Masonic Temple and World Theater Building
About this property
The World Theatre is a historic movie theater and performing arts center in Kearney, Nebraska. The building, which also housed a Masonic Temple on its upper three floors, was designed by James T. Allen in the Classical Revival style. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The World Theatre originally opened as a vaudeville venue on November 14, 1927. It did not begin screening movies until the 1930s. In 1983, the venue was converted to host an additional auditorium. Following the conversion, the theater began to decline, especially as the city of Kearney grew and locals were drawn away from the historic downtown district into the suburbs. In 2008, the World Theatre permanently closed after 80 years of operation. The facility remained dormant until 2011 when Kearney native Jon Bokenkamp led an initiative to restore and reopen it. The project initially began with T-shirt fundraisers but later received over US$1,000,000 in funds from private donors as well as city and state grants. The theater reopened on June 29, 2012; Nebraskan filmmaker Alexander Payne presented a screening of the 1959 crime comedy Some Like It Hot and hosted a question-and-answer session. On March 17, 2020, the World Theatre closed indefinitely for planned renovations and as a reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. The persistence of the pandemic caused the theater's reopening to be delayed until February 2021. The scope of changes included the installation of new balcony seats, a revised concession stand, and new stage lighting, among other alterations. National Register of Historic Places in Buffalo County, Nebraska
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Masonic Temple and World Theater Building
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Questions about this property
When was Masonic Temple and World Theater Building listed on the National Register?
Masonic Temple and World Theater Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 10, 2009.
What type of historic resource is Masonic Temple and World Theater Building?
Masonic Temple and World Theater Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Masonic Temple and World Theater Building?
The period of significance for Masonic Temple and World Theater Building is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Masonic Temple and World Theater Building?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Masonic Temple and World Theater Building will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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