The company announced that a new live entertainment venue off the Magic Kingdom’s Main Street will be modeled after KC’s iconic, bygone Willis Wood Theatre.
The original theater opened in 1902 at 11th and Baltimore streets and stretched for a block and a half. It was a cultural hub for the city before it burned down in January 1917.
— The Kansas City Star
Featuring large Ionic columns and Baroque embellishments, the Willis Wood Theater, was designed by Louis Curtiss, Canadian-born American architect noted as one of KC's most prominent architects. 
It is speculated that Walt Disney frequented the theater when he was living in KC. “It is consistent with the tradition with the Disney theme parks; he incorporated his life into every aspect of the parks,” said Dan Viets, who co-wrote Walt Disney’s Missouri with Star movie critic Robert W. Butler.
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