Gayety Theater (1909-1935)
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The Gayety Theater operated at this location, the SE Corner of 12th and Wyandotte, from 1909 to 1935. The theater was constructed at the site of meatpacker A.W. Amour's former mansion and showed movies and also hosted musical performances and the occasional burlesque performance. Many of the leading jazz musicians performed here during the 1930s. The College Inn nightclub operated in the budling in the 1940s and the building was demolished around 1950 when the Muehlbach Hotel (now part of the Marriott) expanded.
Images
Gayety Theater facing 12th Street
Postcard of the Gayety Theater that once stood on the southeast corner of 12th and Wyandotte streets.
The theater included burlesque entertainment, as demonstrated by these dancers performing as Hurtig & Seamon's Social Maids circa 1912
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
When completed, the building included space for numerous offices and stores in addition to a seating capacity of 1,600, including 570 on the orchestra floor and the rest in the balcony, gallery, and boxes.
Sources
Mrs. Sam Ray Postcard Collection (SC58), Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Missouri. https://kchistory.org/image/gayety-theater-4
Bushnell , Michael . Gayety Theater once took center stage, Northeast News . July 29th, 2015. Accessed March 27th, 2023. https://northeastnews.net/pages/gayety-theater-once-took-center-stage/.
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1427/photos/53492
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1427/photos/136227
Mrs. Sam Ray Postcard Collection (SC58), Kansas City Public Library
https://pendergastkc.org/collection/9130/20000515/12th-street-east-wyandotte
Mrs. Sam Ray Postcard Collection