Security shutters being added to KiMo Theatre in Albuquerque

The city of Albuquerque in April filed an application to add security shutters to its historic KiMo Theatre, which recently was damaged by a riot in the days after George Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody.

The State Historic Preservation Office will consider the request after Albuquerque’s Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission approved it last week, reported the Albuquerque Journal.

The theater is boarded up after its windows and doors were broken during the May 31 unrest. The damage was estimated at $10,000 to $12,000, which came out of the KiMo’s budget.

Longstanding problems prompted the request well before the riot:

“In recent years the KiMo has seen an alarming increase in vandalism at the theatre,” the letter said. “There have also been several instances where the homeless have been sleeping in the outer foyer/entrances of the theatre. We are especially concerned over the increasing number of small fires which have been started near the theatre.” […]
The proposal submitted to the commission sought exterior roll-up shutters, bronze in color to match the previously approved and installed grille at the outer lobby.
It also included a replacement door on Fifth NW because the existing door is a painted wooden door – not original. It will be replaced with a painted metal door to match the other service doors.
The commission did put some conditions on the approval, including keeping the building’s integrity in place.

Once approved by the state, which is likely, it would take about five weeks to get the custom-made shutters.

The KiMo Theater was built in 1927 in a rare Pueblo Deco architectural style. A fire severely damaged the structure in the 1960s, but Albuquerque residents voted in 1977 to purchase the theater and restore it. It hosts plays, movie screenings, dance performances, discussions with artists and other events.

(Image of the Kimo Theatre in Albuquerque by William Avery Hudson via Flickr)