Las Vegas woman working to bring only theater in Lincoln County back to life

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Long ago Pioche, Nevada was known as one of the toughest towns in the West. But even as the old mining heydays dried up, people still needed to have a little fun. Now, there is an effort underway to bring the only theater in Lincoln County back to life.

Pioche’s Gem Theater , which opened in 1937, was a key way for the small town to stay connected to World War II America. Since then, the Gem has closed and opened a few times before it was locked up in 2002 after a wind storm blew the roof off.

Just before the COVID lockdown, Melissa Clary with Friends of the Gem Theatre, pulled the trigger on a project almost three hours away and bought the nearly 90-year-old theater.

“It’s the love of history. The love of the Wild West,” Clary said. “I saw this beautiful art deco building for sale for many years and it just sat here.”

Clary lives in Las Vegas and is running for city council. She spent years trying to restore the Huntridge Theater.

In just a few years, Clary’s nonprofit, “Friends of the Gem Theater,” has managed to fix up the neon sign. However, a lot of restorations remain.

“I have the skill set to save that building. I’m going to do it one day. By golly, that day arrived,” Clary told 8 News Now. “This building is a total time capsule. It reflects history from decades ago that feels untouched.”

That includes leftover popcorn from the 1990s and posters from the last movies that played at the theater.

“This is where movie magic would happen,” she said.

So far, the non-profit has raised $1.5 million with state funding to get to this point. It needs up to $3 million in restorations.

“This is my passion project. This is when I feel like I’m giving back to Nevada,” Clary said.

Efforts to get state funding failed in the last legislative session. However, the theater is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

“Restoring a building and giving back to the state through historic preservation, I think is one of the most noble things we can do,” Clary explained.

Clary told 8 News Now that she hopes — in a few years — the Gem can shine once again.

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