Arvest Bank buys the naming rights to the Midland Theatre

Arvest Bank has bought the naming rights to the historic Midland Theatre, marking the final departure of the AMC name from downtown Kansas City.

The 3,000-seat theater at 1228 Main St. opened in 1927 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was renovated in 2008 at a cost of $28 million by a joint venture of the Cordish Co. and AMC Entertainment.

The same venture also renovated the nearby Empire Theater.

The Midland was reopened as the Midland by AMC, and the Empire was reopened as AMC Mainstreet. Last year, however, the partnership between AMC and Cordish was dissolved.

AMC closed its downtown headquarters at 10th and Main streets in July and relocated to Leawood. With the removal of its name from the Midland and Mainstreet theaters, the movie theather company founded in the 1920s in downtown Kansas City no longer has a visible presence there.

The Midland will now officially be known as the Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland. The price of the new naming rights agreement with Arvest, which is headquartered in Bentonville, Ark., was not disclosed.

“As a bank that fosters a thriving community, this partnership will facilitate the tradition of the Midland as a gathering place to enjoy cultural events of all genres in Kansas City,” Mark Larrabee, president and CEO of Arvest Bank in Greater Kansas City, said in a statement Wednesday.

The new name of the Midland is scheduled to go into effect Sept. 13.

This story was originally published September 4, 2013 at 11:43 AM with the headline "Arvest Bank buys the naming rights to the Midland Theatre ."