King Theater Renovation

Our King Theatre has been inactive since 2010 when the previous owner could not keep pace with the building’s necessary upkeep nor the transition to the digital age of films. In 2015, city councilmen Ryan Goodman decided to reach out to Ida Grove and the surrounding community to see if there was interest in resurrecting our community theatre. Upon their invite, sixty Ida County citizens showed up to a town meeting to voice their support for this project, collecting over $500 in pledges that night at the suggestion of citizen and Heritage Days’ organizer Zanet Theis.

Goodman and Clough decided, based on this support, that it was a project worth city support. Clough and Goodman asked the city to support the $0 dollar purchase of the building in an effort to save it. The city council unanimously agreed to do so. With Clough and Goodman as co-chairs, an 11-member board was formed with the mission to preserve and operate Ida Grove’s historic King Theater, and to engage the surrounding community through an array of films, performing arts and social, civic and educational events.

Since this formation, our city has been granted department of natural resources monetary support to save the 1914 structure. The board is currently seeking matching funds to guide asbestos removal as well as roof replacement and sealing of the back wall from water infiltration. Beyond this ‘mothballing’ phase, the board is actively seeking the services of an architect to construct a comfortable theatre setting as well as one that honors the history of the theatre’s façade. Fundraising efforts to match a theatre project second-to-none will follow.

For more information about our King Theatre, please visit:

visitmybackyard.com/blog/2015/09/23/movie-picture-this/

visitmybackyard.com/blog/2016/02/23/fridley/.

Want to Donate?

To contribute to our county’s King Theatre renovation, please contact Ida Grove City Hall at 712.364.2428.

Want to Volunteer?

If you are interested in helping out, please click here to submit a volunteer application.

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