Floor SpeechCeremonial2026-05-22

COMMEMORATING THE WORLD'S OLDEST PURPOSE-BUILT MOVIE THEATER

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Context

On 2026-05-22, Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS-3) delivered a floor speech titled "COMMEMORATING THE WORLD'S OLDEST PURPOSE-BUILT MOVIE THEATER" in the House.

Full Text

COMMEMORATING THE WORLD'S OLDEST PURPOSE-BUILT MOVIE THEATER

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 88 (Friday, May 22, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 88 (Friday, May 22, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E485] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] COMMEMORATING THE WORLD'S OLDEST PURPOSE-BUILT MOVIE THEATER ______ HON. SHARICE DAVIDS of kansas in the house of representatives Friday, May 22, 2026 Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Plaza 1907 located in Ottawa, Kansas, in the district I have the honor of representing. Plaza 1907 is celebrating its 119th anniversary, opening its current doors on May 22, 1907, as the oldest purpose-built movie theater in the world. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Plaza 1907 is a critical part of the lifeblood of the Ottawa and Franklin County communities. In the early 1900s, Ottawa citizens saw their first moving picture-- the ten-minute film The Great Train Robbery from 1903--at a local street fair. This inspired the founding of Plaza 1907 as the Bijou Theater, where patrons watched early silent films from France like Bad Mother and A Voyage Around a Star. When it first opened, the two-screen theater played 12 shows each day and tickets cost patrons five cents each. In those early days, the theater offered live music alongside these silent films before the first talking picture in 1927. Today, Plaza 1907 remains an important piece of Kansas and American history. Kansans and visitors alike can enjoy new films and Classic Movie Mondays along with a memorabilia museum amongst the charm of Ottawa, Kansas. ____________________

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COMMEMORATING THE WORLD'S OLDEST PURPOSE-BUILT MOVIE THEATER Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 88 (Friday, May 22, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 88 (Friday, May 22, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E485] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] COMMEMORATING THE WORLD'S OLDEST PURPOSE-BUILT MOVIE THEATER ______ HON. SHARICE DAVIDS of kansas in the house of representatives Friday, May 22, 2026 Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Plaza 1907 located in Ottawa, Kansas, in the district I have the honor of representing. Plaza 1907 is celebrating its 119th anniversary, opening its current doors on May 22, 1907, as the oldest purpose-built movie theater in the world. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Plaza 1907 is a critical part of the lifeblood of the Ottawa and Franklin County communities. In the early 1900s, Ottawa citizens saw their first moving picture-- the ten-minute film The Great Train Robbery from 1903--at a local street fair. This inspired the founding of Plaza 1907 as the Bijou Theater, where patrons watched early silent films from France like Bad Mother and A Voyage Around a Star. When it first opened, the two-screen theater played 12 shows each day and tickets cost patrons five cents each. In those early days, the theater offered live music alongside these silent films before the first talking picture in 1927. Today, Plaza 1907 remains an important piece of Kansas and American history. Kansans and visitors alike can enjoy new films and Classic Movie Mondays along with a memorabilia museum amongst the charm of Ottawa, Kansas. ____________________