Salina Post proudly presents Flashback Friday in partnership with the Smoky Hill Museum. Enjoy a weekly tidbit of local history from the staff at Salina Post and the Smoky Hill Museum as we present “Salina-Flashback Fridays.”
By SALINA POST
As the lights fade, the curtains part and the opening credits begin for "Not Exactly Gentlemen" starring Fay Wray in Salina's newest Art Deco theatre — the Fox Watson Theatre.
The new venue opened in late February 1931 with chandeliers, textured walls and mirrored ceilings, which welcomed patrons to glamorous rooms and the latest films.
Salina businessman W. W. Watson donated the land at 151 S Santa Fe Avenue, and the 1930s Kansas City architectural firm Carl and Robert Boller designed the grand theatre.
Matinee movie showings would cost 35 cents, an evening show for 50 and children tickets at 10 cents.
The Fox Watson continued showing movies for 55 years until 1987 when the venue closed. However, the community retained its adoration of the building, eventually getting it on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
According to the Stiefel Theatre website, in 1989, its owner, Dickinson Theatres, donated the building to the City of Salina, where city officials replaced the roof and preserved the historic site.
In 1997, the city donated the building to the non-profit group The Historic Fox Theater of Salina Foundation, which performed a complete renovation, allowing the theatre to reopen in March 2003.
The non-profit group renamed the newly-renovated building The Stiefel Theatre after notable Salina community member Milton Stiefel, whom many Salinans knew for promoting the city's downtown.
Today, the theatre is home to the Salina Symphony and many local productions. Some notable musicians welcomed to the Stiefel's stage include BB King, Merle Haggard, Alison Krauss and The Avett Brothers.
The Stiefel continues to host famous musicians and performers, including Martina McBride, on Friday, Dec. 1, and early next year, with Kansas performing on Saturday, March 23, 2024.