Some of these mighty structures have been destroyed others have been refurbished and are open for business. If you have any information regarding Kansas theaters, opera houses or drive in theaters but they are not listed or you have additional information or pictures for a theater please

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Opera House
In the late evening on a Monday night in 1909, flames engulfed nearly an entire city block in LaCrosse. Among the buildings destroyed was the Andrews Opera House. All that was salvaged from the opera house were a couple of reels of film and an Edison Picture Machine.

In the spring of 1910, a new facility was completed. It was located on the northeast corner of Eighth and Elm Streets, one block west of the Main Street business district. The building was a two-level brick structure fifty feet in width and seventy-five feet in length. It featured an auditorium with a proscenium stage, ground and upper-level seating, dressing rooms, storage areas and a lobby. A loft above the stage provided ample clearance for large props and backdrops.  The opera house was lighted throughout with electricity and could seat up to 1,000 patrons. The total cost of the structure was $12,500.

The LaCrosse Republican called it "no doubt the best playhouse on the Missouri Pacific road between Salina and Pueblo."  People of the day could hardly believe that this magnificent facility had arisen out of a tragedy that had happened less than one year before.   The first performance, "St. Elmo", was held on April 25 of that year, nearly one year to the day from the date of the catastrophic fire. Live performances were regular at first, but with the growing popularity and advancement of the movie industry, motion pictures soon became the primary form of entertainment. On December 5, 1929, "Jerry of Jericho Road", presented by the LaCrosse High School Glee Clubs, was one of the last live performances held in the theatre.

Hil'top Drive-In
In late 1952, Ralph Larned decided it was time for Rush County to have a drive-in theatre.  In January 1953, he leased a ten-acre plot of ground at the south edge of LaCrosse from Loris Erbes.  On June 15 of that year, the Hil'Top Drive-In, a 285-car outdoor theatre, opened to the public. The concession building was twenty-two feet by fifty feet and included a projection booth, storeroom, and restroom facilities.  A glass wall on the front of the building allowed patrons to view the movie while waiting in the concession line.  A playground was situated behind the building.  Movies were projected onto a Cinema-Scope-sized Boyer pre-fab screen that stood fifty-six feet into the air with a picture area sixty-four feet wide and thirty-four feet high.  The screen was built of laminated lumber with white glatex shingles on the picture area.

The opening feature at the theatre was Jubilee Trail, starring Forrest Tucker and Joan Leslie.  The theatre was managed by Gordon Holiday and opening night staff included: concession operators, Lillyann Suppes, Valta Ochs, Velma Kanage, and Kathryn Wilhelm; ticket cashier, Della Parker; and projectionist, Robert Peterson.

 In 1966, a windstorm destroyed the original pre-fab screen and it was immediately replaced by a steel structure.  In 1971, Sterling Bagby of Stockton and Steve Bagby of Hays took over operation of the theatre.  The theatre struggled to remain open for a few more years until closing permanently in the mid-1970's.  The LaCrosse Golf Club utilized the concession building as a clubhouse until the mid-1980s. In 1986, the box office, fences, and parking ramps were removed. In the summer of 2001, the concession building was dismantled leaving only the screen to serve as a monument to a once thriving business.

Paramount Theater
In the late 1920s, Ralph and Jewell Larned came to LaCrosse and assumed operation of the Opera House. The LaCrosse Opera House then became known as the Paramount Theatre. The first major renovation of the Paramount involved bricking over many of the windows.  On the front, four large upstairs windows were replaced with smaller windows while the lower windows remained unchanged.  A triangular marquee bearing the Paramount name with space for listing current attractions was suspended over the entrance.

Following the war, advancements in the motion picture industry made it apparent that the theatre was due for another extensive face-lift.  In January of 1946, the Paramount began temporary operations in the LaCrosse City Auditorium so that remodeling could begin in the theatre.  The remodeling, touted as "the most extensive building project to be completed in LaCrosse since the close of the war," was completed in May 1946.  The $25,000 remodeling entailed a complete remake of the building. The facility was designed by Robert O. Boller, nationally renowned theatre architect.  Charles and O.L. Jones of LaCrosse were the contractors.

The entrance of the building was lowered to street level with a box-office built of glass block.  A novel feature of the theatre was a "cry-room" with piped-in sound to allow parents with babies to enjoy the show without disturbing other patrons.  A refreshment bar served from both the lobby and foyer.  Sound and projection equipment were some of the finest available.

