Willis Wood Theater
118 W. 11th Street / Kansas City, MO
The Willis Wood Theatre, located on the northwest corner of 11th Street and Baltimore Avenue, opened on August 25, 1902. Designed by local architect Louis Curtiss – who was also responsible for
the Baltimore Hotel across from the Willis Wood Theatre and the Boley Building two blocks away – the Willis Wood Theatre oozed extravagance. Colonel Wood had definite ideas about how his playhouse
should look, and Curtiss closely followed his wishes. The exterior was of yellow brick and white terra cotta, the gleaming effect of which was particularly enhanced by sunshine. The temple-like
structure was embellished with extensive confectionery scrollwork atop the corner balconies.
In the auditorium, the palette ran reds and greens, blues and golds and yellows in substantial quantities. A series of columnar sculpted nude female figures adorned the walls in between the box seats.
Their outstretched hands were utilized to hold curtains and draperies, which were strategically placed to cover the figures. The elegance of the surroundings was echoed in the caliber of productions
on the stage. As the only house in Kansas City presenting ‘first-class’ theatre, the Willis Wood Theatre developed a reputation as the place to see and be seen among Kansas City’s elite. A typical evening
began with dinner at the Baltimore Hotel, then a brief stroll through the tunnel that ran under the intersection of 11th Street and Baltimore Avenue to the theatre. The same throughway would later be used
to visit the bar at intermission, earning the moniker ‘Highball Alley’. Of course, if a show was less than engaging, patrons could make a hasty and unobtrusive exit via the same tunnel.
With the opening of the Shubert Theatre in 1906, the Willis Wood Theatre had a fierce competitor for local legitimate dramatic productions. It was a conflict the Willis Wood Theatre would not survive.
Stock theatre was tried and failed. Burlesque was introduced in the 1913-14 season. When that effort proved fruitless, a $20,000 pipe organ – a duplicate of the organ in the ballroom at New York’s Hotel Astor –
was installed and the house was remodeled for motion pictures. Movies failed to draw crowds, so management decided to again try stock. In January, 1917, a week before the last stock company was to end and
movies were to be shown yet again, the Willis Wood Theatre was virtually destroyed by a fire – all that remained were the exterior walls. This shell stood for another year before it was finally razed and the
20-story Kansas City Athletic Club building – then the city’s tallest structure – was erected. It still stands as the Mark Twain Tower.
