KiMo Theater

KiMo Theater is a historic performance and cinema venue at the northeast corner of Central Avenue and Fifth Street in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico. Opened in 1927, it is one of the best-known surviving examples of Pueblo Deco, an architectural language that combines Pueblo Revival forms and Southwestern Indigenous references with the vertical emphasis, geometric repetition, and decorative discipline of American Art Deco. The building is a three-story stucco structure with stepped massing, rounded and softened edges, recessed elements, strong vertical lines, and a highly ornamented interior. The theater was conceived by Italian-American Albuquerque entrepreneur Oreste Bachechi and his wife, Maria Franceschi Bachechi. Maria Bachechi wanted the project to honor Native American communities that had welcomed the Bachechi family. After consultations and architectural research in New Mexico and California, the Bachechis accepted a design by Carl Boller of the Boller Brothers architectural firm. The resulting building incorporated Pueblo-inspired massing and Southwestern motifs, including decorative shields, ziggurat-like patterns, murals, ceiling vigas, and other Indigenous-themed ornament. The design is culturally specific to New Mexico while also reflecting the 1920s fascination with theatrical architectural styles based on Native American and pre-Columbian imagery. The name was selected through a 1927 competition sponsored by the Albuquerque Journal. More than 500 entries were submitted under rules calling for a short Indigenous-associated name appropriate to the building's architectural concept. Pablo Abeita, a former governor of Isleta Pueblo, won with “Kimo,” described as meaning “mountain lion” and sometimes loosely rendered as “king of the beasts.” The theater opened on September 19, 1927, with Native American dancers and singers, a performance on its Wurlitzer theater organ, and a screening of the comedy film Painting the Town. The opening attracted New Mexico political figures and received congratulatory messages from prominent Hollywood personalities. For much of the mid-twentieth century, the KiMo operated within Albuquerque's expanding commercial theater network. In 1935, the Bachechi family's theater interests were combined with those of Joseph Barnett, bringing the KiMo and the Sunshine Theater into a larger local exhibition organization. By 1952, Albuquerque Exhibitors controlled ten theaters and employed approximately 170 people. The KiMo was later leased to Frontier Theaters and subsequently became part of the Commonwealth Theaters operating system. Commonwealth closed the venue in 1970. After a period associated with Albuquerque Music Theater, the building was used for adult-film screenings and eventually deteriorated. By the late 1970s, the theater was in poor condition following a fire. The City of Albuquerque considered acquiring the property at a reduced value or condemning and demolishing it. The Bachechi family chose preservation and sold the building to the city. Multiple restoration phases followed, culminating in a major preservation effort completed in 2000. That work included new seating and carpeting, a replacement main-stage curtain, improved technical and lighting infrastructure, and a recreation of the original proscenium arch. The restored auditorium accommodates approximately 650 people. The city also commissioned a replica of the theater's original neon sign, which had been installed around 1929 and removed during the 1950s. The replica was installed in June 2011, restoring a prominent element of the building's historic street presence. Today, KiMo Theater functions as a public cultural venue for performances and related programming while also serving as a landmark of Albuquerque's architectural and entertainment history. Its identity rests less on a conventional consumer product line than on the preservation, presentation, and public interpretation of a distinctive historic theater environment.

KiMo Theater was developed in 1920s Albuquerque by Oreste Bachechi and Maria Franceschi Bachechi. Maria Bachechi envisioned a theater that would acknowledge the Native American communities with which the family had developed ties. The couple consulted architects and studied regional building traditions before accepting a design by Carl Boller of the Boller Brothers firm. The building combined the stepped, massive forms and rounded treatment associated with Pueblo Revival architecture with the vertical thrust and geometric ornament of Art Deco. This hybrid became an especially notable expression of Pueblo Deco. A public naming contest held by the Albuquerque Journal in June 1927 attracted more than 500 entries. Pablo Abeita, a former governor of Isleta Pueblo, submitted the winning name, “Kimo,” which was described as referring to a mountain lion. The theater opened on September 19, 1927. Its opening program combined live Indigenous dance and singing, a performance on an $18,000 Wurlitzer organ, and the comedy film Painting the Town. The event was attended by New Mexico civic leaders, while Hollywood figures sent congratulatory telegrams. The KiMo became part of Albuquerque's growing theater business. In 1935, the Bachechi theater holdings were merged with those of Joseph Barnett. The resulting organization, Albuquerque Exhibitors, controlled much of the city's theater exhibition business and by 1952 operated ten local theaters with about 170 employees. In 1956, the theaters were leased to Frontier Theaters, a Texas-based chain. Frontier was later taken over by Commonwealth Theaters, which closed the KiMo in 1970. The venue subsequently had a period connected with Albuquerque Music Theater and later showed adult films. The building's condition worsened during the 1970s, including damage associated with a fire. In 1977, the City of Albuquerque offered to purchase the property at a substantially reduced value or condemn it and demolish it. The Bachechi family elected to preserve the structure and sold it to the city. Restoration proceeded in stages. A major phase completed in 2000 added new seats and carpet, a new main-stage curtain, a modernized technical booth, concealed lighting positions, and a reconstruction of the original proscenium arch. The restored auditorium seats approximately 650. The theater's architectural significance comes from the integration of Southwestern Indigenous references with Art Deco design. The exterior includes Pueblo-like massing and terra-cotta shields, while the interior features geometric patterns, murals, Native American-themed ornament, and ceiling vigas. Architectural scholarship has distinguished the KiMo from more explicitly Mesoamerican revival theaters, noting that its principal visual language is Native American-themed, with only limited abstracted Maya-like references in the entrance foyer. In 2011, Albuquerque completed and installed a replica of the original neon sign, which had appeared around 1929 and disappeared during the 1950s. The restored sign reinforced the building's historic identity on Central Avenue. The KiMo continues as a city-owned public venue for performances, films, and cultural events. The theater is also associated with a local haunting story involving Bobby Darnall, a six-year-old boy who died in the building in 1951 when a lobby water heater exploded. The legend claims that his ghost disrupted a production of A Christmas Carol and was appeased with doughnuts. Investigation by writer Benjamin Radford placed the relevant production in 1986 rather than 1974 and found no corroboration for the alleged disruption. The story is therefore best understood as folklore rather than a documented event.

