Rumors are swirling about the future of the Crown Uptown Theatre in E. Wichita, near Douglas & Hillside.
A Facebook post from the College Hill Neighborhood Association says the group is aware of the potential closing of the Crown Uptown, and is trying to confirm it.
The Crown Uptown has been a fixture for nearly 98 years; however, the theatre’s front doors are locked, the marquee is blank, its phone number is disconnected, and a scheduled show for this weekend has been canceled.
All of this is fueling speculation that the theatre could be nearing demolition.
That can’t happen, however, unless an application for demolition has been submitted and reviewed.
Neither of those things have happened according to Wichita city council-member Joseph Shepard, who said he hasn’t heard from Crown Uptown owner Mike Brown since March.
Shepard says there are steps that would have to be taken before getting to the demolition process.
Those steps include a review by the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department; that process would take at least three months s from the time the permit would be submitted.
