Indian Hills Theater facts for kids
| Address | 8601 West Dodge Road, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°15′45″N 96°02′50″W / 41.262466790349585°N 96.04717146459537°W |
| Construction | |
| Opened | December 1962 |
| Expanded |
|
| Closed | September 28, 2000 |
| Demolished | August 2001 |
The Indian Hills Theater was a special movie theater in Omaha, Nebraska. It opened in 1962 and was famous for showing movies in a super wide-screen format called Cinerama. This theater had the biggest Cinerama screen in the whole United States! Sadly, even though many people wanted to save it, the theater was torn down in 2001. A company called Nebraska Methodist Health System demolished it to build a parking lot.
Contents
A Look Back: Indian Hills Theater History
The Indian Hills Theater first opened its doors in December 1962. It could hold 806 people at one time. This theater was the very first one in Nebraska to show movies using the Cinerama wide-screen system. The Cooper Foundation was the company that first ran the theater.
Theater Expansions Over Time
In April 1977, the theater added a new screen. This new part was called "Cameo." It added 300 more seats for movie watchers. The Cameo section was finished later that same year.
Then, in August 1987, two more movie rooms were planned. Each of these new rooms had 200 seats. These additions were completed by December of that year.
Why the Theater Closed
The Indian Hills Theater closed in September 2000. This happened because the company running it, Carmike Cinemas, faced financial difficulties. At that time, many believed it was one of only four theaters in the United States that could still show Cinerama films.
By December 2000, many groups wanted to reopen the theater. They even hoped to fix it up and make it new again. However, in April 2001, Nebraska Methodist Health System offered to buy the building. Even though there was hope to save it, Methodist announced they would tear it down. They planned to replace the theater with a parking lot.
Efforts to Save the Theater
Methodist decided not to sell the building to others. They also said they would not fix it up themselves. They stated it would cost too much, about $1.7 million. Famous actors like Kirk Douglas, Janet Leigh, and Patricia Neal wrote letters. Director Robert Wise also wrote letters against the demolition.
In July 2001, 115 people gathered to protest. They wanted to stop the theater from being torn down. The National Trust for Historic Preservation also supported saving the theater. Demolition work started on July 17, beginning with the three smaller theaters. A city group voted to give Indian Hills Theater a special "landmark" status. However, many people thought this status would not stop the demolition. This was because the tearing down had already begun. The main theater started to be demolished in August 2001.
