The Klock
Theatre closed on June 1, 1926 and reopened on Labor Day,
September 6, 1926 as the new Midland Theatre with the movie “The
Mantrap” with
Clara Bow,
the ‘IT’ girl of theatre during
that time. The film was the theatrical adaptation of Sinclair
Lewis’ book by the same name and was directed by
Victor Fleming who also directed Gone With The Wind and
The Wizard of OZ. The location, 414 N. Broadway, had been
home to a theatre since about 1909 when the
Electric Theatre opened and later became the Klock
Theatre in 1916.
In April of 1926, the Midland Theatre & Realty Company headquartered in Kansas
City, signed leases on both the Klock Theatre and the Colonial Theatre. Soon
after it was announced that the architectural firm the Boller Brothers would
design and oversee a major remodeling of the Klock theatre. The Boller Brothers,
Carl and Robert, of Kansas City specialized in theatre design and are credited
with the design of nearly 100 classic theatres in the Midwest during the first
half of the 20th century.
The remodeling and redesign of the Klock would cost about $30,000. It was remodeled
in a modern Spanish style with a new terra cotta façade of dull glazed
cream tile with ivory accents, reconfiguring of the lobby with a new red tile
floor and white tile walls with blue, orange, gray, mulberry and gold color tints
mixed in, a new plush red carpet throughout, a new gold cloth stage curtain,
new theatre seats, a new red tile roof and a new Hope Jones pipe organ. Probably
the most visual addition to the outside of the theatre was a large new 38-foot
marquee expanding the length of the front and extending 12 feet over the sidewalk
with the words Midland. This marquee would be removed after the theatre closed
in 1959 and replace the older Colonial theatre marquee with the word Midland
removed and replaced with the word Fox.
The Midland was a first run theatre showing featuring shows by First National,
Metro-Goldwyn, United Artists and Paramount Pictures. In 1930, Fox West Coast
Theatres purchased the Midland Theatre & Reality Company, which included
their theatre circuit leases of about 60 theatres, including the Midland, Colonial
and Grand theatres in Pittsburg.
In 1959, the Fox Companies decided not to renew their lease on the Midland Theatre
and only retain one theatre in Pittsburg the Colonial, which was renamed the
Fox. The Midland was officially closed later that year and sold to Dr. F. H,
Rush who owned the building north of the theatre. The building remained empty
until 1973 when it was torn down and the Teachers Credit Union built their current
building on the site. |