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3D category: 1st. Place Heartland Antiqued Mall, 2nd. Place On the Avenue Antiques, 3rd. Place Legal Aid of Nebraska.  Painted category: 1st. Place, Grand Island Independent, Honorable Mention, Contryman & Associates.

'Grand Plan' Hopes to Restore Theater's Facade, Interior

By Amy Schweitzer
amy.schweitzer@theindependent.com
Published: Saturday, July 10, 2010 7:12 PM CDT
The Grand Foundation has a “Grand Plan” to restore the Grand Theatre to its former glory.

Tom Ziller, chairman for the capital campaign called The Grand Plan, said it plans to restore the exterior facade of the 1937 theater to as close to original as is practical.

The plan is to resurface the facade with reflective glass tiling similar to those in 1937, recreate the classic neon designs on the signs and marquee using the original construction and color.


The interior also will be restored to near original, Ziller said. The box office will be returned to its original location at the center of the theater entrance. The carpet and lighting in the lobby will be replaced with unique Art Deco replicas and the auditorium seating will be restored to classic cinema condition.

The one thing that will not be restored to its original is the projector. Ziller said many current movies will soon no longer be available in film format.

“The movie industry is changing,” Ziller said. “It can to the point that either we invest in a digital projector or not show current movies.”

With the new format, the theater would also be capable of playing 3D movies.

The restoration will primarily focus on physical improvements. But in a larger sense, it will restore the classic cinema experience to Grand Island moviegoers.

Although there had been movie houses at 316 W. Third before, it was on May 7, 1937, when the Grand Theatre opened to moviegoers lining the streets to see “A Star Is Born” starring Janet Gaynor. The largest neon sign in Grand Island graced the facade, which was built entirely of colored glass. The marquee proclaimed “Nebraska’s Finest and Most Modern Theatre!”

In 1985, the Grand Theatre closed, but just a year later it was rescued to show classic movies. In 1992 the theater became a first-run cinema once again. In 2004, competition from modern multiplexes forced the theater to close again. A small group of business owners formed The Grand Foundation, Inc., to save the last surviving movie palace in Grand Island.

The foundation has been working on the theater for about five years, repairing the roof and making small-scale renovations such as a stage extension.

“We saved it from being shut down,” Ziller said. “Now it’s time to tackle our next goal.”

Ziller said they will need about $830,000 for all three projects: the facade, the interior and the digital conversion. He said they already have raised about $275,000.

“And we’ve just gotten started,” he said.

About $505,000 will go toward restoring the exterior, another $203,000 to restoring the interior and $122,000 to update the projection system.

The foundation will formally launch the campaign July 24 and will include a website, www.SupportTheGrandPlan.com.

The website will create a hub of information where donors can learn about fundraising events, read about campaign progress, and even make donations directly online.

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For more of this story, click on or type the URL below:

http://www.theindependent.com/articles/2010/05/02/news/business/11766462.txt

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For more of this story, click on or type the URL below:

http://www.theindependent.com/articles/2010/04/02/news/local/doc4bb6c844b23a2361844772.txt

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For more of this story, click on or type the URL below:

http://www.theindependent.com/articles/2010/06/09/news/local/11924007.txt

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Click for Movie Schedule.