KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When Kansas City’s Folly Theater opened its doors in 1900, the light bulb had just been invented and the United States only had 45 states.

Over the decades, everyone from the Marx Brothers to Humphrey Bogart has performed on its stage.

“Bogart was so young, so starting out in his career, he was not even mentioned in the review,” said Gale Tallis, executive director of The Folly.

The historic theater is still going strong following some impressive renovations. The nonprofit agency that owns the venue, the Performing Arts Foundation, raised $2.5 million for a recent capital campaign.

But in November, the place many refer to as “Kansas City’s Carnegie Hall” was dealt an unexpected blow.

A leaky fire sprinkler pipe in the basement created a huge mess and left the nonprofit with a repair bill exceeding $100,000.

“They had to replace it. We think it was the original pipe from 1900,” Tallis said.

The repair costs are not covered by insurance or the funds raised in the recent capital campaign.

“So we’re needing a little help in taking care of this surprise we had with the leak in our basement,” Tallis said.

If you’d like to make a donation in support of the Folly Theater, you can do that on the website for the theater or by calling 816-842-5500.