Updated Dunbar Theatre can revitalize section of northeast Wichita

The Dunbar Theatre on North Cleveland Street has been closed since 1963 and saved from bulldozers twice since. So it’s not as if there’s been a hurry to get the historic theater renovated and open.

But the plans to have the theater open again by 2020 are good news for a neighborhood of Wichita that was once the entertainment district for many of the city’s African-American residents. The City Council got an update on the project Tuesday.

A remodeled Dunbar could give the McAdams neighborhood a needed boost. Plans are to make the theater available for movies and small-stage entertainment, which a consulting company says is needed not only by African-American residents but by others in the city.

There is much to do before the doors open. Updating will include additional space in many areas, including backstage. Government grants and fundraising will pay for the restoration.

The Dunbar was a meeting place and entertainment home for many African-American residents in the 1940s and 1950s. It’s encouraging to see it’s on a path to again being an anchor for the neighborhood.

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 10:19 AM with the headline "Updated Dunbar Theatre can revitalize section of northeast Wichita."