By John Taylor, Omaha World-Herald, Neb. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Apr. 27--Methodist Health System is the new owner of the Indian Hills Theater and the 8601 Building just to the rear of the theater, but whether films will again be shown at the theater remains to be seen.
Ed Rider, Methodist spokesman, said the deal was completed Friday.
Rider said he could not immediately say what the system paid for the property; officials were at meetings out of town and couldn't be reached.
The facilities department of the health system will do a 'space needs assessment' to determine the best use of the property, he said. Such a study will take two to three months.
Meanwhile, three men who want to lease the theater to show first-run movies, along with wide-screen Cinerama and other special films, will continue to pursue that project.
Omahan Larry Karstens, one of the three, said members of his group still have hope the theater can be reopened.
Karstens, along with Matt Lutthans, founder of an organization that reopened a Cinerama theater in Seattle, and Rich Vincent, former manager of the defunct Cooper Cinerama in Denver, let officials of the health system know they were interested when rumors of the purchase surfaced.
Carmike Cinemas Inc. had operated Indian Hills, which contains four theaters, including what is said to be the world's largest Cinerama theater. Carmike closed Indian Hills, near 86th Street and West Dodge Road, on Sept. 28 as part of an overall retrenchment by Carmike caused by overbuilding of multiplex theaters.
N.P. Dodge Co., the former manager of the property, will continue to manage the buildings for the health system.
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(c) 2001, Omaha World-Herald, Neb. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
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