The 82-year-old Marianne Theater sits in contrast with a vibrant downtown scene in Bellevue, Kentucky. While sporting a 1940s Art Deco aesthetic on the outside, a peek inside shows the need for renovation — something that’s been on the mind of city administrators since 2014, when they purchased the property.
“I remember a lot of good times here — and going on dates here and stuff like that,” said Bellevue Mayor Charlie Cleves. “It's got a lot of memories for a lot of us like me in Bellevue.”
On Aug. 12, the city entered a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Marianne Arts & Education Center, a Kentucky nonprofit that seeks to renovate and reopen the theater. Per the MOU, the nonprofit will eventually purchase the property from the city.
“We have 24 months to raise $1 million — that is kind of like the baseline goal,” said Board member Caroline Lembright.
Since Cleves became mayor in 2019, he’s seen many proposals fall through. From a brewery to wedding venues and condos, nothing has been the right fit for the community. Cleves remembers when downtown Bellevue went from family-owned shops to large corporate chains, back to locally owned businesses.
“Since [about] 2002, everything has come back, and so this is just perfect timing,” Cleves said. “Now that we've got everything going good and running great on the avenue, and lots of people coming here.”
City Council member Chasity Bothman volunteers with Marianne Arts & Education Center. She agrees for-profit companies have struggled in the past to get something off the ground because of the cost.
"It's been vacant for so long that the cost of renting that property can be a little bit prohibitive to for-profit businesses,” Bothman said. “We're thinking that it's going to cost about $2.5 million to $3 million.”
Eighty years of history
Since opening in 1942, the Marianne Theater quickly solidified its place for many as a historic Bellevue gem. Now, there are holes in the wall, much of the theater-style chairs are gone and the tiles of the floor have peeled.
“It screened the last film there in 1992 after a fire in the concession area — I believe it was the popcorn machine,” Lembright said. “It closed the theater for renovation, and it never reopened.”
The last film ever shown was “As Good as It Gets.” The movie film roll still sits inside the projector room.
The city has taken some fragile parts of the theater, like the projector lenses, out and stored them away. But much of its original parts, like the popcorn machine and a large speaker, remain inside.
“The restroom tiles seem to be really in good condition,” Lambright said. “Of course, the restrooms don't exist anymore. But the tiles are just really beautiful.”
What happens now?
The Marianne Arts & Education has until December 2027 to raise $1 million to become owners of the theater.
Should it not be able to raise the money in time, the city can either take the MOU back entirely or consider an extension. Cleves said this way, the city doesn’t lose money it's been using for small renovations just to keep the building standing.
“There's really no risk,” he said. “If it doesn't really work out, they have tried to do something really good for the city of Bellevue, and that's a good thing.”
The MOU lists plans for a welcoming snack at the entrance, a small theater in the front and educational workshop space in the back. Even so, Lembright said people feel strongly about the theater, so nothing is set in stone.
“We want this to be resident-driven, led, informed, because there have been so many different ideas for what the future of the Marianne could look like,” she said. “We want this to be a flexible, welcoming space where people can come together and connect and feel all those good feelings again.”
For now, residents can visit the Marianne Theater website for more information and sign up for alerts.
“I mean, just stepping into the Marianne now, you can kind of get the feeling of the magic and how beautiful it was before,” Lembright said. “We really hope to get it back to that loveliness.”
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