Hyart Theater
Encyclopedia
The Hyart Theater was built in Lovell, Wyoming
by Hyrum "Hy" Bischoff in 1950. It is a rare Wyoming
example of a cinema
from the early 1950s. The building is notable for the turquoise-colored metal lattice screen that covers a pink metal facade, as well as for its tall neon pylon sign.
The Bischoff family was part of a Mormon
group sent from Fountain Green, Utah
to settle in the Big Horn Basin of Wyoming. Dan Bischoff (1870-1936) bought the Armada Theater in Lovell in 1913 and converted it into a cinema. His son Hy took over the business on his father's death and operated two Armada theaters. Determining to build a new cinema, Hy toured the mountain states region looking at other cinemas. The 1949 Villa Theater in Salt Lake City particularly impressed Bischoff, and he modeled the Hyart's lobby after the Villa's. Bischoff designed his new theater and directed the construction. Owing to shortages of steel during the Korean War
, Bischoff obtained salvaged rails from the mines at Bearcreek, Montana
and had them fashioned into steel roof trusses.
The two story building measures approximately 224 feet (68.3 m) deep by 70 feet (21.3 m) wide, facing onto Main Street. The walls are structural clay tile faced with brick, while the lower portion of the street facade is faced with small brick-like slabs of rhyolite
from Idaho Falls, Idaho
. The upper part of the street elevation is covered with pink sheet metal and screened by an elaborate diagonal lattice of turquoise metal. An office and apartment are located on the second floor, with eight windows behind the lattice. Pink neon lights outline the facade behind the lattice. A tall pylon features a neon-lighted artist's palette and the word HYART at a right angle to the street.
The interior features the original carpeting and painted scrollwork above paneling. Originally seating 1001, the Hyart now seats 940, including a balcony with more than 200 seats. The theater features a soundproof "crying room" for parents with crying babies.
In 1960 Hy's daughter Loretta took over the management of the theater. Hy died in 1988 and Loretta closed the theater in 1992. The Hyart was re-opened by a community group in 2004.
The Hyart was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2008.
Lovell, Wyoming
Lovell is a town in Big Horn County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 2,281 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lovell is located at ....
by Hyrum "Hy" Bischoff in 1950. It is a rare Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
example of a cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
from the early 1950s. The building is notable for the turquoise-colored metal lattice screen that covers a pink metal facade, as well as for its tall neon pylon sign.
The Bischoff family was part of a Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
group sent from Fountain Green, Utah
Fountain Green, Utah
Fountain Green is a city in Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 945 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fountain Green is located at ....
to settle in the Big Horn Basin of Wyoming. Dan Bischoff (1870-1936) bought the Armada Theater in Lovell in 1913 and converted it into a cinema. His son Hy took over the business on his father's death and operated two Armada theaters. Determining to build a new cinema, Hy toured the mountain states region looking at other cinemas. The 1949 Villa Theater in Salt Lake City particularly impressed Bischoff, and he modeled the Hyart's lobby after the Villa's. Bischoff designed his new theater and directed the construction. Owing to shortages of steel during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, Bischoff obtained salvaged rails from the mines at Bearcreek, Montana
Bearcreek, Montana
Bearcreek is a town in Carbon County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 83 at the 2000 census.The town of Bearcreek was named for Bear Creek, which runs through the middle of town...
and had them fashioned into steel roof trusses.
The two story building measures approximately 224 feet (68.3 m) deep by 70 feet (21.3 m) wide, facing onto Main Street. The walls are structural clay tile faced with brick, while the lower portion of the street facade is faced with small brick-like slabs of rhyolite
Rhyolite
This page is about a volcanic rock. For the ghost town see Rhyolite, Nevada, and for the satellite system, see Rhyolite/Aquacade.Rhyolite is an igneous, volcanic rock, of felsic composition . It may have any texture from glassy to aphanitic to porphyritic...
from Idaho Falls, Idaho
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Idaho Falls is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, United States, and the largest city in Eastern Idaho. As of the 2010 census, the population of Idaho Falls was 56,813, with a metro population of 130,374....
. The upper part of the street elevation is covered with pink sheet metal and screened by an elaborate diagonal lattice of turquoise metal. An office and apartment are located on the second floor, with eight windows behind the lattice. Pink neon lights outline the facade behind the lattice. A tall pylon features a neon-lighted artist's palette and the word HYART at a right angle to the street.
The interior features the original carpeting and painted scrollwork above paneling. Originally seating 1001, the Hyart now seats 940, including a balcony with more than 200 seats. The theater features a soundproof "crying room" for parents with crying babies.
In 1960 Hy's daughter Loretta took over the management of the theater. Hy died in 1988 and Loretta closed the theater in 1992. The Hyart was re-opened by a community group in 2004.
The Hyart was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2008.
External links
- Hyart Theater website
- Hyart Theater at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office