Dunbar Theatre groundbreaking aims for ‘glory as a cultural hub’ for Black Wichitans
The Dunbar Theatre will soon have a new community center addition as part of a project to return the historic building to its former glory.
Officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday afternoon at the theater at 1007 N. Cleveland.
“It’s a great day in the city of Wichita, it’s a great day for Power CDC and it’s a great day for the Dunbar Theatre,” said vice mayor and city councilman Brandon Johnson. “This is a long time coming.”
The theater operated from 1941 to 1963 and was the only place where Black Wichitans were allowed to go to the movies without being segregated.
“I look at this building, and I think to myself about not just the history, but what it is right now and how people might actually drive past this building and think it’s just a building,” Mayor Brandon Whipple said. “The reality is, that because the people who are in this community who are willing to look at this building and take into account what it was and what it meant to the community, we’re here today to hopefully start on what will be a series of projects to bring life back into this building and make it once again a cultural center for our city.”
Wednesday’s groundbreaking was for phase 1A, which is the construction of a community center scheduled to open later this year. The Power Community Development Corporation has a fundraising goal of $18 million for the planned five phases of the project, said Adrienne McAlpine, a Power CDC board member.
The community center at the theater building will be used to host meeting, receptions, youth activities and small civic events, said Tony Rangel with LK Architecture.
“Most importantly, it is the first step in our efforts to fully renovate the theater and restore it to a performance-level venue and serve as a centerpiece for the McAdams neighborhood,” he said.
In 2008, the building was listed on the Kansas State Registry of Historic Places. The renovated facility is planned to include a 366-seat auditorium.
“This building will return to its former glory as a cultural hub in the community and elevate the voices of Black artists in Wichita and across the state,” Gov. Laura Kelly said.
Kelly said arts and humanities are an important part of the state’s history, preserving the legacies of past generations and inspiring artists of the future.
“There is no shortage of inspiration for young, Black Kansans, as our state has a proud history of superb Black artists,” Kelly said. “I’m pleased that, thanks to the community’s commitment to bringing this theater back to life, the next generation of artists will have a place to showcase their talents.”
Following the groundbreaking ceremony, the Upper Room Apostolic Church released balloons in remembrance of lives lost to COVID-19. Mother-daughter duo Tamekia and Destiny Hudspeth sang “Can’t Give Up Now.”
The Dunbar was once part of a thriving Black business district during the segregation era, and community organizers would like to see it be the anchor for new development.
“Rehabilitating this theater is about more than preserving history,” Kelly said. “It’s about restoring the vibrant Black business community that this site represents, creating jobs and reinstating its reputation as a commercial hub.”
The governor said that supporting the Black community is both “the right thing to do” and “an economic driver for the McAdams neighborhood, Wichita and for the state of Kansas.”
Amy Williams, the Walmart market manager, presented a $50,000 donation. It’s the second such financial gift from the company in the past year.
“At Walmart, we are proud to support organizations that demonstrate a tireless commitment to strengthening their local communities,” Williams said. “That is exactly what Power CDC is doing with these revitalization efforts. The Dunbar Theatre is a crucial part of this historic McAdams neighborhood, and the improvements that are being made to transform the theater into a community-based visual and performing arts center will truly impact generations to come.”
Community fundraisers have spent years collecting money to fund the revitalization. The original goal was for theater to reopen in 2020.
The project has received at least $900,000 in city funding.
In 2017, the City Council allocated about $650,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funding. That money came from the proceeds of the sale of the Save A Lot grocery store at 2402 E. 13th St., which was built using a CDGB loan.
The city later approved $250,000 to be used as a “challenge grant” to help raise private funds. That money was a portion of the city’s proceeds from selling the downtown Hyatt Regency Hotel to casino magnate Phil Ruffin in 2016.
Johnson told The Eagle he started pushing for a Sales Tax Anticipation Revenue, or STAR, bonds for the district in 2015. However, “it seemed like it wasn’t possible,” because there aren’t enough local retail businesses to generate sufficient tax revenue. He said “we need tools for this type of area,” and suggested the creation of a state version of the federal opportunity zone program to provide incentives.
“I still would love to see a STAR bond over here,” Johnson said. “This is the type of project and part of town that I think a STAR bond should be used at.”
In the past week, the City Council approved a $10.2 million public subsidy package for a Topgolf facility in northeast Wichita. The council also approved an 80% property tax exemption on real estate financed by $2.4 million in industrial revenue bonds for the for-profit Plastic Surgery Center P.A. on North Webb.
“I support different development around the city,” Johnson said following the Dunbar groundbreaking. “We got to keep our city attractive and have things to bring folks here. I just want to see more attention focused on areas like this. We do as much as we can for greenfield areas, which tend to be on the outskirts, not so much for areas where we need that type of urban development.”
This story was originally published June 2, 2021 at 5:01 PM.