Historic Strand Theatre renovation aims to bring entertainment back to Creston

CRESTON, Iowa – As some small Iowa communities work to keep their downtowns vibrant, the new owners of the Strand Theatre in Creston hope restoring the historic building will create a new gathering place for residents.

The Strand Theatre has been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic. When the building was listed for sale in May, Christian Daugherty and Amy Bertelsen purchased it with plans to reopen it as more than just a movie theater.

“My wife woke me up a month or so ago and said, ‘Hey, the theater went up for sale, and I bought it.’ And I was like, “Oh,” Oh, okay,” Daugherty said.

“Woo-Hoo. I bought a theater,” Bertelsen said. “Because it’s been sitting empty, and we have nothing in Creston any longer. There’s no professional bowling alley, there’s no roller skating rink. There’s nothing for the kids to do.”

Renovations are already underway. The owners have replaced the roof and are now working on installing ADA-accessible bathrooms, a new HVAC system and making additional upgrades throughout the building.

“When the movie theater closed, we had to drive to Des Moines, or we do have a few neighboring communities that have theaters, but we’re so grateful to have the opportunity to reopen this,” said Kathy Thorneralston, a Strand Theatre board member.

The owners say their vision extends beyond showing movies.

“The big thing is we want to open it as a state-of-the-art theater system where we can do live music, live comedy, dance, theater and all that stuff. We also want to have it as a convention center for training, to hold conferences and stuff like that. Multipurpose and open up for absolutely anything you can think of, just having a community outreach location as a nonprofit,” Daugherty said.

The building has a long history in Creston. Built in 1869, it operated as a vaudeville house in the 1920s before showing silent films accompanied by a live pianist on stage. The theater has continued to evolve over the decades and remains a place filled with memories for many residents.

“Having people come up and say, ‘My first kiss was on the balcony. Are you going to reopen the balcony?’ No fire marshal said I’m not reopening the balcony. Sorry, but you can still come here and have a nice movie experience,” Bertelsen laughed.

The owners are in the process of converting the Strand Theatre into a nonprofit organization.

“We bought it not to make money. We bought it to open a theater so everybody can come and have entertainment,” Daugherty said.

“Especially these small-town community theaters are not profit-making. For that reason, we’ve turned it into a nonprofit,” Thorneralston said.

In addition to movies and live performances, the owners hope to employ people of all ability levels and eventually offer a dinner theater experience with a kitchen and concession stand.

Community support has been strong since the project was announced.

“I just started the Facebook group last Thursday, and I already have 1,500 followers, so that’s pretty good. It’s crazy. Everybody asks when we’re going to open all that, I’m just like, as soon as possible,” Bertelsen said.

The owners are hoping to open the theater in late August or early September.

They are asking anyone interested in volunteering time, donating resources, or contributing financially to help restore the theater to contact them through the Strand Theater, Creston Iowa Facebook page.