HUGE News! :)

So, a while back I showed a picture of our local Theater and mentioned that we would soon be purchasing the building and renovating/reopening it. That process took a BIG step yesterday morning when we were presented with a check large enough to secure ownership of the property and start in on our projects! :D 

A rather 'large' check, indeed!

Our hope is to not only update and modernize the interior systems (including electrical, HVAC, the restrooms, and new digital projection and sound equipment), but to bring back what history still exists in the building.
For example, this beautiful brick facade has simply been covered up for the last 75 years - first by large glass tiles in an Art Deco style, then by metal siding. We'll strip the siding off, re-point the brick where needed, and replace the short, wide window and bold, neon signage over the marquee.

So. Stinkin'. Exciting!
The Grand Theater

An investment in this project is an investment in the entire town and our future. Not only will the reopening of this business create a couple part-time jobs in its own right, but it will help to support and complement countless other businesses in town, not to mention boost local housing sales, and create a greater pull for new businesses and business expansion within the community.
Of course, the most direct benefit is that we'll have our theater back! The place we all went for our first dates; the place many of our grandparents went for their first dates! A place to take part in the shared experience of being entertained, educated, and expanded beyond our current possibilities. In addition to new and classic films and film festivals, we'll host smaller live performances and special community events, speakers and lecture series, poetry readings and community theater. It's going to be a true jewel for our Downtown District, and for the region as a whole. Once we're operational and sustaining ourselves, any net proceeds generated by this business - if not reinvested into the Foundation - will be poured right back into the community. Very, very cool.
Our total project goal is $500,000 - if you or someone you know would have any interest in contributing to this project, please let us know! We're a 501(c)(3) Public Charity, and any contributions made to our group will be tax-deductible and VERY well utilized!
The Grand Theater Foundation, PO Box 151, Knoxville, Iowa  50138

Hope you're not afraid of heights..

This was from my plane ride last fall - see the Courthouse in the center?

From my Sunday night walk a few weeks back.

The County will be starting a construction project up here in a few weeks. The cement in the ceiling here is starting to fall apart. :S When the crews are up here taking care of that, they'll also tuck-point the entire belltower, inside and out.
Once this project is complete, they will have renovated every area of the building. VERY cool!

The E. Howard Clock Co.
Boston - New York - Chicago
1905

Excuse the bird netting - this area was full of 100 years worth of crap prior to this :)
I'm in that open "arch" area just under the clock, facing north.
Our Post Office (brick building, gray roof, white door - just left of the center of the image) has some historical significance, too. In the lobby, there's a massive mural painted by the WPA during the Depression.

Northeast.

Southeast. You can see the 3M and Hormel plants in the upper left, here.
The white building with blue across the top was the home of my house-family's business for nearly 100 years. Under the metal siding, there are several really pretty brick buildings downtown.

South. The black and pale green building right in the center of the block is our 1922 movie theater/opera house that will be undergoing a HUGE restoration soon. I hope to write about that, too!
Grand Theater
Behind the theater is our Carnegie Library (clay tile roof, yellow/orange brick) and the Dixie Gebhardt House (red tin roof). Dixie was the designer of the Iowa Flag. Both of those properties are undergoing some renovation as well!

Southwest - you can actually see my house in this picture :)

West.

Northwest, toward the Knoxville Raceway and VA Hospital in the distance.
Knoxville Raceway

And back to north, again!

After climbing another loooong ladder, I ended up in the very tippy top of the Courthouse..

...next to these. VERY cool! :)

An article from the Knoxville Journal in 1905, talking about the purchase and installation of the clock and bell..several years after the Courthouse was originally constructed.