History:
Opened in 1900 as a vaudeville and burlesque house, the theatre on the corner of 12th and Central was a grand showpiece of Kansas City architect Louis Curtiss's work. The Standard was built by Colonel Edward Butler for $250,000 as a place for his son James J. Butler to house shows on the Empire Circuit of vaudeville.
In Kansas City, a new entertainment venue arose, nearly seven stories high with arched glass windows ensconced with electric light bulbs, majestic columns and Palladian windows. Her name was embossed five stories in the air: Standard Theatre.
