Chief Theatre Project

The history of the Chief will never be forgotten as long as our Historic Chief Theatre Neon Sign shines brightly every night….

The Chief was always at the heart of the community. This newspaper ad from April 6th, 1966 is certainly proof of that. The Chancellors headlined the event and the group included our own Steve Eaton. Ironically, Steve has since done fund raisers for the restoration of the Chief Theatre in the late 80's and later for restoration of The Chief Theatre Neon Sign in 2013 and other historic neon sign through 2015.

The 1990 Chief Theatre Lobby Restoration

By Randy Dixon

When the Chief Theatre opened its doors on January 5th, 1938 the lobby was considered one of the most beautiful to be found. Those of us who grew up in the Chief were always in awe and felt good just being there. In 1966-67 a full remodel took place and the original charm gave way to the modern look.

When the Chief Foundation began the actual restoration of the Chief as a performing arts center in 1986, the 1967 modern lobby with the suspended ceiling was completely wrecked out.

Plans to restore the lobby began and in late 1989 and local artist Margo Proksa undertook this massive project. Along with Margo, volunteer staff included Miles Friend, Kaye and Roger Turner, Dennis Proksa and a dozen others. The project was partially funded by the Idaho Commission on the Arts.

It wasn’t just the mural restoration, it was a complete repaint with accurate original colors throughout the lobby. Frank W Williams Co. of Idaho Falls did a masterful job repairing the damaged stucco in the lobby. The company also loaned Margo and her staff the use their scaffolding to paint the murals.

Until the Chief Theatre burned on March 20th of 1993, the lobby was a fine example of a beautiful historic preservation project and people had that same warm feeling inside when they were there. It was a real pleasure to watch the restoration happen.

Photo credits to Tommy Barrett, Margo Proksa and Randy Dixon