Central Theater

The Central Theater was built in Ely, Nevada from 1939 to 1941. The Art Deco style cinema was built by Percy and Warren Hull after they were denied permission to expand Ely's Capital Theater, which opened in 1916. Originally it was built as a 725-seat theater. The Central is unusual in a town where most of the structures were built in the boom times of the early 20th century. The one story building features a vertical CENTRAL neon sign over the marquee. The interior features curved surfaces and is in a good state of preservation.[3]

Central Theater
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	145 W. 15th St., Ely, Nevada[1]
Coordinates	39°15′3.7″N 114°52′59.3″W
Built	1939–1941
Architect	Hull, Percy and Warren
Architectural style	Art Deco
NRHP reference No.	93000691
Added to NRHP	August 05, 1993[2]

Construction began in 1939, with an ultimate cost of $80,000. The Central held its grand opening on March 29, 1941, with Arizona as its opening show. The Central was advertised as "The Finest Theater in Eastern Nevada."[3] The Central Theater closed on February 4, 1993,[3] and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 5, 1993.[2] The Central Theater had reopened as of 2006, but was closed in 2011, while its owners attempted to sell the building. The theater later reopened on May 25, 2012. In the weeks following its reopening, the theater experienced a large turnout of customers.[4][5][6]

By October 2013, theater manager Chris Lani and his father-in-law, Don Purinton, announced plans to purchase the theater, which would become effective in March 2014. Lani and Purinton planned to start showing second-run films, as well as live theater shows, musical acts, and sports coverage.[7] Lani and his brother had previously purchased the Capital Theater with plans to renovate and reopen it.[8]

A new projection screen, as well as a digital projector and sound system, were installed in April 2014, as part of a planned renovation by Lani and Purinton.[9] The 2016 film, The Dark Hand, includes scenes shot at the Central Theater, where the film was later premiered.[10][11]

References

1. "Central Theater". Archived 2014-09-10 at the Wayback Machine "Welcome to Ely" (White Pine County Tourism and Recreation Board). Archived 2014-07-23 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2014-09-08. See also 2014 photo showing theater on 15th Street.
2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
3. James, Ron; McFadden, Michelle (May 1993). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Central Theater". National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
4. "Central Theater to reopen May 25th". The Ely Times. 2012-05-14. Retrieved 2017-05-10 – via NewsBank.
5. "Central Theater to reopen Memorial Day weekend". The Ely Times. 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2017-05-10 – via NewsBank.
6. "Central Theater thriving in opening weeks". The Ely Times. 2012-06-08. Retrieved 2017-05-10 – via NewsBank.
7. Eggen, Lukas (2013-10-03). "Central Theater ownership to change next year". The Ely Times. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
8. Herndon, Rudy (2007-01-26). "A Tale of Two Theaters: Lani brothers have big plans for Ely theatre" (PDF). The Ely Times. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
9. Estrada, Garrett (2014-04-11). "Big changes coming to Central Theater". The Ely Times. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
10. Estrada, Garrett (2015-01-23). "Ely native returns home to shoot feature film". The Ely Times. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
11. "Movie premieres this week". The Ely Times. 2016-02-26. Retrieved 2017-05-10.