Novelty Theatre
809 Main Street,
Winfield,
KS
67019
809 Main Street,
Winfield,
KS
67019
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The original 350-seat Novelty Theatre was at 245 N. Main Street in Winfield. The “new” Novelty Theatre had a larger auditorium. It saw competition and went all in improving the theatre in 1929 including a Wurlitzer Model 109 - Opus 1844.
1929 was the wrong time to go for big improvements and in organs as movie palaces and sound films was the place to be. The Novelty Theatre went down for the count as the Depression began and Fox Theatres assumed control of the facility. The theatre went unused and the organ was moved to a Catholic church which installed it in 1931.
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dallasmovietheaters
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
The Novelty Theatre at 809 Main Street was one of the two movie houses listed at Winfield in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory. The rival Jewel Theatre was at 1007 Main Street, where the Fox Theatre would be built in 1950.
This has not been demolished. It has an ugly remodel, but the original stone construction is still evident. It is a co-working space. The building was constructed sometime between 1899 and 1905, and was originally a clothing store. The theater was operating by February 1912.
The supposed prior location of the Novelty is impossible. The northernmost avenue is 4th, and there has never been a North or South Main. 245, if it had ever existed, would be in the middle of the park at the north end of town.
The duplicate cover photo should be deleted. The un-captioned copy is better quality.