The Hyart Theater was built in Lovell, Wyoming, by Hyrum "Hy" Bischoff in 1950. It is a rare

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

example of a cinema from the early 1950s. The building is notable for the turquoise-colored metal lattice screen that covers a pink metal facade, as well as for its tall neon pylon sign. The Bischoff family was part of a

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

group sent from

Fountain Green, Utah Fountain Green is a city in Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,071 at the 2010 census. History Fountain Green was originally called "Uintah Springs", and under the latter name settlement was made in 1859. A post office ca ...

, to settle in the

Big Horn Basin The Bighorn Basin is a plateau region and intermontane basin, approximately 100 miles (160 km) wide, in north-central Wyoming in the United States. It is bounded by the Absaroka Range on the west, the Pryor Mountains on the north, the Bighor ...

of Wyoming. Dan Bischoff (1870-1936) bought the Armada Theater in Lovell in 1913 and converted it into a cinema. His son Hy took over the business on his father's death and operated two Armada theaters. Determining to build a new cinema, Hy toured the mountain states region looking at other cinemas. The 1949 Villa Theatre in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

particularly impressed Bischoff, and he modeled the Hyart's lobby after the Villa's. Bischoff designed his new theater and directed the construction. Owing to shortages of steel during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, Bischoff obtained salvaged rails from the mines at

Bearcreek, Montana Bearcreek is an incorporated town in Carbon County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 91 at the 2020 census. Bearcreek uses the Mayor/Council form of government. The tow ...

and had them fashioned into steel roof trusses. The two-story building measures approximately deep by wide, facing onto Main Street. The walls are

structural clay tile Structural clay tile describes a category of burned-clay building materials used to construct roofing, walls, and flooring for structural and non-structural purposes, especially in fireproofing applications. Also called building tile, structural te ...

faced with brick, while the lower portion of the street facade is faced with small brick-like slabs of

rhyolite Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The mineral ...

from

Idaho Falls, Idaho Idaho Falls (Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: Dembimbosaage) is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. It is the state's largest city outside the Boise metropolitan area. As of the 2020 Un ...

. The upper part of the street elevation is covered with pink sheet metal and screened by an elaborate diagonal lattice of turquoise metal. An office and apartment are located on the second floor, with eight windows behind the lattice. Pink neon lights outline the facade behind the lattice. A tall pylon features a neon-lighted artist's palette and the word HYART at a right angle to the street. The interior features the original carpeting and painted scrollwork above paneling. Originally seating 1001, the Hyart now seats 940, including a balcony with more than 200 seats. The theater features a soundproof " crying room" for parents with crying babies. In 1960 Hy's daughter Loretta took over the management of the theater. Hy died in 1988 and Loretta closed the theater in 1992. The Hyart was re-opened by a community group in 2004. The Hyart was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2008.

References

External links

Hyart Theater website

Hyart Theater
at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office {{NRHP in Big Horn County, Wyoming Theatres completed in 1950 Buildings and structures in Big Horn County, Wyoming Cinemas and movie theaters in Wyoming Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Wyoming 1950 establishments in Wyoming National Register of Historic Places in Big Horn County, Wyoming