Named for poet, novelist and playwright Paul Laurence Dunbar, the Dunbar Theatre was built 1941 and served as the heart of Wichita's McAdams community's entertainment corridor. The theater operated as a movie house until its closure in 1963. Since closing, the building fell into disrepair as the neighborhood around it suffered from blight, underuse, and dwindling city services.

In 2016, CJAM was engaged to reassess the viability of a 2006 feasibility study, conduct a new comprehensive feasibility analysis including, code, zoning, and adaptable reuse options, and develop a comprehensive business plan to relaunch the theater as a cultural anchor and economic catalyst in McAdams. CJAM's study resulted in new visibility and involvement by city officials, universities, local businesses and the community, and the securing of more than $3 million in funding for the restoration effort.