Scammon Theatre
215 Main Street,
Scammon,
KS
66773
215 Main Street,
Scammon,
KS
66773
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Additional Info
Architects: Carl Boller, Robert O. Boller
Firms: Boller Brothers
Previous Names: Scammon Opera House
Nearby Theaters
No theaters found within 30 miles
This large theatre appears on the 1912 Sanborn, at the SE corner of Main Street and 2nd Street. This was an empty lot in 1905 and the Scammon Opera House was built in 1906. The theatre was a two-story brick structure extending nearly to the alley (which is still visible on the block to the north. There were small offices at the front, on either side of a central lobby. The balcony is not drawn on the map, but it is noted. The stage at the rear of the building was quite deep, and this section of the building was under a fly tower that protruded about 20 feet above the rest of the structure. A separate brick shed behind the theatre housed a 20hp engine to power it.
In 1912, it seems that only live acts may have been offered, but the theatre is listed as the Scammon Theatre in the 1914-15 American Motion Picture Directory, at 3rd Street and Main Street. The listing either has an error in the address, or this theatre had been replaced by another of the same name.
As downtown withered away, the building was demolished. A house of indeterminate age sits on the lot today.
Contributed by
Seth Gaines
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
The Scammon Theatre is listed in the 1909-1910 Cahn guide as a ground floor house with 388 seats in the orchestra, 202 in the balcony, and a gallery seating 425. The stage was 34 feet from footlights to back wall and 53 feet between side walls, and the rigging loft was 48 feet above the stage floor. Quite a capacious theater for a town of 3000.
I am wondering if the Scammon Theatre could be this house mentioned in the September 10, 1921 issue of The Moving Picture World:
Scammon’s decline must have been fairly rapid. The January 14, 1928 issue of Movie Age carried this advertisement in its “Theaters for Sale” column:This is interesting. David and Noelle Soren’s list of known Boller Bros. theaters has this: “Scammon (Opera House) Theatre – 1906”
Scammon’s decline was very rapid. Check out the census figures. This was a big coal mining area, and there were good sized towns all over the place. Seems that post 1920, the whole area collapsed. Most only have foundations left downtown. Scammon still has 3-4 old buildings.
By the way, the address is a guess counting up from the south, and assuming the storefronts in the theater building had their own addresses.