Buskirk-Chumley "Indiana" Theater
Originally known as the Indiana Theater, the Buskirk-Chumley has quite a history. The 600-seat Indiana Theater was built in 1922 to show movies but soon after it opened its doors, vaudeville and live acts performed on the stage. Bloomington native Hoagy Carmichael was a regular on the stage from 1925-1928.
In 1975, Kerasotes Theaters took over the Indiana and continued to show movies there until the mid-1990s. At that point, Kerasotes gave the theater to the Bloomington Area Arts Council with the stipulation that they not show movies at the theater. A major fundraising campaign funded the $3.2 million restoration and the theater reopened in 1999. It was renamed the Buskirk-Chumley in honor of two generous donors to the restoration effort.
Today, the Buskirk-Chumley hosts a variety of live acts and has renegotiated with Kerasotes and can once again show movies.
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