The Carson Valley Cinemas sign along Highway 395 in Minden.
On Thursday afternoon, patrons were entering to watch movies at Minden’s Carson Valley Cinemas.
Members of the Douglas County Parks & Recreation Advisory Board are scheduled to make a Jan. 14 visit to the theater, which is on the market.
“We are looking at acquiring the theater and are bringing forward some conceptual ideas about how it could be operated,” said Community Services Director Brook Adie. “The concept is for the County to own the property and create (an agreement) with a nonprofit art organization to operate it as a cultural and performing arts theater-movie theater.”
The building was constructed in 1998 as a multiplex and has had a few owners willing to try out the theater business.
The theater last sold in 2015 for $1.1 million, according to the Douglas County Assessor’s Office. That was down from $2.33 million paid in a bankruptcy sale in 2013.
The most recent operator of the theater is Russ Levinson, who opened it March 2022.
According to an NAI Alliance listing, the cinemas are fully equipped with all the fixtures, projectors eight screens and concession and other equipment. The 23,026 square foot building could be used as a theater or converted to retail use.
Advisory board members are scheduled to meet at the cinemas to discuss their acquisition for use as a local theater and performing arts center.
There is a recommendation before the board to enter in a lease agreement for the building through August and then enter a purchase agreement with NAI Alliance after that, including an agreement with the Carson Valley Arts Council for its operation and maintenance.
“The Carson Valley Arts Council is definitely in the loop on this new opportunity for a potential cultural and performing arts community center,” Council President Brian Fitzgerald said on Friday.
Should the agreement be approved, the parks and recreation panel would recommend forming an advisory board to provide advice on operating the theater.
The Carson Valley Arts Council was formed 20 years ago with the goal of developing a center for the performing arts, according to an R-C story appearing March 22, 2005.
That effort focused on the former Copeland lumber building in Minden, which was purchased by the Arts Council in 2008.
Built in 1968, the Copeland was placed on the Nevada State Register of Historic Places in 2022. The original plan was to build a 300-seat performance venue. The Arts Council has hired an architect and is starting to raise money for the project.
