After nearly 20 years, a theater restoration project in Northeast Oregon gets closer to...

The historic Gem Theatre in Athena, Oregon, may be ready to open its doors again soon after almost 55 years.

The building was initially built as a saloon in 1901 until it was transformed into a theater eight years later. It has also served as a storefront, bus station and even a bomb shelter before finally closing in 1968, due to the rising popularity of television.

Rob McIntyre, the program manager of the theater’s restoration project, has raised over $2 million dollars and spent the last 20 years on this labor of love. He says entering the theater’s basement for the first time made him feel like Indiana Jones exploring a forgotten tomb.

“There were sheets of cobwebs that were floor to ceiling,” he said.