Sierra III Theatre
1618 22nd Street,
West Des Moines,
IA
50266
1618 22nd Street,
West Des Moines,
IA
50266
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Carmike Cinemas, Dubinsky Brothers, Fridley Theatres
Functions: Retail
Nearby Theaters
Located in the Westown Shopping Center, the Sierra III Theatre opened on April 13, 1973. In November 2007, the Des Moines Register stated that the Sierra III was closed due to too many screens in the metro area, particularly competition from the 20 screen multi-plex built at Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines.
Contributed by
Lon Peterson
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
Nice theatre. Had a balcony, which was rare for modern theatres in the area in the 1970s-1980s.
The Sierra Three was opened by Fridley Theatres in 1973, according to the April 30 issue of Boxoffice that year. By 1977, the house was being operated by Dubinsky Theatres.
Polk County tax records list the building the Sierra 3 was in as being built in 1972. The theatre closed in November 2007:
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The building where the Sierra Three was now holds a Gold’s Gym franchise. It opened in the fall of 2008
As of June 2009 the space is actually occupied by a “Dollar Tree” variety store. Gold’s Gym occupies the unit that was once a (state operated) liquor store just to the south of the Sierra 3 site.
The theatre was usually advertised as the “Sierra III” and was located in the “Westown Shopping Center”.
This opened on April 13th, 1973. Grand opening ad uploaded here.
Taken over from Carmike Cinemas and reopened by Fridley Theatres on December 15th, 2000. Grand opening ad posted.
This theater seemed to show things that may not end up at the local multiplex. While recovering from homelessness I worked at the Half-Price Store in the same shopping center as this theater, to pay my rent at the Riverfront YMCA. I wrote about it in my book, The Homeless Man’s Journal. After work sometimes a coworker and I would catch a movie at the theater. I saw 1994’s Cemetery Man there in 1996, as well as 1995’s Rumpelstiltskin.