The Plaza Grill and Cinema facts for kids
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The Bijou
The Crystal Plaza The Plaza |
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Façade in 2018
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| Address | 209 S. Main Ottawa, Kansas United States |
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| Coordinates | 38°36′55.332″N 95°16′05.88″W / 38.61537000°N 95.2683000°W |
| Owner | Scott Zaremba |
| Designation | World's oldest purpose-built cinema currently in operation |
| Current use | Movie Theatre |
| Opened | May 22, 1907 |
| Website | |
| Plaza Grill and Cinema | |
Plaza 1907 is a very special movie theater located in Ottawa, Kansas, in the United States. It is known as the "oldest purpose-built cinema in operation in the world." This means it was built specifically to show movies and has been doing so for a very long time. In June 2017, it even applied to Guinness World Records and was found to be two days older than another theater in Denmark.
The theater is part of the Downtown Ottawa Historic District. This district was added to a list of important historical places on June 29, 1972.
Contents
A Look Back: The History of Plaza 1907
The Plaza 1907 has a long and interesting history. It has been showing movies for over a century!
Early Days of Movie Magic
In 2013, the Franklin County Historical Society received old photos of the theater from the early 1900s. Newspaper stories from 1905 mention movies being shown by Fred Beeler in the same building. The local newspaper editor loved movies and wrote many articles about how wonderful they were. He thought movies were a great way to learn and a safe place for kids to go for afternoon shows.
The Historical Society hopes to make the theater a popular spot for tourists. They want people to visit and see this amazing piece of movie history.
How We Know Its History
Historians have found many records that prove the long history of this cinema. These records include:
- Documents from the Kansas State Historical Society.
- Information from the US National Historical Registry.
- Official approvals from the United States Department of Interior.
- Old newspaper articles from Ottawa, Kansas, mentioning the movie theater as early as 1905.
- City directories from Ottawa, Kansas, listing the theater under different names and managers over the years.
For example, in 1907, the Ottawa Kansas City Directory listed E.E. Wagner as the manager at 211 S. Main. By 1910, it was called the Crystal Theatre.
Name Changes and Important Moments
Over the years, the theater has had a few different names:
- The Bijou
- The Crystal Plaza
- The Plaza
In 1917, there was a fire at the Crystal Theatre. Newspaper stories from that time show that plans were made to remodel the building after the fire. In the 1930s, the theater was bought by Fox Midwest and was remodeled again. It was then renamed "The Plaza."
Who Has Owned This Historic Theater?
Since 2000, the Plaza 1907 has been owned by a few different people:
- From 2000 to 2005, Richard Dimoush was the owner.
- From 2005 to 2014, Ted and Rita Madl owned it.
- Since 2014, Scott Zaremba has been the owner.
