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State Theatre Raising Money For Renovations
by Jeff Rusack, Reporter
March 01, 2013 6:13 PM
Lines waiting to enter the State Theatre only exist in old photographs, reminders of good times for a building that opened its doors in 1926.
Today, the theatre sits unused, the doors closed since 1991.
Efforts to restore the historic landmark are underway and the executive director of the project to bring the theatre back is hopeful.
“It's really steady. We just keep on making things happen. We should be done with the concession stand and bathrooms with in the next month or so,” said Stephen Williamson the executive director State Theatre.
The building sits as a reminder of a downtown Sioux Falls that used to be.
“We used to have seven theatres in downtown Sioux Falls and five of them are gone,” said Williamson.
While the State Theatre still may need a lot of work, the doors maybe open sooner than you would think.
“Our goal is to be open by the end of the year, on the main level,” said Williamson.
But, restoring the theatre to its former glory will be quite the task.
“It's a huge project. We're being very thoughtful about it and we're also being very responsible,” said Williamson.
An effort to raise money for the theatre means three events on the theatre's 87th birthday, events that include art, music, and film.
“We'll be doing this every year. We want it to become kind of a winter event, right smack in the middle of winter,” said Williamson.
The project to rebuild the main hall still awaits the people restoring the building. But, they say when the curtains open for the first time it'll all be worth it.
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