The Iowa Science Center has announced that it will not reopen its IMAX theaters.
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The fate of the IMAX theater in downtown Des Moines is clear.
The blank IMAX dome theater at 401 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, Iowa Science Center has been closed for more than four years after flooding. A 2018 storm caused millions of dollars in damage to specialized theater equipment and led to lawsuits over insurance claims.
“It really soaked everything up and was a total loss,” president and CEO Curt Simmons told the Des Moines Register. “The projector was destroyed. The screen was destroyed. Everything was completely lost.”
A lawsuit filed by the Science Center in 2020 alleges that its insurer, the Philadelphia Insurance Company, delayed or underpaid claims related to repairs to water-damaged parts of the theater. The insurance company denied the allegations, saying he paid more than $2 million under the policy. It also claimed construction defects, according to court documents.
The lawsuit was dismissed when the parties reached a settlement earlier this year, the terms of which were not disclosed.
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Simmons said the center’s board had previously instructed staff to think of other ways to use the IMAX space. The board ultimately decided that it should not be used as a theater, he said.
However, Simmons declined to comment on future plans.
more:Still Closed: Lawsuit Reveals Iowa Science Center’s Ongoing Battle to Restore IMAX Theater
The Science Center’s leadership is still finalizing plans and has no plans to announce them for several years.Once details are announced, the Science Center will also launch a public offering campaign.
IMAX was the first in the area when it opened in 2005. His two rainstorms in June 2018 wreaked havoc on theaters.
Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs of the Register. Contact him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_.
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