REXBURG — The Romance Theater has been undergoing renovations since the spring of 2016, and the gold leafing and painting was completed recently by Rigby resident William Hall. In January, he was awarded a plaque for his dedication to the project. All said, Hall has put in more than 700 volunteer hours to help with the renovations.

During a January City Council meeting, Mayor Jerry Merrill said he had a goal to compile a recent history of the Romance Theater by contacting those who were part of the previous Romance Theater Restoration Committee, which was created 20 years ago.

According to the Jan. 15 City Council minutes, the committee was directed by City Attorney Steven Zollinger, Economic Development Director Scott Johnson, Building Inspector Ted Dye and Economic Developer Daniel Torres. Committee members included Omar and Lori Hanson, Gwen and Roger Harris, Gary Benson, Pat Huish and other Brigham Young University-Idaho staff and students.

“The building that is now the Romance Theater was once two buildings, the Rex Theater and the Lang Building, two abutting structures built in 1916-1917 on what had long been known as the Cook corner at the intersection of South Center and East Main streets,” according to The Romance Theater History.

By 1920, Rexburg had become a prosperous town with a need for high-quality entertainment. At the time, there were two electric theaters that showed motion pictures as early as 1908, but the Rex was meant as a bigger and better theater for a variety of performances. It continued until the Teton Dam Flood occurred in 1976. The flood destroyed much of the theater and other valuables housed in it. It would reopen a few years later after being devastated by the flood.

Then in 2001 the city of Rexburg purchased the Romance Theater and considered demolishing it to make way for public parking. It sat empty until work began on renovations in 2016.

In a Nov. 29, 2016, Standard Journal article, city of Rexburg Cultural Arts Director Jackie Rawlins said that nothing in the theater was spared by the flood.

“There wasn’t anything on Main Street that wasn’t underwater,” Rawlins said at the time. “The whole theater was completely filled. There is still a hairline on the stage area where you can see the water line.”

Today the Romance Theater is a prime location for auditions, local productions and regular holiday movie nights.