Constructed 1912
Though it opened in 1912 as the Mutual Theater, the Kiva Theater is the second-oldest movie theater still operating in New Mexico, being seven years younger than the Fountain Theater in Mesilla. There is a photo of the auditorium of the Kiva Theatre in the April 29, 1939, issue of Showmen’s Trade Review. The caption says the recent renovation of the house was designed by the Kiva owner, Frank Maloff, it is believed that the correct spelling of his name was Maloof. The 1939 renovation was an art deco interior and facade with brilliant neon lighting outside. A photograph of a crowd of moviegoers in front of the Kiva Theatre was featured on the cover of the July 27, 1946, issue of Boxoffice Magazine.
The Kiva was a Spanish language house at the time. The theater was revived in the 1960s as the Campus Theater, and later in the 1970s as the Kiva Campus theater. The Kiva was the subject of a two-page article in the April, 1992, issue of Boxoffice. After having been closed for several years, the house had been bought and refurbished by Malcolm and Amy Neal, who reopened it in March, 1991. The seating capacity has been reduced to 250. After the death of owner Frank Maloof about 1998, the property was inherited by his nephews, the Owen brothers. The theater was a victim of the digital conversion process and closed in 2013.
109 Bridge St. Las Vegas, NM 87701
photo by Elmo Baca