• 2011

  Historic neon sign replica installed

  [1]KiMo Theateren.wikipedia.org

  A replica of the original sign was installed on the facade in June.

• 2000

  Major restoration phase completed

  [1]KiMo Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The restoration renewed seating, carpeting, stage and technical systems, and recreated the original proscenium arch.

• 1977

  The City of Albuquerque acquires the building for preservation

  [1]KiMo Theateren.wikipedia.org

  Facing deterioration and possible demolition, the building was sold by the Bachechi family to the city.

• 1970

  Commonwealth closes the theater

  [1]KiMo Theateren.wikipedia.org

  After operating under successive theater chains, the KiMo was closed and later experienced less prestigious uses.

• 1952

  Albuquerque Exhibitors reaches ten theaters

  [1]KiMo Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The organization associated with the KiMo controlled ten local theaters and employed approximately 170 people.

• 1935

  Bachechi theater interests merge with Joseph Barnett's holdings

  [1]KiMo Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The merger helped create a larger Albuquerque theater organization that later controlled most of the city's principal theaters.

• 1927

  KiMo Theater opens

  [1]KiMo Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The theater opened in Albuquerque with live Native American performances, a Wurlitzer organ presentation, and a film screening.

A city-owned historic cultural venue positioned around architectural preservation, live entertainment, cinema, and Albuquerque's Southwestern heritage.

• Performing arts · 1927

  Live performance programming

  The KiMo provides a restored stage and auditorium for theatrical productions, concerts, music presentations, and other public performances. Its historic proscenium, approximately 650 seats, decorative interior, and upgraded technical infrastructure allow the venue to function as both a working theater and a heritage site.

• Cinema · 1927

  Film screenings

  Film exhibition was part of the KiMo's original business model, beginning with Painting the Town at the 1927 opening. Although the building is now primarily identified with live cultural programming, cinema remains part of its historical and potential venue uses.

• Cultural heritage · 1927

  Historic venue experience

  The building itself is a principal offering: visitors encounter a rare Pueblo Deco exterior and an interior decorated with Southwestern Indigenous references, geometric Art Deco patterns, murals, ceiling vigas, and a restored proscenium. The venue combines entertainment with architectural and local-history value.

• 2011

  Recreation of the historic neon signOther

  Background

  The original neon sign, installed around 1929, had been removed sometime in the 1950s.

  Action taken

  The City of Albuquerque commissioned and installed a replica sign measuring approximately 24 feet tall by 5 feet wide.

  Aftermath

  The replica restored a recognizable historic feature to the theater's streetscape.

  Replica sign cost. $16,000 (2011)

  Source

• 2000

  Major restoration and modernizationOther

  Background

  The city continued a long-term effort to return the historic theater to a condition suitable for public performances.

  Action taken

  The restoration installed new seating and carpeting, a main-stage curtain, a new technical booth, concealed lighting positions, and a recreation of the original proscenium arch.

  Aftermath

  The KiMo reopened or continued operating as a restored public cultural venue with an auditorium capacity of approximately 650.

  Source

• 1977

  Preservation chosen over demolitionStrategy

  Background

  After fire damage and years of deterioration, the city considered either purchasing the theater at a reduced value or condemning it for demolition.

  Action taken

  The Bachechi family sold the property to the City of Albuquerque so that it could be preserved and restored.

  Aftermath

  The decision enabled successive restoration projects and the theater's return as a public performance venue.

  Source

1. 1KiMo Theateren.wikipedia.org
2. 2City of Albuquerque KiMo Theatercabq.gov