The front exterior was covered in buff stucco with chocolate-brown trim.  The art deco style main room was finished in dusty pink accented with burgundy wainscoting.  Burgundy, blue, and gold draperies framed a screen thirty feet wide. The main room seated 350 patrons in red velvet orchestra seats.  The balcony seated an additional 174 patrons.  To add to patrons' comfort, the entire building was heated and air-conditioned.  The first show in the newly- remodeled theatre was "The Harvey Girls" starring Judy Garland, John Hodiak, and Ray Bolger.

The Larneds operated the Paramount until the late 1960s when the popularity of television began to force many community theatres out of business.  In 1971, the theatre was reopened on weekends by Sterling and Steve Bagby who had recently reopened the local drive-in theatre. The Paramount was open again for only a brief time, before being permanently closed.  In 1973, the seats were removed and placed in the new livestock sale barn north of LaCrosse.  In 1974, the theatre was used in the filming of the television series, "Paper Moon."

Through the years, time and neglect had begun to take their toll on the once beautiful facility.  For safety reasons, the marquee was removed and the box office was covered.  The theatre building continued to be used as a warehouse until 1981.  In April of that year, the building was razed to make room for a parking lot.

LaCrosse Theatre
Early in 1950, Ralph Larned decided that the community could support a second theatre.  Unable to secure a suitable lot or building to house the theatre, Larned chose to use the building at 707 Main Street where his wife Jewell had been operating Larned's Dress Shop.  The Larneds liquidated the store and began renovations on the building.  A partial second story was added and the building was extended in length to nearly double its original size.

 Workers had completed work on the new theatre by December of 1950.  The main level of the twenty-four-feet-wide building contained two restrooms, a foyer, lobby, concession area, and a main room with a seating capacity of 300 patrons.  Although a projection booth and storage area were located on the second floor, there was no balcony.  The foyer area was painted in chartreuse and had red and chartreuse carpeting.  The first feature to be shown in the new theatre was "Three Came Home," a first-run war story starring Claudette Colbert.

The theatre never seemed to gain the popularity of its sister theatre, the Paramount.  After only a few weeks of operation, newspaper advertisements for the theatre no longer appeared.  In February 1957, Ralph Larned sold the building so that it could be converted into a dry-cleaning shop operated by Carl Juvenal.  The building remained a dry-cleaner until it was permanently closed around 1976.  By 1980, the roof had collapsed rendering the building unusable.  A few years later, the building was dismantled.

Performing Arts Center )

Hippodrome
No history available at this time.

Lyceum Theater
No history available at this time.

Orpheum Theater
No history available at this time.

Strand Theater
No history available at this time.

Crawford Theater
No history available at this time.

Fort Drive In
No history available at this time.

Skylark Drive In
No history available at this time.

New 50 Drive in
No history available at this time.

FOX Plaza Theater
Opened in 1930 no other history available at this time.
The Art-Deco-Style Plaza theater was built right before the depression settled in. The theater closed during the depression, but re-opened at the start of World War II and ran throughout the war.  After that it was closed for a very long time, then the auto parts store Woolwines bought it and made a door into their adjoining building and used it as a warehouse.  The Theater was designed by the Boller Brothers of Kansas City.  Carl and Robert Boller designed hundreds of significant live and movie theaters in a career that spanned five decades. Sixteen of their creations are on the National Historic Register, and many have been preserved or restored as important landmarks in their communities.  The Fox Plaza opened on May 22, 1930 and is still standing today, but is now a warehouse at 23 W. 2nd.

Tucker Theater
Modern show house opened on September 28th, 1921 and Costing $60,000.00.  It is a beautiful brick structure, and was thoroughly modern and up-to-date in every respect.  It had a large foyer and lobby, modern dressing rooms, ample balcony, a stage large enough to accommodate any show of the big circuits, also two of the very latest Powers Projectors and the latest ventilating and heating system was installed.  It was beautifully decorated, designed by a theater expert and had a seating capacity of 950.  The programs put on at this theatre where all first run and of the highest possible merit and where put on at prices below many show houses for the same grade of picture.  The Tucker theater designed by the Boller Brothers of Kansas City still stands today at 211 N. Kansas Avenue but is no longer used as a theater.

Majestic Theater
Currently I have no information on these theaters. Some say that the Majestic Theater was just another name for the Fox Plaza, but I'm not sure.  I do know H. Vee Tucker was operating the Majestic on West Second for western movies when he built the Tucker Theater.  He did buy out the competitor to establish the Majestic.  The competitor may have owned the Palace. The Photoplay was torn down in 1921 along with a adjoining lot to build the Tucker.

Great Western Drive In
No history available at this time.

Roach Theater
No history available at this time.