Midwest Theater
The Midwest Theater is a brick commercial building in downtown Scottsbluff built in 1946 and distinguished by its rectangular, two-story Art Deco structure with upper stucco cladding. Inside, three-dimensional plaster scrolls rise up to 25 feet on each side of the screen, framed by colorful floral murals on walls and ceiling, while the front facade features a 60-foot steel tower topped with illuminated aluminum stars and a 50-foot canopy with neon lettering.
The theater was built in 1946 to replace the Egyptian Theatre, which had been destroyed by fire, providing the community with a new venue for movies and events. It operated as a movie house until 1996 when it closed, after which the Oregon Trail Community Foundation took ownership and helped establish a local volunteer group in 1998 to restore and maintain it for public use.
The theater draws its name from the region it serves and functions as a gathering place where the community comes together for entertainment and cultural events. Visitors notice the elaborate interior murals with floral designs and layered decorative elements that reflect how people of that era valued beauty and spectacle in public spaces.
The theater is located in downtown Scottsbluff along Broadway and is easy to spot thanks to its large canopy and illuminated tower visible from a distance. Plan to arrive early if you want to explore the building itself and take time to appreciate its architectural details and interior design before events begin.
When built in 1946, the theater was crowned with one of the tallest neon-lit towers in a small town, with its 60-foot steel structure topped by glowing stars serving as a postwar symbol of hope and progress for the community. This striking tower remains one of the most memorable features visible for blocks around, a physical reminder of the era's optimism and the role cinema played in bringing people together.
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