The Grand Theater in Knoxville has now raised over $30,000, with more donations coming in to avoid foreclosure next week.

Last Tuesday, the local movie theater announced that they are facing foreclosure due to a bill that needs to be paid to a company that dried out the theater after they suffered extensive water damage last summer. The theater needs help raising $125,000 in the next week to help keep the building. Without that money, the theater will be forced to close and will no longer have control of the building.

Since the announcement, a large number of community members, local businesses, and community organizations have come together to make donations to try and reach the $125,000 to keep the Grand Theater open. Local businesses and community organizations have put together many fundraising initiatives and have come up with creative ideas to raise money while individuals have been dropping off money at the theater, mailing checks, and utilizing a PayPal account that has been set up along with a fundraising account at Marion County Bank.

In July of 2024, the theater hired a company to fix their roof and before work was completed a storm came through that caused extensive water damage and flooding to the building. The theater hired a cleaning company to limit the amount of water damage in which they removed standing water but the seats, curtains, screens, digital projectors, walls, ceilings, and stage still fell victim to the water damage.

The theater was able to open back up after a long journey with months of volunteer work from community members and employees, but the theater has run into legal hurdles regarding the financial side. The insurance claim  has been denied and the roofing company has denied any responsibility for the damage. The theater has taken legal action against the roofing company, but a court date is not happening until September 2026.The theater is at least trying to raise enough money to negotiate a payment plan with the company who dried out the building if the full amount can’t be reached.

If you would like to donate to the Grand Theater you can send contributions to 212 E Robinson St. Knoxville, IA 50138 or you can utilize the PayPal link here. You can also make donations to the Knoxville Community Foundation if you would like a tax deductible contribution and they will then give the money to the theater. C.R. and Andrew and Tanner and Sam’s Angel are matching funds up to $10,000 for individuals contributing $100 or more. Stay tuned to KNIA/KRLS for updates on The Grand Theater.