By Patrice Hein
In January 1950, a jewel was unveiled in Crown Heights: the ultra-modern, ultra-swank Crest Theater, located at the corner of Douglas Avenue and Glendale Street. During its grand opening, airplanes flew over, fireworks welcomed patrons, and a trio of beacons beamed into the night sky.
Built by Mr. and Mrs. O.F. Sullivan at a cost of $500,000, the Crest seated 1,250 people, sported more than a mile of neon lighting, and included a sunken lounge area appointed with luxurious furniture. The Sullivans, who owned five other theaters in Wichita, announced that The Crest was their gift to the community in celebration of their 25 years in the theater business.
Built to impress, the Crest Theater’s 75-foot facade was faced with terra cotta and ornamental glass backed by multi-colored neon lights. Tubes of yellow, green, rose, blue and white neon rotated inside glass cylinders located at each front corner. The V-shaped marquee included 190 square feet of white opal glass and, when illuminated from behind, was highly visible to motorists traveling east and west along Douglas Avenue.
The theater’s dazzling exterior was matched by the opulence inside. The lobby floor was tiled with ornamental terrazzo, bearing the “crest” – a recurring motif used throughout the theater. The crest was divided into quadrants, featuring a shock of wheat, a sunflower, an airplane and a movie camera. The sleek concession counter and matching back bar were constructed of blond Formica with modern steel bands around the edges.
Huge panoramic murals by artist Frank Lackner of Chicago adorned the theater’s walls. One of Lackner’s murals, measuring 20 by 40 feet, depicted scenes from Wichita’s early days, including cowboys on horseback, Indians, cattle, buffalo, a stagecoach, and a prairie fire. The other mural featured images of the 1950s’ present day Wichita, including modern buildings, wheat fields, oil wells, and airplanes. When the lights were dimmed, the murals sparkled and glowed under black lights that illuminated the phosphorescent paint.
Other amenities included deep, spring-filled self-rising seats upholstered in coral mohair; Kansas’ first waterfall curtain – 3,600 square feet of cream-colored fabric that folded into elegant pleats when raised; and a nursery for children, nicely equipped with child-sized furniture, bottle warmers, and a trained nurse on duty.
The Crest opened its doors on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 1950, to a sold-out crowd who paid $6 per ticket as a benefit for the Wichita Child Guidance Center. Tunes from a Hammond organ entertained patrons for half an hour before the show, giving them a chance to admire the craftsmanship and appointments of the new movie palace. The first film to screen was “The Heiress,” starring Olivia De Havilland and Montgomery Clift.
Regular movie prices were 65 cents, matinees were 45 cents, and tickets for children under the age of 13 were 14 cents any time. Movies ran for one or two weeks, depending on demand, and screened continuously throughout the day starting at 1:45 p.m.
A full-page spread about the Crest Theater appeared in the Jan. 15, 1950, Wichita Eagle and included a welcome from the Sullivans, which read:
“After years of planning and months of construction, sparing no effort or expense, we present it to you, our friends of Wichita, an amusement palace which we trust you will cherish as the beauty spot of the Southwest. It is our sincere desire that you think of the Crest theater not as a theater, but as an institution, a heritage from the past, a monument to the present and a legacy to posterity, dedicated to the entertainment, edification and education of the people of this community for many years to come, even after the builder is long forgotten.”
The “beauty spot of the Southwest” was demolished in 1997, less than 50 years after its construction. The advent of movies on videotape and more efficient multi-screen theaters took a toll on movie palaces like the Crest. The former location of the once majestic theater is now a parking lot for a gourmet pizza restaurant, a spa, and AAA.
