Marshalltown public schools to buy Orpheum Theater for $1

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Marshalltown Community Schools will become the new owners of the city’s historic Orpheum Theater for the basement-bargain price of $1. The Times-Republican reports that the district’s school board on Tuesday unanimously approved a letter of intent to buy the theater on Main Street. The school district will pay the current owners, Iowa Valley Community College District, $1 for the building at closing, set for June 16 or sooner. The theater closed last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Iowa Valley Community College District Chancellor Kristie Fisher says she’s proud the theater will remain an educational facility.