By John Taylor, Omaha World-Herald, Neb. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Jul. 20--Demolition of the three smaller theaters at the former Indian Hills theater site began Tuesday morning after the owner said it received the appropriate permits from the City of Omaha.
The Methodist Health System, which bought the property earlier this year, said in a press release that this phase of the demolition will not include the original 800-seat theater built in 1962.
Demolition will be limited to the two theaters on the west side of the main auditorium and the former Cameo Theater on the east side. The theaters on the west were built in 1987, the Cameo in 1977.
The 800-seat theater has been the object of a campaign by a number of people who want it preserved. It is one of only three theaters in the nation capable of showing wide-screen Cinerama films. When the theater showed Cinerama movies in the 1960s, it had a screen 105 feet wide and 38 feet high. That screen was later removed, but the theater continued to show first-run films until last September.
Last Wednesday, at the urging of Omaha attorney Ron A. Hunter and others, the Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission voted to have a special meeting to consider designation of the theater as a historic landmark.
Lynn Meyer, administrator of the commission, said it wasn't possible for the commission to hold a special meeting; instead, it will discuss the proposal at its regular meeting at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 8 at the City-County Building.
Methodist said the main theater can't be razed until all asbestos is removed from the building. The asbestos was discovered during an inspection in June.
Ed Rider, a Methodist spokesman, said the asbestos has to be removed and the main building has to undergo a number of city inspections before the health system applies for a demolition permit for it.
The health system said removal of the three smaller theaters is expected to provide workers better access when they start removing asbestos from the main auditorium. The demolition work and removal of debris, being done by Double D Excavating Co. of Omaha, is expected to take several days.
Rider said seats have been removed from all four theaters and are being stored, as are other items, such as a popcorn machine, ice maker, curtains and speakers. Schools and nonprofit organizations have requested the items.
The large screen in the main theater has been removed and also is being stored, waiting to be turned over to the group of investors who had wanted to lease the theater.
When Methodist Health System announced in June that it would be too costly to remove asbestos and make renovations to the theater and that doing so didn't fit into its plans, it said it had offered the investment group most of the furnishings.
However, two members of the investor group told Methodist that they didn't have a place to store the items and to give them to whoever made a request.
Hunter said the goal of his group, Indian Hills Theater Preservation Society Inc., now incorporated as a nonprofit organization, remains the preservation of the main theater.
'It is the last remaining theater of its kind in the world,' he said. 'It is an historic landmark.'
Hunter said a representative of the National Trust for Historic Preservation requested, but was denied, access to the theater last Thursday.
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(c) 2001, Omaha World-Herald, Neb. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
