Plaza Theater
408 N.W. 2nd Street,
Abilene,
KS
67410
408 N.W. 2nd Street,
Abilene,
KS
67410
1 person
favorited this theater
Showing 4 comments
Closed in May 1999
Plaza theatre in Abilene closed Tue, Jun 1, 1999 – 12 · The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Missouri) · Newspapers.com
Before and after photos of the Plaza’s facade on this page of Boxoffice, February 8, 1936, show the extent of the remodeling that had recently been carried out. The after photo shows the Art Deco marquee which was later replaced, as well as decorative detail that was later lost.
As the Bonebrake O.H. this theater is listed under Abilene in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The Manager was C.H. Patterson; the seating capacity was 600, and the theater was apparently on the second floor. Admissions prices vary. There were 5 in the house orchestra. There were 2 daily newspapers, the Relector and the Chronicle, and 2 weeklies. Hotels for show folk were the Pacific, Central, Continental and the McCollum. Railroads were the Santa Fe and the UP. Abilene’s 1897 population was 4,000.
An extensive remodeling of this theatre to an Art Deco style was noted in the February 8, 1936 issue of Box Office magazine. Architect for the re-design was Larry P. Larsen.