Fox–Watson Theater Building
Historical theater
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Fox–Watson Theater was opened in 1931 as a movie theater in Salina, Kansas. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 as the "Fox–Watson Theater Building".[1] It was turned non-profit, and was restored and renamed in 2003 as Stiefel Theatre, a performing arts venue.[2]
Side exterior c. 2015 | |
 Interactive map of Stiefel Theatre | |
Full name | Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts |
|---|---|
Former names | Fox–Watson Theater (1931–1987) |
| Address | 151 S Santa Fe Ave Salina, KS 67401-2809 |
| Location | Downtown Salina |
| Coordinates | 38.838677°N 97.608928°W |
| Owner | City of Salina |
| Capacity | 1,265 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | February 23, 1931 |
| Renovated | 1997–2003 |
Construction cost | US$400,000 |
| Architect | Boller Brothers |
| Builder | Fox West Coast Theatres |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
Fox–Watson Theater Building | |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| NRHP reference No. | 88001171 |
| Added to NRHP | August 4, 1988 |
History
The Fox–Watson Theater was opened on February 23, 1931,[3] by Winfield W. Watson, a local businessman and banker who led the campaign and donated the land to bring a movie house to Salina.[4][1] Fox West Coast Theatres built the Art Deco movie house at a cost of $400,000 (equivalent to $7,500,000 in 2025).[1] Boller Brothers, an architectural firm from Kansas City, Missouri, designed the structure, which features Spanish Colonial influences in its terracotta facade and interior plasterwork.[1][5] The opening night feature was the Western film Not Exactly Gentlemen, starring Fay Wray.[1]
The theater operated as a first-run movie house for decades.[1] By the 1980s, then-owners Dickinson Theatres operated it as a discount theater until closing it in August 1987, citing competition from the company's own mall-based cinemas.[2] Dickinson gave the theater to the city in 1989.[2]
A non-profit group[who?] spent several years and US$3.2 million on renovation, and reopened it as the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts on March 8, 2003.[2][4] Its mission is to "enrich, educate, and entertain", and the programming goal is to "offer a broad base of quality entertainment in a variety of genres that will appeal to a large demographic".[5] It houses the Salina Symphony.[6][7]
The Salina Symphony performs its subscription concerts at the theater.[6]
