Gem Theatre
1615 E. 18th Street,
Kansas City,
MO
64108
1615 E. 18th Street,
Kansas City,
MO
64108
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This house was still listed as the Star Theatre in the 1914-1915 edition of The American Motion Picture Directory.
Again, what a lovely theatre and thanks “Driveintheatre” for the addtional flickr photos! This theatre is truly a “gem”!
Here’s 3 Photos I took of the GEM back in November of 2007.. Enjoy!
Randy A Carlisle – Historical Photographer
This theatre has a Vitrolite tile exterior. The work was done by Tim Dunn, Vitrolite specialist located in St. Louis MO.
From the Library of Congress:
http://tinyurl.com/cswesr
Don, that’s a lovely picture.
My November 2007 image of the GEM THEATER.
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/2051022815
The Gem Theater was designed by local Kansas City architect George Carman.
For the technically minded (which excludes me), here is an article about sound recording at the theater:
http://tinyurl.com/qcnj6
Yet another photo of this lovely theater:
http://haphazardous.net/index.php?showimage=103
The marquee appears to be art deco. Would one say that the building is Colonial Revival?
Photo: View link
Correction: …18th and Vine area…
In the mid 1990’s the Gem Theatre and immediate surrounding 14th and Vine area received a $20 million facelift from then mayor Cleaver. The old theatre was gutted and only the outside was restored to original. Today the theatre IS spotlessly clean and attracks audiences from all over the K.C. area and beyond. Black and white, young and old, especially young people from area elementary schools in convoys of school busses. Often charitable business owners purchase blocks of hundreds of seats for these young people to enjoy theatre that they otherwise may have never been exposed to…a great idea.
Tour of Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas Theatres in 2004
From June 26 through July 1, 2004 the Theatre Historical Society of America will tour a number of theatres in Kansas City Missouri and surrounding areas, including theatres in Lamar, Joplin, Richmond, St. Joseph and Springfield, MO, as well as Miami, OK, and these cities in Kansas: Leavenworth, Kansas City, Emporia, El Dorado, Augusta, Wichita, Hutchinson, McPherson, Salina, Concordia, and Topeka. More information is contained on their web site: http://www.HistoricTheatres.org and special photos and information concerning the Kansas City theatres: UPTOWN and the MIDLAND is available on this temporary page of their site at: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~angell/thsa/fromarch.html A glossy brochure about this “Heart of America” Conclave is available from the Society’s headquarters listed on their homepage, via E-mail to the Ex. Director, or via snail mail. Membership in the Society is not required to attend the Conclave and tour the theatres, but fees do apply as detailed on their site. Bring your camera and lots of film, for it is usually difficult or impossible to enter these theatres for photos, and some of them will surely not be with us in the years to come.