The entertainment brand “Fox”, whether applied to a television network or a theater on Main Street in Hays, originates with pioneering motion picture executive William Fox, founder of the Fox Theater chain. The Hays branch of empire opened to a full house of 1000 patrons in 1950.
The theater was designed in the Streamline Moderne style by Kansas City architect Samuel Bihr, Jr. The building’s exterior features a limestone and blond brick façade that reflects beautifully the style of the time, and makes use of materials that were, and remain, popular in local architecture. The interior included painted murals, a balcony, “cry room” for parents with small children, and a CinemaScope screen.
In a sure sign of trouble, the building was “twinned” in the early 1980s with the balcony converted into a small second screen. An upgraded multiplex located at The Mall eventually ran the Dickinson-owned Fox Theater out of business in 1999.
It has since had several owners, and has operated as a theater, dinner theater and reception hall under the name Fox Pavilion. It is currently vacant and for sale.
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