KCRag Forum

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I saw some interior pictures of the Empire back when it was the Main Street/RKO back in the day and it seems like a House of Blues would mean completely gutting the entire theatre portion. The Empire is like a giant old theatre with a very large balcony area. Just from the picture I saw it appeared that the theatre could seat upwards of 2,000 people.

What kind of configuration would HoB do to this building? I don't think gutting the building and reconfiguring it is the best option. I would rather see something similar to what was done to Liberty Hall or the Uptown where seating remains in the balcony and the floor could be used for festival style/general admission. HoB also have restaurant areas so that leaves another question mark regarding the configuration of the building.

It was aleady gutted, when it was subdivided into several theatres. The general consensus is that none of the original detail work is still there.

argh..... well it would have been too good to be true if it had been intact.

I went to the Cordish offices on Friday, and one of the workers there mentioned that they trying to team up with AMC to convert this back into a movie theater.  She mentioned that the renovation of the Drum Room factored into their decision not to make this a live-music venue.

She also said sometime this summer for announcing tenants.

KCDowntown

well, a movie theatre may bring kids down there, but I'd never see a movie there.  I try to see all my movies at the Palace.  Fighting hordes of screaming kids at a multiplex is not my idea of a fun evening.  Its one reason I'll never set foot in Crown Center Cinemas again. (among other reasons)

I hope this summer means early June, not labor day.

I compared google satellite images of the empire to Barrywoods, and the Empire is about the same size as one of the wings of Barrywoods, which I believe each hold 10 med-sized theaters?  It might be cool to make it a 2-story complex, much like the one in downtown Ft. Worth.  I was really impressed when I exited that complex after a Saturday night movie and saw the streets hopping with people, street vedors and street musicians.  I'd love to feel the same experience seeing a movie in downtown KC.  Plus it'd be nice to have a movie theater close to the convention center and hotels.

Whatizname that we don't like fromn the Star, Hearne, mentioned in his column the other day that Cordish approached the Fine Arts group about operating a theater in the Empire, but that they turned it down saying the KC market is getting dangerously close to being oversaturated again.

scooterj wrote: Whatizname that we don't like fromn the Star, Hearne, mentioned in his column the other day that Cordish approached the Fine Arts group about operating a theater in the Empire, but that they turned it down saying the KC market is getting dangerously close to being oversaturated again.

We are far from oversaturated in in the indie market. I see indie houses as a different beast than what you get at an AMC "sprawlplex." However, I would say that the Palace on the Plaza is the same type of customer who frequents the Tivoli or Glenwood Arts. When you consider the expansive growth going on in the Northland as well as all the urban housing coming online to house 20somethings as well as baby boomers, you can't tell me there isn't room for more indie houses in the central part of the metro. I think Fine Arts would be in over their head if they actually had a competitor like Landmark or Angelika.

The Fine Arts Group is overextended.  They are currently working the new "Fine Arts Theater" at the Aztec in Shawnee, plus the Granada in KCK.  NKC recently approached them about turning the Paradise into an art house (it currently houses the Northland Opry).

Even if we are close to capacity for art houses, we don't have a good geographic distribution.  There will soon be 3 in Joco, only one in the central city, and none in the Northland or Eastern Jack.  I doubt the Fine Arts Group would be willing to sacrifice one of their existing Joco theaters to make room for one Downtown or in the Missouri suburbs.

dangerboy wrote: The Fine Arts Group is overextended.  They are currently working the new "Fine Arts Theater" at the Aztec in Shawnee, plus the Granada in KCK.  NKC recently approached them about turning the Paradise into an art house (it currently houses the Northland Opry).

Even if we are close to capacity for art houses, we don't have a good geographic distribution.  There will soon be 3 in Joco, only one in the central city, and none in the Northland or Eastern Jack.  I doubt the Fine Arts Group would be willing to sacrifice one of their existing Joco theaters to make room for one Downtown or in the Missouri suburbs.

Let Fine Arts stay on the Kansas side. There is something annoying about that Williams character anyway. All the luck to them.

My point is that if the KS side can support the Glenwood, the Rio, the new Fine Arts, the Granada in downtown KCK, and a possible indie in Leawood at the Ranch Mart...surely KCMO could support more than the Screenland and the Tivoli. I would agree with Williams about Johnson County becoming oversaturated with movie houses, but I'd say the Northland, KCMO, and East Jack could probably support more unique movie houses. I love indie houses and hope Cordish brings a very nice, sleek version of indie cinema to the CBD. It's long overdue.

KCN wrote: I hope this summer means early June, not labor day.

The big ICSC convention is in Vegas on May 22. I'd expect the first announcement a few weeks after that.

I would love to see another art house in KC, especially downtown.  I haven't been to Screenland yet but it looks like a cool place, any word if they will start operating on an extended schedule soon?  I would also like to see a bigger theatre downtown as well--inside the loop.  Furthermore I think The Empire should be a live music venue along the lines of the Uptown.

It appears they are now doing some kind of work in the lot west of the Empire. On Friday night, I saw a back hoe and an excavation near the corner.

dangerboy wrote: The Fine Arts Group is overextended.  They are currently working the new "Fine Arts Theater" at the Aztec in Shawnee, plus the Granada in KCK.  NKC recently approached them about turning the Paradise into an art house (it currently houses the Northland Opry).

Even if we are close to capacity for art houses, we don't have a good geographic distribution.  There will soon be 3 in Joco, only one in the central city, and none in the Northland or Eastern Jack.  I doubt the Fine Arts Group would be willing to sacrifice one of their existing Joco theaters to make room for one Downtown or in the Missouri suburbs.

What's the number by screens?  I'm thinking there are 5 indie screens on KS side with 2 more coming.  KCMO has 3 in Westport and 1 downtown and then Cinemark/Plaza has dedicated 1 screen to arthouse films, so that's 5 on MO side, 10 in metro.  Crown Center screens (6) considered switching to arthouse films but that didn't happen. CC should consider half of them if nothing else comes online downtown or if P&L builds a commercial movie theater.

Does that in one Independence still show classic films?

I wonder if *BEEP* would return to the theater in Mission. Dickinson shut that down a few weeks ago after a year or two of trying to make it work as a discount theater.

Edit: Interesting. The system apparently edits certain words automatically. So I guess I'll have to spell out "Fine Arts Group" in the future instead of using an acronym.

KC0KEK wrote: I wonder if *BEEP* would return to the theater in Mission. Dickinson shut that down a few weeks ago after a year or two of trying to make it work as a discount theater.

Edit: Interesting. The system apparently edits certain words automatically. So I guess I'll have to spell out "Fine Arts Group" in the future instead of using an acronym.

Fine Arts also runs the Englewood over in Independence. They mainly show Classics and First runs. If you haven't been you should go. It's like steping back into 1950 (the good parts). Beautiful house and they show a cartoon before every movie and play the national anthem.

Fun

Here's a bird's-eye view of the digging currently underway just west of the Empire Theater.   This is the largest excavation south of 14th so far for the entertainment district.

Soemthing wonderful has happened.  The back door of the Empire Theater is open and workers are going in and out.

yay!!!