Mainstreet Theater
Mainstreet Theater is a historic Kansas City movie and live-entertainment venue whose identity has changed repeatedly during a century of operation, preservation battles, and redevelopment.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Mainstreet Theater, also known historically as the Empire Theater, is a large historic theater in downtown Kansas City, Missouri's Power & Light District. The venue opened on October 30, 1921, as the Mainstreet Missouri. Designed by the Chicago architectural firm Rapp & Rapp, it was built as a 3,200-seat movie palace and vaudeville house with French Baroque interiors and an exterior combining neoclassical and French Second Empire features. Its lobby dome, extensive stage facilities, and unusually large support spaces made it one of Kansas City's most ambitious entertainment buildings. It was the only Kansas City theater designed by Rapp & Rapp and was the city's largest theater until the Midland Theatre opened in 1927. The original venue operated at the intersection of motion pictures and live performance. Its stage hosted performers including Cab Calloway, Charlie Chaplin, Harry Lauder, the Marx Brothers, and Olsen and Johnson. The theater was also notable for amenities that were unusual for the period, including a supervised nursery where patrons could leave children during performances. Basement and sub-basement areas supported vaudeville productions, reportedly including facilities for animals and equipment capable of moving large stage props. The building was later associated with a rumored tunnel to the nearby President Hotel, although the cited 1939 Sanborn map does not show such a passage. In April 1941, the building was renamed the RKO Missouri Theater and operated with Cinerama technology. AMC's predecessor, Durwood Theatres, acquired the property in the late 1950s and reopened it in December 1960 as the Empire. The conversion reduced seating to approximately 1,260 while adding modern projection and presentation equipment. The venue used a seamless 70-millimeter format and a large retractable screen that could be stored to make room for live events. The Empire also retained decorative fountains and a prominent stage curtain, reinforcing the building's hybrid movie-palace and performance-hall identity. The theater was progressively subdivided. A second auditorium was created in the former balcony in 1967, and the building was converted into four screens in 1980 under the name Empire 4 Theaters. Film operations ended in 1985. During the following two decades, the deteriorating structure repeatedly faced possible demolition. Owner Larry Bridges acquired it in 1986 and later considered redevelopment schemes that would have removed most of the building. Preservation advocates, architects, civic groups, and public agencies campaigned to retain the theater. In 2004, the Kansas City chapter of the American Institute of Architects identified it as the most endangered building on a list of significant downtown structures. Kansas City acquired the property in late 2004 during preparations for the Power & Light District. Cleanup involved asbestos, mold, and extensive debris, with Missouri approving brownfields remediation tax credits in 2005. Cordish, the district developer, and AMC subsequently formed Midland-Empire Partners LLC to redevelop the Empire and nearby Midland Theatre. Following a reported $30 million renovation, AMC reopened the building under its original Mainstreet name on May 1, 2009. The redesigned theater combined conventional auditoriums with premium cinema suites, reclining seating, waiter-call features, digital projection, immersive multi-channel sound, and seat-mounted bass effects. A restaurant called The Marquee opened in the lobby before the theater's public reopening. AMC later transferred operations to Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in 2012. The Kansas City Alamo location closed permanently in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. B&B Theatres acquired the venue in April 2021 and reopened it in September of that year. In March 2026, B&B announced that it was withdrawing its theater operations from the location, leaving the venue's subsequent operating status uncertain. The building remains significant as a surviving Kansas City movie palace, a National Register-listed historic property, and a case study in the preservation and adaptive reuse of major urban theaters.
