Midwest Theater

The Egyptian Theater screened Rita Hayworth in Tonight and Every Night on March 4, 1945. By the next day, it had burned to the ground.

For owner William H. Ostenberg, Jr., the disaster became an opportunity to give Scottsbluff something grander. Just over a year later, the fire-damaged theater had been replaced by the New Midwest Theater, which opened with much fanfare on May 3, 1946.

Denver architect Charles D. Strong designed the theater in the Moderne style, crowned by a 60-foot stainless steel and aluminum tower. Its vertical centerpiece held 132 aluminum stars backed by 68 spotlights, creating a facade that must have looked almost futuristic against downtown Scottsbluff. And beneath all that glamour? A 12-table pool hall tucked below the auditorium.

The Midwest showed its final film under First International Theatres on September 12, 1996. The following year, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1998 the newly formed Friends of the Midwest Theater brought movies back to the screen. Today, volunteers remain at the heart of the historic venue, helping keep its lights on nearly eight decades after those 68 spotlights first began flashing.