Dunbar Theatre
Product brand
UnclaimedA historic Wichita cinema that served the African American community during segregation and is the subject of a proposed cultural-arts restoration.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Dunbar Theatre is a historic movie theater in Wichita, Kansas, located at 1007 N Cleveland Street in the McAdams neighborhood. It opened on August 15, 1941, during the Jim Crow era, when African American residents faced restricted access to many entertainment venues in Wichita. Designed by Raymond M. Harmon and built specifically for Black patrons, the theater provided a welcoming place to watch films, socialize, and participate in neighborhood life. The venue was named after Paul Laurence Dunbar, the influential African American poet and author. Its importance extended well beyond film exhibition. During the 1940s and subsequent years, the Dunbar served as a central gathering place for the surrounding African American community. It hosted plays, pageants, and touring African American performers, while its location near the intersection of Ninth and Cleveland streets helped make it part of a broader neighborhood commercial and social center. In a period when racial segregation limited where Black residents could freely gather, the theater functioned as both an entertainment venue and a community institution. The Dunbar closed in 1963. The vacant or underused property later faced demolition threats, including two condemnation efforts by the City of Wichita in 1980 and 1991. Community action helped preserve the building as a historic resource. The theater was placed on the Kansas State Register of Historic Places and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on July 2, 2008. In the 2010s, the P.O.W.E.R. Community Development Corporation, led by founding executive director James Arbertha, advanced a restoration concept intended to return the property to public cultural use. Work on the historic sign and marquee took place from 2012 through 2014, and the restored marquee was dedicated on December 14, 2012. In November 2017, the Wichita City Council approved more than $600,000 in funding for the renovation effort. The proposed restored theater would include approximately 340 seats, concessions, and restrooms. A later phase envisioned a black-box theater, arts center, educational facilities, public gallery, and bookstore, with the nearby Turner Drug Store adapted as a café. The building was not ready for regular theatrical use in the source material, but the property continued to host outdoor community activities and fundraising events. These included an End of Summer Bash in 2017 and Melanin Fest in 2018. The Dunbar therefore remains significant as a preserved African American cultural landmark and as a potential future performing-arts center, even though its original cinema operation ended decades ago.
History
Dunbar Theatre opened in Wichita, Kansas, on August 15, 1941. It was designed by Raymond M. Harmon and constructed for the city's African American community at a time when racial segregation restricted Black residents' access to many theaters and public entertainment spaces. The theater was named for Paul Laurence Dunbar, an important African American literary figure. The building stood in the McAdams neighborhood at 1007 N Cleveland Street, near Ninth and Cleveland streets. During its operating years, the Dunbar was more than a place to see movies. It became a neighborhood hub where African American residents could socialize and attend plays, pageants, and performances by touring Black entertainers. The theater's role reflected the importance of Black-owned and Black-serving commercial and cultural institutions in neighborhoods where residents could conduct business and gather with greater freedom than elsewhere in the segregated city. The Dunbar closed in 1963. Its later preservation history included two city condemnation and demolition attempts, in 1980 and 1991. Community efforts prevented the loss of the building and helped establish its status as a local and state historic resource. The site was listed in the Kansas State Register of Historic Places and received National Register of Historic Places recognition on July 2, 2008. A restoration campaign developed in the 2010s under the P.O.W.E.R. Community Development Corporation, led by founding executive director James Arbertha. The project sought not merely to reopen the former cinema but to adapt it into a broader cultural and educational facility. Restoration of the historic sign and marquee took place between 2012 and 2014, with a marquee dedication held on December 14, 2012. In November 2017, the Wichita City Council approved more than $600,000 for renovation work. The proposed first-stage restoration called for a 340-seat theater with concessions and restrooms. Future construction plans described a black-box theater, arts center, educational spaces, public gallery, and bookstore. The related Turner Drug Store property was also expected to become a café. While the theater had not returned to regular indoor operation in the available source material, its grounds continued to support outdoor community activities and restoration fundraisers, including the 2017 End of Summer Bash and the 2018 Melanin Fest. The Dunbar remains a preserved landmark whose significance lies in both its architectural and historical associations and its continuing potential as a center for African American arts, education, and community life.
- 2018
Melanin Fest fundraiser held
[1]Melanin Fest was held at the property on September 3 to support restoration efforts.
- 2017
Municipal renovation funding approved
[1]The Wichita City Council approved more than $600,000 for the proposed renovation.
- 2012
Marquee dedication
[1]A restored marquee was dedicated on December 14 as part of the preservation campaign.
- 2008
National Register listing
[1]Dunbar Theatre was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on July 2.
- 1991
Second demolition threat
[1]A further city effort to condemn and demolish the theater was unsuccessful.
- 1980
First recorded demolition threat
[1]The City of Wichita attempted to condemn and demolish the property, but community action helped preserve it.
- 1963
Cinema closes
[1]The theater ended its original cinema operation.
- 1941
Theater opens
[1]Dunbar Theatre opened on August 15 in Wichita, serving African American patrons during the segregation era.
Products and positioning
A historically significant African American cinema and neighborhood gathering place, with a proposed future role as a multidisciplinary cultural and performing-arts center.
Movie theater · 1941
Dunbar Theatre cinema
The original operating format was a neighborhood movie theater built specifically to serve Wichita's African American community during segregation. Film exhibition was combined with a broader social role, making the venue a regular gathering place for residents of the McAdams neighborhood.
Cultural and performing-arts venue
Restored Dunbar Theatre
The proposed restored venue would retain the historic theater while adding a renovated auditorium, concessions, and restrooms. The plan described a capacity of approximately 340 seats and envisioned renewed use for performances, screenings, and community programming.
Arts and education complex
Dunbar cultural campus
A proposed expansion would add a black-box theater, arts center, educational facilities, public gallery, and bookstore. The associated Turner Drug Store property was planned for conversion into a café, creating a wider cultural and neighborhood destination.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Melanin Fest
Wichita, Kansas
A September 3 outdoor festival used the Dunbar property for community programming and fundraising connected with restoration.
Outcome. The festival supported the restoration effort and reinforced the site's continuing community role.
- 2017End of Summer Bash
Wichita, Kansas
An outdoor community event held on August 25 supported fundraising for the theater's restoration.
Outcome. The event contributed to public engagement and fundraising, although the available source does not provide a financial result.
- 2012Dunbar marquee and sign restoration
Wichita, Kansas
Preservation work focused on restoring the theater's historic sign and marquee. The marquee was dedicated in December 2012, with the broader sign and marquee work continuing through 2014.
Outcome. The marquee was restored and publicly dedicated, strengthening the property's visibility as a historic landmark.
Brand decisions
2017
Municipal funding for adaptive reuseStrategyBackground
The preservation effort sought to return a long-closed historic cinema to public use while expanding its role beyond film exhibition.
Action taken
The Wichita City Council approved more than $600,000 toward renovation in November, supporting a proposed 340-seat theater and related cultural facilities.
Aftermath
The project remained a proposed restoration and cultural-reuse effort in the available source material; no completed reopening date is established.
Municipal renovation funding. More than $600,000 approved (November 2017)
Sources1 sources
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