NEWS
Holding on to Hope for Evansville’s Alhambra
Almost 50 years after its closing, Evansville’s Alhambra Theatre still presents a reuse conundrum, but new owners with a personal connection to the area hope to find a way to make the building a neighborhood asset.
Still Looking for a Solution
Located at the corner of Parrett and Adams Streets in Haynie’s Corner Arts District, the Alhambra opened on September 27, 1913. Frank J. Schlotter’s distinctive Moorish Revival design — modeled after the famous Spanish palace and fortress in Granada — gave the theater exotic flair, and it thrived for many years as a first-run movie theater.
The theater closed to the public in 1956. Since then, the building has passed through a series of owners with failed revitalization plans.
Aaron Kendall and Ken Haynie III recently purchased the theater from the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana. Haynie is the great-great-grandson of George Haynie, owner of the drug store for whom the Haynie’s Corner is named today. Indiana Landmarks holds covenants protecting the theater’s exterior and will consult with the new owners to ensure preservation of the building’s distinctive architectural character. Read more about the recent purchase at www.courierspress.com.
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