brought paintings and other artifacts back to Wamego to adorn his new music hall. It was a venue for vaudeville, drama, masque balls, concerts and community events. In 1912 silent films first played the Columbian, followed by “talkies” in 1929. It remained the community’s center through WWII.
In 1950 The Columbian closed and was dark for 40 years. The only thing that saved it from destruction was that a furniture store remained open on the ground floor, motivating the owners to keep the roof in good repair. Today, a $1.8 million renovation has restored the building to a new level of elegance as a home for the arts and, once again, a place for the entire community to gather.
Contributed by
TC
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
This must have had a protracted construction. The foundation appears on the January 1892 map, but the date on the front of the building is 1895. The 1905 Cahn guide gives this a capacity of 1,000. I think the eagle on top is salvage from the Columbian Exposition (which I expect is where Rogers got the name). There are also two statues from the exposition in the city park.
Curiously, there was already a fairly large pre-1885 opera house at 5th and Elm, which is still there. The 1905 Cahn Guide calls it Leach’s, and gives a capacity of 500. It definitely contended with the Columbian early on, but the 1912 map shows it used for implement storage.
The 1896 map shows the building to be a bit shallower, and only lists a hall on the second floor. The 1905 map shows the fly tower added.