>> Eric: ELY’S HISTORIC STATE THEATER IS CELEBRATING ITS 90TH ANNIVERSARY.

REPORTER KAOMI LEE VISITED THE RESTORED THEATER TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ITS PAST AND WHERE IT’S GOING.

[ POPCORN POPPING ] >> IT'S SUMMERTIME AND THAT MEANS IT'S BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE TIME.

MOVIEGOERS IN ELY DIDN'T HAVE TO GO FAR TO SEE THIS SUMMER'S BILLION-DOLLAR GLOBAL HIT, THE ODYSSEY.

>> IT'S BEEN ONE OF OUR BIGGEST DRAWS, WE'VE HAD NEARLY A THOUSAND PEOPLE SEE IT ALREADY.

>> THAT'S NEARLY A THIRD OF ELY'S POPULATION JUST TWO WEEKS.

>> JAMES SCARBOROUGH SAYS PEOPLE COMING UP TO THE CABIN OR CANOE TRIP DON'T HAVE TO MISS OUT.

>> PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS SURPRISED WHEN PEOPLE COME UP TO THE BOUNDARY WATERS TO GO CAMPING OR CANOEING AND DRIVE BY AND SEAT NEWEST BLOCKBUSTER RELEASE AVAILABLE IN ELY.

>> THE THEATER OPENED IN 1936 TO MUCH FANFARE WITH A 36-FOOT NEON MARQUEE, THE RIO WAS COMMISSIONED BY THE SWANSON FAMILY, AND DESIGNED BY PROLIFIC MINNEAPOLIS ARCHITECTS JACK LIEBENBERG AND SIEMEN KAPLAN.

THEY DESIGNED MORE THAN 200 THEATERS OVER 50 YEARS, INCLUDING THE UPTOWN THEATER IN MINNEAPOLIS.

THE NAME CHANGED TO THE STATE THEATER WHEN IT OPENED.

BUT OVER THE YEARS, IT FELL INTO DISREPAIR AS TELEVISION AND VIDEO BECAME POPULAR.

>> SO MANY SMALL COMMUNITIES YOU'LL DRIVE IN AND YOU'LL SEE THE THEATERS SHUT DOWN AND YOU'RE SITTING THERE.

THAT WAS US, THIS LOOKED HORRIBLE, IT WASN'T LIT FOR ALMOST EIGHT YEARS I THINK IT WAS.

IT WAS DARK, THE BUILDING WAS FALLING APART.

>> HISTORIC THEATER LIKE ELY'S HISTORIC STATE THEATER ARE INCREASINGLY RARE THESE DAYS IN MINNESOTA AND NATIONWIDE.

THIS THEATER ALMOST BECAME A PARKING LOT.

BUT THE COMMUNITY RALLIED TO BRING IT BACK FOR THE EXPERIENCE OF WATCHING MOVIES SURROUNDED BY HISTORY.

>> IN 2015 THE OTT FAMILY BOUGHT THE BUILDING AND STARTED RESTORING IT.

A COMMUNITY NON-PROFIT WAS ESTABLISHED TO RAISE MONEY AND MANAGE THE THEATER.

IT'S ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES.

THE LEAGUE OF HISTORIC AMERICAN THEATERS LISTS DOZENS OF SUCH THEATERS AROUND MINNESOTA.

>> AND IN THIS CASE, THIS IS IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN AND IT IS TRULY AN ECONOMIC DRIVER FOR THIS COMMUNITY, FOR THIS IMMEDIATE VICINITY AND BRINGS PEOPLE TO TOWN FOR ALL OF THE EVENTS THAT WE HAVE.

>> WALK INSIDE AND IT'S LIKE GOING BACK IN TIME, A LONG WAY BACK.

>> WE'VE SAVED THE ORIGINAL PROJECTORS, THERE WERE TWO OF THESE, WE HAVE THE OTHER ONE INSIDE YOU'LL SEE.

THESE WERE USED FOR THE FIRST 06 YEARS OF THE THAT'S TRUE THEATER.

AND IT WAS THE OLD REEL TO REEL, 16-MILLIMETER.

BUT WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS PROJECTOR PARTICULARLY IS THE BAKELITE HANDLES ON EVERYTHING.

>> ORIGINAL DETAILS POP LIKE TREASURE HUNT.

>> OH, LOOK AT THE ORIGINAL LIGHT JUSTICE >> IT'S WONDERFUL, ISN'T IT?

THE ART DECO LIGHTS HICH WE'VE ADDED COLOR TO.

>> ORIGINAL ROW ENDS WERE REPAINTED.

>> DAVID, I'VE HEARD A FEW STORIES ABOUT THE OOF HERE.

>> YES.

IN FACT, I CAN TELL YOU HOSE STORIES PERSONALLY.

AT THE END OF ITS RUN WHEN IT WAS ABOUT 2005, 2006, JUST BEFORE IT CLOSED, THE ROOF LEAKED HORRIBLY AND YOU WILLED COME IN, YOU'D HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU SAT SO THAT CEILING TILE WOULDN'T DROP ON YOU, OR IF IT WAS RAINING YOU'D ACTUALLY GET RAINED ON.

>> BUT A MUSEUM, IT'S NOT.

FOR JUST SEVEN DOLLARS A TICKET VISITORS CAN WATCH A MOVIE IN ONE OF TWO STATE OF THE ART SURROUND SOUND SCREENING ROOMS.

SPECIALTY DRINKS AND FOOD ARE AVAILABLE.

>> LIKE MOST STAIRCASES IN ELY, IT'S VERY NARROW.

>> EVEN A TRIP TO THE OLD FIREPROOF PROJECTOR ROOM SHOWS TIMES HAVE CHANGED.

>> THIS IS OUR DIGITAL PROJECTOR.

>> IT CAN PLAY 2K OR 4K MOVIES AND IS PROGRAMMABLE.

GONE ARE THE DOUBLE PROJECTORS, AND ALSO THE HUMANS WHO USED TO HAVE TO CHECK HOW WELL THE MOVIE WAS PLAYING THROUGH PEEPHOLES.

>> I LOVE IT WHEN THE OLD GUYS COME IN AND TELL ME, OH, MY FIRST JOB WAS RUNNING THE PROJECTOR WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL.

>> THE THEATER BOARD HAS BIG PLANS.

IT'S HOLDING AN ANNIVERSARY GALA TO RAISE ANOTHER $200,000.

BOARD CHAIR JUSTIN BERHAM SAYS THEY WANT TO FINISH A COMMUNITY EVENT SPACE.

IT WILL BE USED AS A CINEMA MAKING CLASSROOM, HOST FILM FESTIVAL ATTENDEES AND BE A HUM FOR WHATEVER THE COMMUNITY NEEDS.

>> YES, WE DO MOVIES, YES, WE DO SOME FUN LOCAL SORT OF, YOU KNOW, EVENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT WE ALSO ARE A 501(C)(3) AND WE WANT TO BE DOING PROGRAMMING AS WELL.

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