Kansas City’s Folly Theater Is Housed In a Building That Opened in 1900
The theater has had other names
The Folly Theater used to be known as the Standard Theater. It’s also been called the Century Theater and Shubert’s Missouri. It was a location for burlesque and vaudeville in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Folly Theater initially known as the Standard Theater was built in 1900. An adjoining hotel, Edward Hotel, used to also be called Hotel Missouri. This hotel was torn down in 1965.
Standard Theater
In September 1900, the theater opened as the Standard Theater. This venue had 2,400 seats. The Standard Theater was built by Colonel Edward “Boss” Butler from St. Louis, Missouri. The cost for building the theatre was $250,000 which is $8,699,286 in today’s dollars.
Butler was an interesting individual. He was a millionaire and a politician and served time for attempted bribery by trying to influence someone’s vote. One of his sons, James J. Butler, was a Congressman.
Century Theater
In 1902, the theater changed its name to Century Theater featuring acts that included Al Jolson and Fannie Brice. The Century Theater also showed wrestling and prizefighting. In 1923, the theater was purchased by the Shubert…
