Prairie Arts Theatre
112 W. Main Street,
Harper,
KS
67058
112 W. Main Street,
Harper,
KS
67058
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Gem Theatre, New Theatre, Harper Theater
Nearby Theaters
Opened March 1, 1922, the Gem Theatre was located in a remodeled commercial building dating to about 1905. The theater was sold within a year to new operators. On December 10, 1927 it was called the New Theatre. Renamed again in 1933, the Harper Theater was remodeled in 1947, expanding the capacity from an initial 300. After several ownership changes, it remained in operation until 1983.
It was saved from demolition by a concerned citizens' group. Later named the Prairie Arts Theatre, the space was supposedly used for music, poetry and other live performances. It likely was only open a few days a year. It was owned by a local eccentric, Rosalea Hostetler, and was mostly used to store junk. The doors were padlocked, and the building was in disrepair. She died in 2024, and the building is abandoned.
Contributed by
Ken McIntyre
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
“At Harper, Carl Botkin has taken out the first four rows of seats in front of the screen, plays records in the booth, and couples dance before and after the show.” — Boxoffice, June 13, 1960
The theater was likely a remodel of an older commercial building constructed sometime between 1899 and 1905. The 1943 Sanborn shows the building ending well short of the alley, so it must have been remodeled at some later point.
If the opening date is accurate, this must be the ‘New’ listed in the 1926 Yearbook with 250 seats.
The Saturday, January 28, 1922 issue of Film Daily ran this item: “Harper Theater Called Gem
“(Special to THE FILM DAILY) Harper, Kans.—Hunsely and St [text missing] will open their theater in Febru; [text missing] It will be called the Gem”
The Gem was mentioned in a letter from the Wurlitzer company that was published in the February 25, 1922 Exhibitors Daily Review. The letter was addressing the issue of taxes on musical compositions published by the company. There is no indication of what sort of Wurlitzer instrument the Gem might have had.
The January 6, 1923 Moving Picture World also mentions the Gem: “Thurman & Son, of Anthony, Kans., have purchased the Gem Theatre at Harper, Kans., from Mrs. Robinson.”
The name of the theater is given as the New in the December 10, 1927 issue of The Billboard, which mentioned alterations and new equipment at a theater in Harper, Kansas.
The April 13, 1940 issue of Boxoffice said “C. A. Botkin has purchased a pair of new high intensity Simplex lamps and a Hertner generator from John Kelly of the National Theatre Supply for his Harper at Harper, Kas.”
The July 12, 1947 Motion Picture Herald mentions Harper in an item headed “New Theatre Plans Approved by Government” which says “Carl Botkin, Harper, Kans., remodel theatre;”
The August 25, 1954 Boxoffice mentioned the Harper as one of several Kansas houses that had bought CinemaScope lenses and new screens from Missouri Theatre Supply.
Carl Botkin, owner of the house, is mentioned several times through the 1950s in Boxoffice, but these are all about routine events. The last mention of Botkin is in the September 16, 1963 issue, which says that he had sold the theater to projectionist Maurice J. Hooley, who was also assistant cashier of Harper’s First National Bank.
The last mention of the Harper I’ve found in Boxoffice is in the July 26, 1965 issue which says “Hubert Johnson will reopen the Harper Theatre, Harper, Kas., July 30 as a community enterprise.”
A web site called The Okie Legacy has this brief article from 2010, which says that the theater opened on March 1, 1922. Charles and Gene Botkin (Carl was Charles’s son) bought the house from the Thurmans in 1923. The major remodeling and expansion SethG surmises in his earlier comment took place in 1947, when the building was extended 42 feet back. Most surprising to me, the article says that the Harper limped along for many years, operating on weekends, and finally closing for the last time in 1983.
Uploaded a 1950s image in which the “Harper” vertical can be seen.