Harry Miller was born in Varchovich, Russia (now part of Ukraine), in 1891. He came to America in 1904. By 1914 he was living in Omaha, Nebraska. He is listed in the 1920 census as living in Manhattan, Kansas, with his wife Anna and three children: Bernard, age 7, Bess, age 5, and Florence, age 1.
In 1924 he built a brick building at the corner of Bluemont Avenue and N. Manhattan Avenue which became the home of Paul Dooley’s Jewelry and Nu-Way Cleaners.
The Miller Building
Harry Miller
Photo courtesy of Galia Miller Sprung
But Harry Miller had a bigger building in mind for Aggieville – much bigger. Miller wanted to build a theater.
Back around 1923 Miller had his eye on the lot on the southeast corner of Moro Street and 12th Street which was owned by Joseph L. Johns. Johns and his wife Josephine had a creamery and ice cream shop just across the street west of the vacant lot, but didn’t want to sell the land to Miller.
Johns Creamery and Ice Cream Store
Johns had it in his mind that what Aggieville needed was a bank, and, despite his wife’s reservations, he built the College State Bank there in 1923.
12th & Moro Street
J.L. Johns
Later in life, Johns told family members that his biggest mistake in life was not selling that lot to Harry Miller. If Miller had built his theater in that location, Johns could have had customers streaming across the street to his ice cream store after the shows were out every night.
But Miller found the land he wanted at the west end of Moro Street and built his Miller Theatre. He constructed an 800-seat silent movie house, complete with a full orchestra pit. The interior had an Egyptian theme, including giant wall murals depicting colorful desert scenes. The Grand Opening was May 1, 1926.
July 4, 1926 photo courtesy of Galia Miller Sprung, grand-daughter of Harry Miller.
VITAPHONE was installed in 1927, and the world of “talking movies” was begun! The Miller also hosted live productions, including “Vodvil” acts with “Band on the Stage” and the ever-popular Ray Randall Dunakin on the Console!
October of 1929, of course, brought a great deal of change in the American economy. Harry Miller sold his theater in 1930 and ended up moving to Kansas City. The theater was renamed the Varsity Theatre and opened for business on August 26, 1930.
Even though the Varsity was able to provide films with sound, they constructed a huge a “fly gallery” at the back of the building to accommodate the dropping of backgrounds for live productions.
In 1936 Sam Sosna purchased the theater, and in 1938 he renamed it the Sosna Theatre. The Manhattan Mercury put together a huge set of articles and congratulatory ads for the night of the Grand Opening on March 4, 1938. The building was freshly remodeled on the inside and out, and Sosna was ready to start off with a big splash.
Sam Sosna
Sosna was a veteran of the theater business, and ran the Sosna successfully for the next 15 years.
1938 Formal Opening
The Sosna in 1945
1950 photo by Gene Guerrant
Sosna sold his theater in 1951, and the owners of the new Campus Theatre prepared to open on May 23, 1951. There were big changes in store for the 25 year-old building. The orchestra pit was covered over, the lobby area was widened to include a full-service concession stand, and patrons of the arts could enjoy their movies in push-back cushioned seats and air-conditioned comfort! An updated marquee flashed all the way down Moro Street that the Campus was ready for business.
Campus Theatre opening night
1955 Royal Purple photo
From 1926 to 1998, thousands of people, young and old, viewed films and attended live programs in the old Miller theater building. In the summer of 1997, after the last show on a Saturday night, a FOR SALE sign went up in the box office window. No fanfare. No “One Last Show.” No warning. That was the last of the theater.
The sign stayed in the window untouched for the next six months. It was eventually purchased by Jon Levin to serve as an expansion for Varney’s Book Store. After two years of challenging work, Varney’s opened up the area in August of 2000. A second floor had been constructed across the span of the whole building to house the textbook department, with a grand stairway for the customer’s convenience.
Work inside the theater area
Photo by Tony Ridder (2016)
Varney’s Book Store closed in 2016, and once again the old building has been occupied by new owners. A new chapter. New adventures ahead.
Best wishes,
Dan Walter
theaggievillehistorian 