King Theatre Renovation Project

The King Theatre has been inactive since 2010 when building repair and digital equipment requirements were too much for a for-profit owner to manage. In 2015, the City of Ida Grove reached out to Ida Grove and the surrounding area to gauge interest in a proposed renovation. At the initial meeting, led by councilmen Doug Clough and Ryan Goodman, those at the town meeting passed the hat collecting over $500 as a vote of confidence for the project. The City of Ida Grove, with a unanimous vote from the council, obtained the warranty deed for no cost. 

Over the course of the renovation, The Ida Grove Foundation, Inc.. a 501c3 organization, acquired the building and the responsibility to renovate it. Clough is president of the Foundation and Goodman is the vice-president. The balance of the board includes nine members with a balance of skills, knowledge, and connections to get the job completed. 

A large part of the first year of the project included architectural planning and a fund-drive. Deconstruction started in 2016 and, the more the volunteers uncovered, the more extensive the deconstruction became with the entire floor and many joists replaced. In the span of a year, dumpster after large dumpster was hauled away with debris. During this time, major donations came in from entities like GOMACO, United Bank of Iowa, and Midwest Industries, Inc. Grants were written and gained nearly $150,000. Fundraisers like our successful, annual caramel apple sale event, have raised nearly $50,000 based on community support. A new roof was put on the building, with a Department of Natural Resources grant, during 2016 allowing the building's degradation due to water infiltration to halt. 

In July of 2017, the project nearly ended with the collapse of the back wall. Under building committee heads Dan Gosch and Paul Cates, the back wall was supported to alleviate further damage and an engineer and our architect were called in to determine if the building could be saved. It was determined it could be, so the project - while stymied for several months waiting for the contractor to be available.- was alive and well. The new and improved back wall and alley way was finished in November 2017.

2018 was a year of progress with the new stage and flooring built. The interior walls and ceiling were constructed as was the handicap seating area and the framing of the restrooms. Much of that year was a 'hurry up and wait' kind of time; we made great strides in both construction and volunteer clean up efforts. What attracted the most attention was the new digital marquee, donated by Sharon and Gary Godbersen; it's inclusion in the project took the King Theatre to an entirely new level of new age nostalgia. A motorized screen was also installed so it may be raised for speakers or performance events. GOMACO Trolley also offered their craftsman services to construct the new lobby.

2019 was ushered in with new flooring in the area where the seats will be. The seats are still in boxes and will be until the dusty sheet rock work is done. The upstairs lobby will house an impressive intermission area for live events. Fixtures need to be added to restrooms, carpet laid, lighting finished, audio/visual equipment hooked up in the projection room, and the lobby assembled. Completion is predicted to be Fall 2019.

The Ida Grove Foundation looks forward to seeing you at the movies! Long Live the KING!

➤ location

413 2nd St
Ida Grove, Iowa 51445

☎ Contact

idagrovekingtheatre@gmail.com
(712) 300-6010

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 Want to Donate?

To sponsor movies or support live events, please contact us at idagrovekingtheatre@gmail.com.

To request a copy of The Ida Grove Foundation's By-laws, Conflict of Interest Policy, or other public documents, please submit a request below.