History
Mainstreet Theater opened on October 30, 1921, as the Mainstreet Missouri in downtown Kansas City. The 90,000-square-foot building was designed by Rapp & Rapp, a Chicago firm known for large American movie palaces. With 3,200 seats, French Baroque interior decoration, a neoclassical and French Second Empire exterior, and substantial stage infrastructure, it served both as a vaudeville house and as a motion-picture theater. It included a supervised basement nursery, an unusually progressive amenity for its time. Performers associated with the venue included Cab Calloway, Charlie Chaplin, Harry Lauder, the Marx Brothers, and Olsen and Johnson. During its strongest early period, reported daily attendance exceeded 4,000. The building was renamed the RKO Missouri Theater in April 1941 and presented three-strip Cinerama. Durwood Theatres, the predecessor of AMC Theatres, acquired the property in the late 1950s and reopened it as the Empire in December 1960. The conversion reduced capacity to approximately 1,260 seats and installed a seamless 70-millimeter presentation system. A large retractable screen could be removed from the stage to permit live events. The theater's design also included fountains, a very large curtain, and other elements intended to modernize the historic palace while preserving its spectacle. The Empire was subdivided over time. A second auditorium occupied the former balcony from 1967, and the building became Empire 4 Theaters in 1980. It ceased showing films in 1985. Larry Bridges purchased the property in 1986, after which the building spent almost two decades in an uncertain and deteriorating condition. Demolition proposals repeatedly threatened it. In 2003, a plan involving DST Realty and a proposed Kansas City Power & Light headquarters would have preserved only the facade, but the city rejected the proposal. Preservation campaigns gained support from architects, civic organizations, and public figures; George Burns wrote in support of landmark protection in 1986. The American Institute of Architects' Kansas City chapter listed the Empire as the most endangered building among 25 important central-business-district structures in 2004. Kansas City acquired the theater in late 2004 as part of the assembly of property for the Power & Light District. Cleanup required extensive removal of asbestos- and mold-contaminated material. Missouri approved brownfields remediation tax credits in 2005, and the redevelopment reportedly removed approximately 200 truckloads of debris. Cordish, the Power & Light District developer, and AMC formed Midland-Empire Partners LLC to redevelop the Empire and the nearby Midland Theatre. AMC reopened the building under the Mainstreet name on May 1, 2009, after a limited test period and a Kansas City Film Festival engagement. The renovation reportedly cost $30 million. The ground floor contained three standard auditoriums, while the upper floor offered premium cinema suites with reclining loungers, food trays, and server-call buttons. All auditoriums used 4K digital projection and 11-channel sound with overhead speakers and bass transducers beneath seats. The lobby restaurant, The Marquee, opened in March 2009. Although early descriptions emphasized documentary, independent, and foreign films, the initial selection reportedly centered on mainstream Hollywood releases. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema assumed operations in 2012. Its local operation closed the venue permanently in March 2021 during the COVID-19 crisis. B&B Theatres acquired the theater in April 2021 and reopened it in September. In March 2026, B&B announced that it would withdraw from the location again. The theater's post-2026 operating status is therefore uncertain. Its historic and architectural importance is reinforced by its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places in February 2007 and by its role in the redevelopment of Kansas City's Power & Light District.
- 2026
B&B withdraws from the location
[1]B&B announces that it will end operations at the venue, leaving its future use unresolved.
- 2021
B&B Theatres takes over and reopens
[1]Following the Alamo closure, B&B Theatres acquires the location and reopens it in September.
- 2012
Alamo Drafthouse assumes operations
[1]Alamo Drafthouse begins operating the Kansas City venue.
- 2009
AMC Mainstreet reopens
[1]The renovated flagship theater opens in the Power & Light District with premium cinema features.
- 2007
Added to the National Register of Historic Places
[1]The theater receives national historic-register recognition in February.
- 1986
Larry Bridges purchases the theater
[1]The property changes hands while preservationists begin opposing potential demolition.
- 1985
Film operations end
[1]The Empire stops screening films and closes as an operating cinema.
- 1980
Empire 4 Theaters created
[1]The property is converted into a four-screen complex.
- 1967
Second auditorium added
[1]A new theater is constructed in the former balcony area.
- 1960
Reopens as the Empire
[1]Durwood Theatres reopens the property after modernizing its seating and projection capabilities.
Products and positioning
A landmark urban cinema and entertainment venue combining historic movie-palace architecture with modern multiplex technology, premium seating, dining, and special-event programming.
Historic cinema and live-entertainment venue · 1921
Mainstreet Theater movie palace
The core offering is the historic theater building itself: a large downtown Kansas City venue originally designed for both motion pictures and vaudeville. Its architecture includes a domed lobby, ornate French Baroque interior treatment, substantial stage facilities, and multiple auditorium configurations developed across different operating eras. The property has also hosted festivals, special screenings, and live events.
Premium movie exhibition · 2009
Premium cinema suites
Introduced in the 2009 AMC redevelopment, the upper-level cinema suites were positioned as a more comfortable alternative to conventional auditorium seating. They included reclining loungers, food trays, and a call button for service. The suites formed part of AMC's effort to combine historic surroundings with upscale cinema hospitality.
