The Fox Theater is a two-story, brick, single bay, two-part commercial building with Spanish Revival style detailing constructed in 1930. The building is located in downtown Joplin, Missouri, and shares party walls with adjacent structures. The building is ell shaped with the main facade and primary entrance fronting on Main Street. This section opens onto a large hallway which connects with the stage and seating area at the rear which fronts on E. Fifth Street and S. Virginia Avenue. The two sections are connected over an alley via an elevated brick hallway. The Fox Theater encompasses its entire lot and there are no a accessory structures...
The Fox Theater is significant for its architectural design and importance in local entertainment. The building was constructed in 1930 in the Spanish Revival style and upon completion was the most ornate movie palace to be constructed in Joplin. Its Spanish Revival facade on Main Street is the only design in this style remaining in the downtown area and has not been significantly altered. Of even greater significance is the building's ornate interior featuring extensive displays of plaster, metal, and wood decoration executed in Spanish Revival designs. This interior is also largely unaltered and is an excellent example of the grandiose movie palaces that graced many of the nation's cities in the 1920s and 1930s. The building is presently used for worship by the Central Assembly Church which has retained the original character of the theater.
The old theater appears to be in excellent condition and is now called the Central Christian Center and is used regularly for church services.