The Rex Theatre is mentioned in newspapers as early as 1911, though its current building is dated as 1920.
Originally the theater sat at 527 Court, in the building that formerly housed Newell’s Antique Shop, but now sits empty. The current building, at 519 Court, began construction in 1916 by Floyd and Adah B. Schultz, who sold bonds to raise funds.
The construction called for a Party Wall Agreement between the Rex and IOOF Lodge, which sat next door. The agreement outlined who was legally responsible for what, as their properties shared a single wall.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political, non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship that was founded in 1819. It still exists today.
The Schultzes managed the Rex until 1929. Adah was known to be a strict disciplinarian during moving showings. In July of 1929, the building was leased to Midland Theatre and Realty Co., Otherwise known as Fox.
The first “talkies” or movies with speaking parts, were shown in the theater in September of 1929 by projectionist Vic Hawkins.
Under the Fox stint, four different men served as managers, as well as Lucille Jarrett, who managed the location while her husband, Compton was serving in World War II.
In its prime, the Rex showed three movies a day and free tickets were sought after by kids at the grocery store.
In 1911, its new electric sign made headlines as “one of the finest electric signs seen here.”
The two front windows served as rental spaces, which were used as a shoe shine parlor in the west rental from 1921 to 1949. Several barbers followed up in the location, while the east rental was an insurance office.
The Ehert Family purchased the Rex in 1960, along with the Sky Line, a drive-in west of town.
Kansas was one of the few states that had Movie Censorship, which stood from 1947 to 1966. If there was a bedroom scene, married couples had to be shown in twin beds.
Before its complete restoration in 2018, the Rex was closed twice for redecorating, in 1949 and 1972. Then in 1973, a showing of Charlotte’s Web was canceled due to a tornado, which took off the building’s roof. Restoration took three weeks.
The theater was sold again in 1974 and in 1980, when its balcony was reconfigured into a separate theater.
