KiMo Theater facts for kids
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Kimo Theatre
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| Location | 423 Central Avenue NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico |
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| Built | 1927 |
| Architect | Boller Brothers; Carl Boller |
| Architectural style | Pueblo Deco |
| NRHP reference No. | 77000920 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | May 2, 1977 |
The KiMo Theatre is a famous old theatre and a historic landmark in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It stands on the corner of Central Avenue and Fifth Street. Built in 1927, it features a special style called Pueblo Deco architecture. This style mixes traditional adobe-style buildings with rounded corners, Native American designs, and the tall, straight lines of Art Deco architecture.
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History of the KiMo Theatre
Building the KiMo Theatre
The idea for the KiMo Theatre came from Oreste Bachechi and his wife, Maria. They were Italian-American business owners. Mrs. Bachechi wanted to honor the Native American people. The Bachechi family felt very welcomed by them.
They traveled a lot and met with many architects. Finally, they chose a design from Carl Boller. His firm, Boller Brothers, studied the cultures of the Southwest. The theatre is a three-story building made of stucco. It has stepped shapes like traditional pueblo buildings. It also has strong vertical lines, like Art Deco skyscrapers. Both inside and out, you can see many Native American designs. For example, there are terra cotta shields above the third-floor windows.
Naming the Theatre
In June 1927, the Albuquerque Journal newspaper held a contest. They wanted people to help name the new theatre. The winner would get $50. The rules said the name had to be "Indian" and short. It also had to fit the theatre's unique style. This style mixed Aztec, Navajo, and Pueblo designs.
More than 500 ideas came in from all over the state. Pablo Abeita, a former governor of Isleta Pueblo, won the contest. He suggested "Kimo," which means "mountain lion." Some people loosely translate it as "king of the beasts."
Grand Opening Day
The KiMo Theatre opened its doors on September 19, 1927. The opening night was a big event. It included Native American dancers and singers. A new $18,000 Wurlitzer theater organ was also played. The comedy film Painting the Town was shown.
Many important people attended the opening. These included Senator Sam G. Bratton and former governor Arthur T. Hannett. Hollywood stars like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks sent telegrams. Cecil B. DeMille, a famous director, wrote a message. He said the theatre showed "great progress" in the film industry.
Changes Over the Years
In 1935, the Bachechi family joined their theatre business with Joseph Barnett's. This included the Sunshine Theater. This meant most of Albuquerque's theatres were owned by the same company. By 1952, this company, Albuquerque Exhibitors, ran 10 local theatres.
The company leased its theatres to Frontier Theaters in 1956. Then, Commonwealth Theaters took over in 1967. Commonwealth closed the KiMo Theatre in 1970. After that, Albuquerque Music Theater leased it for a few years.
Saving the KiMo Theatre
By 1977, the theatre was in bad shape after a fire. The City of Albuquerque offered to buy it for a very low price. They also threatened to tear it down. The Bachechi family decided to sell it to the city. They wanted to save the theatre for future generations.
Since then, the theatre has been restored many times. It is now open again for performances. The most recent restoration finished in 2000. New seats and carpet were installed. A new main stage curtain was added. The lighting was improved, hidden behind ceiling beams. The KiMo's original proscenium arch was rebuilt. After this work, the auditorium could seat 650 people.
In 2011, the city ordered a copy of the theatre's first neon sign. The original sign was put up around 1929 and removed in the 1950s. The new sign is 24 feet (7.3 m) tall and 5 feet (1.5 m) wide. It cost $16,000 and was installed in June 2011.
Alleged Haunting of the KiMo Theatre
The Legend of Bobby Darnall
Many local people believe the KiMo Theatre is haunted. The legend says it's haunted by the ghost of Bobby Darnall. He was a six-year-old boy. In 1951, he died when a water heater exploded in the theatre's lobby.
The story claims that Bobby's ghost caused problems during a play. It was a performance of A Christmas Carol in 1974. The ghost was supposedly angry because staff removed donuts. The staff had hung the donuts on backstage pipes to keep him happy.
Investigating the Story
A writer named Benjamin Radford looked into this legend. He found that the A Christmas Carol play actually happened in 1986, not 1974. He talked to two people who were part of that play. They did not remember anything unusual happening.
Radford concluded that the story of the ruined play was not true. He said it was "folklore and fiction." Radford also spoke with Bobby Darnall's brothers and sisters. They told him they felt "exploited by the story." They did not like claims that their brother was "eating doughnuts or ruining performances."
Gallery
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Interior of the KiMo theater.
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KiMo technician Dennis Potter shows investigator Benjamin Radford the site of a 1951 explosion which spurred a ghost story.
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Shrine at the KiMo theater where, by tradition, cast and crew leave offerings for the resident boy ghost.
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Interior of the theatre
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Theater detail
See also
In Spanish: Teatro KiMo para niños
