Odeon's co-owner wants city to buy it

The co-owner of the Odeon Theater on Thursday told a gathering of people interested in renovating and reopening the Princess Theatre she wanted the City of Tucumcari to buy her venue, operate it and use the proceeds to revive the long-closed Princess.

Christy Dominguez, co-owner of the Odeon with her husband Robert Lopez since 2013, said the Odeon is profitable enough with its food license that "it does pay for itself" and that the city could use the Odeon's revenue for the Princess.

"There's a lot of money and lot of opportunity for the union of these (theaters) to come back together," Dominguez said. "It would be a big pull for downtown. I think it's a great investment for the city."

She said the Odeon could go into a cooperative with other small theaters, bring back the screen to the Princess Theatre, and both Tucumcari venues would have shorter runs of first-run movies. Dominguez also said grants are available from the USDA Rural Development program.

After the meeting, Dominguez said she and her husband had been talking "for years" about putting the Odeon on the market, though she prefers the city take over ownership.

"I really only want the city to have it. That's my whole goal," she said, adding she also would be amenable to an ownership deal also involving the county, Tucumcari MainStreet or a combination.

Dominguez said she essentially is working two full-time jobs managing the Odeon and helping her father run Bob's Upholstery.

"I'm not able to give either one the best of quality care I can give, and it's exhausting me fully," she said. "I love my theater, I love where it's gone, and I love where it's going."

Dominguez wouldn't reveal the Odeon's price tag to the city but added: "It's a reasonable asking price."

City manager Paula Chacon, who attended Thursday's meeting led by Mayor Ralph Moya, said she would have no comment about Dominguez's proposal until after she researches it.

The Odeon opened about 1936 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Princess Theatre, which city father Arch Hurley opened as the H-H Theatre in 1917 before it was renamed a few years later, closed in the early 1960s after a fire. The Princess is city-owned, with a new roof added less than 10 years ago to slow its deterioration.

Chacon said at the meeting the city and state Sen. Pete Campos have requested $750,000 in capital outlay money to fund a study for a phased renovation of the Princess Theatre.

Chacon said later this month she would send workers from the water department to check possible drainage issues in the Princess' basement.

Connie Loveland of Tucumcari MainStreet offered a mannequin for the Princess' ticket booth and wants to decorate the theater's windows for Valentine's Day.

Scott Crotzer of the Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce said Robert and Bobby Hockaday may offer solar-powered lighting at the theater to add nighttime security. Chacon said she would ask for more patrols to prevent the theft of decorative tiles.

Dominguez suggested setting up Google Nest surveillance cameras at the Princess. She said one of those cameras at the Odeon can cover the entire auditorium and comes with 30 days of archived footage and night vision. Chacon said she would investigate the cost of those cameras.

Crotzer said the managers of theaters in Santa Rosa, Clayton, Raton and Albuquerque have offered to share their usage plans to help revive the Princess.

Randi Eidsmoe offered to photograph and document artifacts inside the Princess for posterity. Chacon said she would coordinate schedules with Eidsmoe on that. Those at the meeting also offered to do a cleanup in front of the theater.

Annie McCauley, who owns two businesses in downtown near the theater, said interest in the Princess is intense.

"There's so much traffic of people taking a look at it," she said.

McCauley also advocated setting up a Friends of the Princess Theatre website or nonprofit organization.

Loveland expressed confidence the community would support a Princess Theatre revitalization effort.

"The local buy-in will be easy, especially when they see something happen," she said.

The Princess Theatre group will hold another meeting at city hall at 1 p.m. March 2.