Cinema restaurant and food service · 2009
The Marquee
The Marquee was a restaurant in the theater lobby that supported the venue's dining-and-entertainment model. It opened shortly before the 2009 public reopening and complemented the premium seating and in-theater service features associated with the renovated AMC operation.
Marketing campaigns
- 2009Kansas City Film Festival engagement
Kansas City
During its reopening period, the theater hosted the Kansas City Film Festival from April 22 through April 26, before the formal public opening.
Outcome. The engagement helped introduce the renovated venue as a festival and special-event location.
- 2004Endangered-building and reuse campaign
Kansas City
The Kansas City chapter of the American Institute of Architects highlighted the deteriorated Empire Theater as the most endangered building on its list of significant downtown structures worthy of attention and reuse.
Outcome. The city acquired the property later in 2004 and pursued cleanup and adaptive redevelopment instead of demolition.
- 1986Historic-preservation advocacy
Kansas City
Preservation supporters sought landmark recognition and public support after the theater was purchased by Larry Bridges and faced possible demolition. Actor and comedian George Burns wrote in favor of protecting the building.
Outcome. The building survived repeated demolition threats and was eventually incorporated into the Power & Light District redevelopment.
- 1972The Godfather protest screening
Kansas City
The Italian American Unification Council purchased all seats for a premiere screening of The Godfather at the Empire as a protest against what it described as cultural prejudice, while organizing a benefit dance elsewhere.
Outcome. The film played to an empty auditorium while the affiliated benefit event took place nearby.
Brand decisions
2026
B&B exit from the locationStrategyBackground
After reopening the theater in 2021, B&B communicated a decision to stop operating at the site.
Action taken
B&B announced through a loyalty-program email that it was withdrawing its theater operations from the location.
Aftermath
The venue was reported to be vacant, and its next operator or use was not established in the supplied material.
2021
B&B Theatres acquisition and reopeningM&ABackground
The local Alamo Drafthouse operation closed permanently during the pandemic, leaving the historic venue without an operator.
Action taken
B&B Theatres acquired the Mainstreet location in April and reopened it in September.
Aftermath
B&B operated the venue until announcing its withdrawal in 2026.
2012
Transfer of operating responsibility to Alamo DrafthouseM&ABackground
AMC's operating relationship with the venue changed after the renovated theater had reopened as an AMC flagship.
Action taken
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema announced that it would take over theater operations.
Aftermath
Alamo listed the theater and sold tickets until the location closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
2009
Launch of the renovated AMC Mainstreet experienceProduct launchBackground
The redevelopment aimed to restore a major historic venue while making it commercially competitive as a modern cinema.
Action taken
AMC reopened the theater with standard auditoriums, premium suites, 4K digital projection, 11-channel sound, seat-mounted bass effects, and lobby dining.
Aftermath
The venue returned to operation under its original Mainstreet identity and received a local preservation award.
Reported renovation expenditure. 30000000 (2009 reopening)
2004
Public acquisition for downtown redevelopmentStrategyBackground
The theater was severely deteriorated and threatened by redevelopment proposals as Kansas City assembled property for the Power & Light District.
Action taken
Kansas City reached an agreement to purchase the building and pursue its retention within the district plan.
Aftermath
The acquisition enabled environmental cleanup and a later partnership between Cordish and AMC for adaptive reuse.
1980
Multiplex conversionGeneration changeBackground
Changing cinema economics favored multiple smaller auditoriums over a single large movie-palace hall.
Action taken
The Empire was converted into a four-screen complex called Empire 4 Theaters.
Aftermath
The venue stopped showing films in 1985 and entered a prolonged period of uncertainty.
1960
Conversion to the EmpireStrategyBackground
Durwood Theatres sought to modernize the historic theater for contemporary film presentation.
Action taken
The operator reopened the building as the Empire, reduced seating, and installed 70-millimeter presentation technology and a retractable screen.
Aftermath
The theater remained a prominent large-format and live-event venue, although later operations divided it into multiple screens.
1941
Adoption of the RKO Missouri identity and Cinerama presentationGeneration changeBackground
The original movie-palace operation was repositioned under the RKO Missouri name during the era of large-format theatrical exhibition.
Action taken
The theater adopted the RKO Missouri name and ran three-strip Cinerama films.
Aftermath
The venue continued evolving its technology and operating identity before AMC predecessor Durwood Theatres acquired it.
Sources1 sources
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