Crawford Theatre
209 S. Topeka Street,
Wichita,
KS
67202
209 S. Topeka Street,
Wichita,
KS
67202
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The original Crawford Theatre, aka Crawford Grand Opera House, was listed at 201-205 S. Topeka Avenue in 1910. It opened on February 1, 1887. When the New Crawford Theatre opened in 1911 the Opera House was renamed the Lyceum Theatre, but it only operated for about two years before the building was destroyed by a fire.
The Crawford Theater’s final show was Walt Disney’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and Betty Grable in “Three for the Show” on January 2, 1956. A salvage sale started the day after with a treasure trove of hidden ephemera uncovered prior to the theater’s demolition. The local press opined that the Crawford’s two biggest blows occurred when talkies were installed in Wichita in 1928 leading to the live venue’s conversion from top tier live showplace to second-tier movie house in 1930 and the demolition ball that crushed the venue in February of 1956.
Circa 1956 photo added courtesy Dennis Copp‎.
Here is a story about the Crawford.
Here is an updated web link with Crawford Theatre history and images,
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A brief history and a vintage photo of the Crawford can be found on the below link;
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In that 1952 photo of the Crawford Theatre, does anyone know if that corner oil well was functional?