Jerry Kloberdanz, Gerald Peterson and Jeff Pingel, from left, stand in the auditorium of The Webster Theater in downtown Webster City. The restored theater had to close when smoke from a fire next door, and the water used to battle that blaze, destroyed the theater's interior almost exactly a year ago: November 29, 2023. The current round of restoration is expected to be complete by spring 2025.

The Grinch is alive and well, and living at the Webster Theater.

And he’s up to his old tricks.

Despite the good work of Webster City’s HERO board — Help Entertain and Restore Organization — Peterson Construction of Webster City, a grant from the Hotel/Motel Tax Board, proceeds from an insurance policy, and generous donations from Webster City and beyond, it has been confirmed the beloved local movie theater can’t reopen in time for this year’s Christmas in the City celebration.

Webster Citians will never forget that horrifying day nearly a year ago when fire gutted the building at 608 Second Street. Since 608 shares a common wall with the Webster Theater, there was concern fire could spread to the theater itself. Due to heroic efforts of the Webster City Fire Department, and timely help from other neighboring fire companies, the fire was stopped just as it jumped into the theater’s attic in the far southeastern corner of the building.

So, it wasn’t fire that destroyed the theater’s auditorium.

It was smoke from the fire and the water used to put the fire out.

Demolition came first

“Gerald Peterson wanted to get into the building the day after the fire,” HERO board member Jerry Kloberdanz said recently.

But the theater’s insurance company wouldn’t permit that until an engineer first certified the building was safe for workmen to be on the premises.

That took a month.

There was six inches of water standing on the auditorium floor, winter was coming, and if allowed to freeze, the entire building would have been at risk of collapse.

Kloberdanz remembered, “Jason Van Sickle came in here and drilled holes in the floor so water could drain into the basement.”

That wasn’t as easy as it sounds. There were three layers of plywood on the auditorium floor laid over the theater’s original hardwood flooring, and water had soaked through all of it.

“Jason has been a huge help,” Kloberdanz said. “He’s the kind of guy who tells you he doesn’t have any time for the next two weeks, then shows up the next day to do the work. It isn’t easy when you run your own business like he does, but that’s what he does every time. He also hooked up temporary lighting and power so others can do their work.”

Then the serious work of demolition began.

“You can’t see behind walls,” said HERO President Jeff Pingel, “so you don’t know how extensive the damage really is until you take them down.”

Those walls, covered with decades of old plaster and lath, have been completely torn out. As with most older buildings, the more you look, the more you find that needs to be done.

“Everything’s been gutted,” Pingel said. “There’s a lot more work here than anybody anticipated.”

Things were going well in the spring of 2024. In a March 28, 2024, Daily Freeman Journal story, Pingel thought a September reopening was possible. But the Grinch stepped up and played his part once more.

Another wall almost came tumbling down

In late spring, the entire front wall of the theater was discovered to be 8 inches out of plumb and leaning dangerously toward Second Street. The insurance company stopped all work, demanding an engineering study be completed before any further work was done.

More delays.

“We just hadn’t noticed it before,” Kloberdanz said. “One day I went up in the bucket lift, and then it was so obvious.”

If the wall had fallen, it would have taken the theater’s landmark feature, its Art Deco marquee, with it. A fun fact pointed out by Pingel: When you look at today’s marquee, it’s the second one you’re seeing; the original, smaller one, is hidden inside the sheet metal framework.

Looking on the bright side, Pingel calls the discovery of the leaning exterior wall “a blessing in disguise.”

He explained, “If we’d have continued with restoration, and the wall continued to break away from the building, it would have destroyed everything.”

Restoration finally begins

Only very recently has demolition been completed and the exterior wall stabilized. Now begins the work of putting it all back together.

At the theater on Thursday, Peterson was overseeing installation of a new gas meter. It’s necessary because, with the onset of cold weather, it’s going to get cold in the auditorium. The next step is installation of new furnaces, which will allow work to go on throughout the winter.

What kind of work? Just about everything you expect to see in a movie theater.

Pingel notes, with his own brand of modest pride, “From the start, the HERO board wanted to make the restoration as local as possible. We’re using, and will continue using, Iowa suppliers, and when that’s not possible, those in the Midwest as close to Iowa as we can get.”

It turns out that won’t be all that difficult.

Every self-respecting movie theater serves popcorn, and since the old popcorn popper was destroyed last fall, HERO is turning to C. Cretors & Company of Wood Dale, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. In business since 1885, the company proudly claims to have invented the commercial corn popper. It’s still making them today.

Popcorn will come from Snappy Popcorn, headquartered in Breda, population 500. The firm has been growing, packaging and selling popcorn for theater concession stands since 1940. Although Indiana is officially the largest popcorn-producing state, rest assured, all you’ll ever be served at The Webster is 100% Iowa-grown.

And what about those movie-going essentials: little boxes of Milk Duds, Dots and Mike & Ike’s?

Relax, they’ll be back in stock, supplied by family-owned Hewett Wholesale, of Mason City.

Pingel and Kloberdanz turned cagey when asked about the Webster’s new seating.

The new seats will definitely be an upgrade from the old ones, and will offer “more legroom and more comfort.” They’re being made in Michigan, so the Midwestern connection continues.

Heather Howard, of Peterson Construction, is in charge of interior design. With a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Interior Design from Iowa State University and 15 years’ experience, the work is about as local as you can get.

You’ll also be relieved to know, the renovated Webster Theatre will retain its claim to “the largest single screen in North Central Iowa.” It’s buying a new Harkness silver screen, capable of showing both 2D and 3D movies. The screen, and a new state-of-the-art projector, together, will cost $90,000.

Calling all heroes

With a long way to go before the marquee can be lit, the auditorium lights dimmed, and the corn popped, HERO can’t yet set a firm reopening. Pingel is confident “the setbacks are behind us now”, and Kloberdanz said, “we want moviegoers to be surprised when they come in.”

So that will have to do for now.

With such devastating damage, and a long list of projects to ensure this renovation is “done right,” Kloberdanz said, “a lot of the work won’t be covered by insurance.”

Which is where everyone else comes in.

You, too, can be a hero, and help keep the work going forward, by making a year-end donation. Mail checks to HERO, 610 Second Street, Webster City, IA 50595, donate online at its website, www.webstertheater.org/donate, or use the QR code on the building’s front door downtown.

Your donation will ensure the Grinch has to find a new home.