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Roof
collapses at theater - Abilene, KS Falling debris from the roof also damaged a brick wall of the historic structure, leaving a gaping hole on the west end of the theater, which first opened as a downtown movie house in 1910. An adjacent business, Last Chance Graphics, also was damaged in the 12:04 p.m. collapse, according to an Abilene Police Department dispatcher. Theater co-owner Cathy Strowig said the structure may have been weakened in a series of violent thunderstorms that struck Abilene more than a week ago. "We did have some leaking in the roof after those storms, and we had the insurance guy in," Strowig said, "but nobody saw anything to indicate something of this magnitude." A screening of the Sean Connery film "Entrapment" had been set to begin at 7 p.m. Sunday. The roof failure also sent a support beam crashing through the theater's screen, believed to be one of the largest in the state. Strowig said the theater's new digital stereo sound system also was heavily damaged. The equipment, housed behind the screen, had been replaced in 1998, she said. The theater was built in 1879 as the Bonebrake Opera House. Strowig's grandfather purchased the theater in 1930, converting the 600-seat auditorium to exclusive motion picture use. Dwight Eisenhower, who grew up in Abilene, had his first news conference as a presidential candidate in the theater in June 1952, and several movies have premiered there. Six years ago, the Strowig family completed an extensive renovation of the theater, including a project that restored the theater's lobby to its 1930s appearance. "We've always continued to work on it," Strowig said. "With a building this old, you're always trying to make improvements and trying to keep it up. So many people in Abilene know it as the place where they had their first date." Strowig said she planned to meet with engineers and insurance adjusters this week to determine whether the old theater is salvageable. "I don't know if this is the last picture show or not," Strowig said. "If it is, the community has really had a big loss." |
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Movie House History - Classic
Theaters Of Kansas © 2007
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ABILENE -- For the first time in nearly 90 years, the lights have gone
out on the marquee of Abilene's historic Plaza Theater movie palace,
heavily damaged by a Sunday afternoon roof collapse. No one was in the
building, and no one was hurt.