Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center

This riverfront site has been the center of performances and conventions in Wichita for more than a century starting with The Forum, which became the largest theater in the city when it was constructed in 1910. As part of the 1970 centennial celebration of Wichita, the former site of the Forum became home to Century II starting in 1969. The venue is a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired structure that has hosted numerus cultural events, conventions, sporting events, and community meetings in its theater, expo hall, and meeting spaces.

The city of Wichita celebrated its centennial in 1970. To ring in the start of the city's second century, local architect John M. Hickman designed the appropriately named Century II, an arts and convention center. Century II was built on the site of a previous convention center, called The Forum, that had opened in 1911. It quickly became famous for hosting major area events, including everything from Russian ballets to circuses and car shows. However, by the 1960s, this building was deteriorating and could no longer meet the demands for capacity called for by the growing city. This caused Hickman to have the aging theater razed along with numerous former riverfront businesses to clear the way for Century II, which was designed with the works of Frank Lloyd Wright in mind.

Despite Hickman's unexpected death, Century II opened as planned in January 1911. At the time, it featured a concert hall, convention hall, exhibition hall, and a theater later renamed as Mary Jane Teall Theater. Bob Brown Expo Hall, named for a former Wichita City Commissioner and Mayor, was a later addition, built in 1986. A decade later, the Hyatt Regency Wichita was built on the south side of Century II to accommodate visitors to the city.

Century II - History, Century II. April 17th, 2011. Accessed February 4th, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20110417095536/http://www.century2.org/AboutUs/Century+II+History/.

Century II - Kansas Historic Resources Inventory, Kansas Historical Society. Accessed February 4th, 2023. https://khri.kansasgis.org/index.cfm?in=173-5880-09048.