Gladstone by Stone

Above, what I grabbed from the rubble pile.... a section of tile from the entrance floor... many of you who attended movies here will remember this....
The Gladstone Theater Building (Gladstone Hall) is being razed after a spectacular fire last month. As I approached the remains I was struck by how sturdy a building she was. Concrete, two courses of bricks with a brick facade... this was made to last. It also makes me wonder if significant portions couldn't have been saved. Currently a machine is being used to punch through the ground floor ceiling (hole in pictures above and below).

Above, where the lobby was with the stairs to the balcony on the right. Below, alley entrance on the east side. Betcha many a lad or lass snuck in here to see a movie.

Above and below, the main auditorium... paint on the walls could be from when the building wasn't a theater but a hall. Originally windows lined these walls and were bricked up.


Above, a lot of original flooring still there. Hyper came away with a souvenir of tile from the entryway.
East side of the building next to the Log Cabin.
Above, more memories rubblefied.

So Long to the Gladstone Theatre

UPDATE: The Kansas City Fire Department has ruled the fire accidental. Started on the first floor and probably electrical in nature.Yes, I know it was a Mosque, but I will always remember last nights loss to fire as the Gladstone Theatre. It was originally called the Gladstone Hall and was used for live performances. Later it went to moves. It opened in 1913 and seated 602 in orchestra and balcony seating. I went to movies there many, many times as a kid and my Grandfather was the ticket taker there for a few years in the 50s. After the buildings used as a theatre it was first a roller rink, then a Christian church, then a beauty school and lastly a Mosque. A Kimball organ was installed in the Theatre in 1916 and, in 1927, a Wurlitzer organ Opus 1693 Style B replaced the Kimball. (Facts from onlines' Cinema Treasures)
Looking southeast from the back of the building.

The view of the back looking east.
The front. The building sits at 4608 St. John Avenue in between Elmwood and Lawn Avenues. The fire was reported about 3am and eventually became 3 alarms. The ATF and Fire Inspectors were on scene this morning as the fire is considered of suspicious origin.



Karen's Kozy Cabin (known as the Log Cabin over here for years ) was spared.