OTTUMWA, IOWA -- Many Ottumwans remember attending a performance at the Capri or Capitol Theaters years ago and now it’s time to take a step back into time.
The Legacy Foundation purchased the two building back in November with the goal of restoring both the inside and outside.
Right now, there’s a lot of cleanup going on; the old Ottumwa Theater that had been made into four theaters back in the 1980’s is now all one theater again.
The steel framework that was holding up the two screens and balcony are as well as the walls in between are now gone.
Brainstorming for what is to become of the old theaters is in full force.
“This here the Capitol Theater, one of the original ideas was, or first ideas, was to turn this into a dinner theater. So you just kind of imagine maybe all these chairs gone, maybe just the side pieces gone, some terraces built and some dinner tables put down and then the patrons could be watching a movie. There could be a band up there; there could be a speaker – a lot of different aspects for it,” said Geoff Kent, GC Kent Construction.
There are no definite plans yet but for many it will be a trip down memory lane when the doors finally open again.
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