Regent Theatre
109 E. 12th Street,
Kansas City,
MO
64106
109 E. 12th Street,
Kansas City,
MO
64106
1 person
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The Regent Theatre opened as a premiere motion picture house with a Kimball pipe organ, live orchestra and launching March 26th, 1916 with Fannie Ward in “For the Defense.” The Regent would convert to sound to stay current.
But with the impact of television and competition from new theaters, the Regent devolved into second-run double features followed by its final period as a faded, deep discount sub-run grindhouse showing three shows continuously from late morning until after midnight. No showtimes were posted or necessary in the advertising. The Regent closed on May 12, 1964 with Glenn Ford in “Courtship of Eddie’s Father,” Inger Stevens in “The World, Flesh & Devil,” and Glenn Ford in “The Sheepman.”
The theatre was redesigned for Pener’s, a men’s clothing store, by architects Bloomgarten & Frohwerk in 1965. At the end of its 20-year lease, the store moved and the former theatre building was demolished reportedly to make way for the AT&T Pavillion project as parking garage but appears to have been used for the 1201 Walnut Building skyscraper built by HNTB Architects in 1991.
This opened on March 26th, 1916. Grand opening ad in the photo section.
I wish there had been pictures posted of the interior – it was quite ornate for a small theater that included a balcony and quite ornate ceiling. Before it was demolished, it was converted into a much larger Penner’s Men’s Clothing Store. The leveled the main floor and redid the elec and Heating AC for that new area – not much of the actual auditorium was destroyed but I do remember taking a peak inside and I was quite impressed. It remained a Penner’s fro about 4+ years and then much of the stores on 12th were demolished, including some great restaurants and Adam’s Men’s Store on the Corner. I tried to see as much of the demolition of the Regent as I could, just like I sadly watched the demolition of the old Paramount and Roxy Theaters – treasures lost. The Regent still had its Theater Organ and Pipes etc along with its old Piano also destroyed during the demolition. It was easy to see just how ornate it was. Apparently, it was built primarily for movies but did have narrow stage area with rigging still in tack. I remember the Regent showing at least One Burlesque B&W film after two regular movies that were very popular with the GIs overseas during WWII. They were pretty harmless and also some of the skits pretty funny – they can be seen online. Downtown KC has lost so much of its history. I do not remember what Bank Building was built in its place, I want to say Mercantile Bank but what every it was, it did not last and I think the building is now just condo’s.
I worked nights as an usher and operated the refreshment stand at the Regent Theater in 1950. After the bars closed, members of the Kansas City crime family and their girlfriends arrived and stayed till the last show ended. The woman standing inside the refreshment stand in one of the four the historical pictures was the theater manager—I don’t recall her name, just that she was a handsome woman who drove a large, shiny black sedan. Bill P
My mother told me when I was a child, that her mother used to refer to the Regent as “the smelly feet theatre”.
Don H
David and Noelle’s list of known Boller Brothers theaters says that the remodeling of the Regent Theatre by Robert Boller was a 1947 project.
The original architect of the Regent Theatre in 1916 was H. Alexander Drake, who also designed Frank Newman’s Royal Theatre of 1914 and the Newman Theatre of 1919, which later became the Paramount. According to the March 4, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World, the Regent was then nearing completion:
O.K.
Hey Dave W. The mystery theater you are looking for may have been the Palace, which was a block north of the Royal on Main Street and was open into the early fifties. It had a marquee in the forties, but it could have been taken down in later years. I asked a friend who was acquainted with the theaters in the downtown area, and he said it was indeed on the seedy side.
The first comment for this theater notes its demolition for an office tower. There’s no trace of the theater building currently. Status should be closed/demolished.
Thanks all. Would anyone be interested in helping me get to the bottom of the mystery theater on Main st. Believe it was located at the old Royal address, closed in 1936. It is known to have operated in the late 40’s and early 50’s, showed cheap movies like the Regent, had no marquee or apparent name and never had an ad in the paper. A real bare-bones operation. Seemed to have some seedy looking characters hanging around it. I know others that remember seeing it there but no one seems to know any more about it than I do. I have a theory but no proof.
Photo from 1950 of the Regent Theater.
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A photo of the entrance from 1925.
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A photo from 1961.
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According to the book, Kansas City Style: A social and cultural history of Kansas City as seen through its lost architecture, the Royal Theater, 1022 Main, was built by Frank Newman in 1914. The Kansas City Star reports that it opened June 10.
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The book states the Newman (aka Paramount) Theatre was built in 1918. It doesn’t state whether that was the construction completion, or opening, date though.
However, the book, Saturday Matinee in Olde KC states the Newman opened in June, 1919.
I never thought of using theater organ records. Good Show! The Royal 1913 date is still possible. They could have started with a piano in their theater band. In 1913 most theaters had stage shows along with movies. Either way it’s a guess plus or minus a year. Growing up, my elderly neighbor had a theater band in the vaudeville days. He told me a lot about the “good old days”. One of my favorite research sources is the Theater ads in the Kansas City Star/Times of earlier days. It’s amazing what you can find about the entertainment of a time period.
Good work! That date sounds about right. It would put the Newman theaters on a 3 year opening schedule. Royal (1913), Regent (1916), Newman (1919). Sounds Logical. I think 1916 can be used as a probable opening date.There are some mysteries about the Royal too.
There appear to be some inaccuracies in your posting. 109 East 12th. St. is only 1 ½ blocks from 12th. & Main, the historic center of downtown, not on the outskirts. Also, it may have been redecorated in 1945 but it opened around 1920 or before. A picture taken in the early 20’s in The KC Star Book “A Splendid Ride”, Pages 132-133 shows the Regent Marquee clearly in a picture of 12th St. Frank L. Newman built 3 theaters, Royal Theater (1913), Newman (1919) and Regent (?) in the same time period. Born in 1935, I remember before and after re-modeling. The Regent struggled through the 30’s but made a mint during WWII. Showing 3 movies, it was open 24 hrs a day. Servicemen loved it and often used it as a cheap place to sleep between trains.
The Regent Theater was demolished prior to construction of the 1201 Walnut office tower.