CODY — When the Cody Theatre opened on the historic Western town’s main street, one of its main attractions was being the first air-conditioned building in Wyoming. It was a great selling point for 1937 movie-going audiences.

Nearly 90 years later, the theater’s cooling unit is the ultimate example of if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

The same swamp cooler installed in the Cody Theatre during its construction is still cooling off theatergoers every day during the dog days of summer. It’s arguably working harder in 2024 than ever before, yet it’s keeping its cool.

“It was the very first air-conditioned building in the state of Wyoming,” said Ryan Fernandez, owner of the Cody Theatre. “When somebody told me that, I called BS. But then with a little bit of research, I discovered that it was true.”

It’s just one of many historic features of the building that Ryan and Liz Fernandez are showcasing with bright lights.

The Historic Cody Theatre

Cody resident Jim Corder built the state-of-the-art Cody Theatre in 1936 for roughly $50,000, which would be more than $1.13 million today. The theater had its debut July 8, 1937, with a viewing of the Wallace Beery film “Slave Ship.”

The theatre is notable for its subtle art deco design, with colorful wall sconces and designs in the interior and a neon marquee on the exterior. There were originally 672 seats inside and a balcony overhead, although that’s long since been removed.

Keeping Up With The Industry

The Cody Theatre was the community’s one-screen movie theatre for decades and was upgraded with the latest technological advances in the theater business. Surround sound speakers were installed in 1955, an 18-by-35-foot “big screen” in the 1970s, digital sound in 1999 and digital projection in 2015.

Despite technological advances, the Cody Theatre’s design and structural integrity were preserved. That included the swamp cooler, which was built into the back of the building during construction.

The Cody Theatre started its current life as a venue for the performing arts in 2008.

Dan Miller’s Cowboy Music Review performed nightly in the space during the summer until 2015.

Ryan and Liz Fernandez are the fourth owners of the theatre. They bought the property in January 2019, saving it from possible destruction.

“We had heard that it was going to change hands and potentially turn into a little strip mall, which I think would have been pretty devastating for the community,” Ryan said. “For us, it was time to look at how we could retain the integrity of the space but have a different business model. That’s why we took ownership.”

Just As It Was

When they acquired the Cody Theatre, Ryan had to learn how to operate the antique swamp cooler.

While some minor equipment improvements have been made since its installation, he said most of the original mechanical elements are still there and working just as well as they did in 1937.

“The original owners taught us how to work it,” he said. “There are a couple of new features when it comes to electricity, but you’ll see almost everything on the boards, and all the electrical is basically original. It’s a little scary and awesome at the same time.”

The unit consists of 70 large water sprayers across a 10-by-12-foot board attached to the same room where the primary unit evaporates the water and circulates throughout the building.

Since the same unit moves all the air through the vents of the Cody Theatre, it must be summerized and winterized every year. Fernandez has made the maintenance of the historic swamp cooler a personal project, but also calls in technical expertise for the aspects beyond his knowledge.

“I realized that I was out of my comfort zone to do it and to understand it,” he said. “We use DNG Electric in Cody, and they’re HVAC folks that do awesome maintenance. They know each summer and each winter, and a few calls in between, they’ll be here.”

Keeping Its Cool

Despite its age, the Cody Theatre’s swamp cooler still performs remarkably well. The feedback they get from summer audiences is that it often works too well.

“People we’ve spoken to tell us (the theatre) gets too cold,” Ryan said. “The unit is pre-thermostat, so there’s no smartness to this at all. Either it’s cold or it’s off.”

“I personally have a love-hate relationship with the air conditioner,” Liz said. “I works so well, but I freeze in the theater every time it’s on. I know it’s important for most other people, so I’m happy that we have it for that reason.”

Figuring out the perfect balance is still a work in progress.

“If it gets too hot, we flick on water and air and then once it cools down, we typically drop the water so it’s still circulating some air,” Ryan said. “If we need to then turn water back on to keep people cool, we do. And if people say they’re cold, we eliminate the air.”

That process used to involve lots of running up and down stairs since the controls are in the original projector room in the back of the theatre. That’s why everyone’s excited about this summer’s tech upgrade.

“One cool thing we’re getting ready to do is (install) two new switches upstairs that turn on air and water,” Ryan said. “We’re going to put those on smart switches so we can control it from our tech booth (on the theater floor) so we don’t have to run up and down each time. Big-time innovation.”

Expensive But Original

When they bought the Cody Theatre, Ryan and Liz Fernandez committed to keeping it as close to its original condition. It’s not the most fiscally-sound way of running their business, and nobody’s more aware of that — and fine with it — than them.

“We committed to bringing it back,” Ryan said. “That’s one thing Liz and I are notorious for. It can be really stupid and not very cost-effective, but it’s truly keeping the integrity of the space.”

The theater’s swamp cooler is part of that integrity. Ryan said they’re considering many upgrades and improvements for the facility, but the swamp cooler won’t be on the list until it has to be.

“We don’t have upgrade plans for it,” he said. “We realize that after 100 years of use, it might need to get upgraded. But I think as long as the AC unit continues to work, it’s a pretty cool thing to have.”

Future Performance

When they bought the Cody Theatre, Ryan and Liz Fernandez knew they needed a new business model.

They’ve spent the last five years making significant upgrades to raise the caliber of the historic movie theatre as a performing arts venue.

Liz was ready to embrace the Cody Theatre’s full potential for live performance. She founded the Rocky Mountain Dance Theatre and Rocky Mountain School of the Arts in 1997, along with her mother, Cindi.

“I think it’s important to have a venue that is dedicated to the performing arts in Cody,” Liz said. “We have performing venues, but they are used for many different types of things. I think it’s important to have a venue that doesn’t have to compete with all the other things that need a performing space as well.”

Since 2016, the Cody Theatre has been the home of “The Wild West Spectacular,” an original musical created by Liz and Cindi. The summer production, featuring actors from across the United States, is in its ninth consecutive season with performances six nights a week from late June through mid-August.

In Fall 2021, The Cody Theatre Co. debuted as an in-house theatre company staging at least two live theatre productions each year. The venue is also available for festivals and one-night-only engagements like the Yellowstone Songwriter Festival held each August.

“It has opened a lot of doors for us,” Liz said. “We can promote artistic work our students because we have a space that’s always available for them to use and to develop in a way that works for what we’re doing.”

Back To The Past

Ryan said all future upgrades to the Cody Theatre will prioritize preserving the existing space. Even if it makes renovations more costly and maintenance more difficult, it’s all for the benefit of the space’s historical integrity.

“It’s really important to preserve what was and is the Cody Theatre,” he said. “We could take apart everything we’ve done since we bought it, and ultimately have the original theater in in its entirety.”

That includes the historic swamp cooler, which might be working harder and better than ever before, will be maintained as part of the facility’s future. It’s one of the coolest aspects of the personal and professional goal of retaining everything that makes the Cody Theatre unique.

“We’ve all had some really great moments in this theatre in our lives,” Ryan said. “A lot of us watched our first movies here. I saw ‘Rocky II’ and ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ in this theater. My first kiss with Liz was in this theater. So, it was important for us to preserve everything, from the neon lights to the art deco interior and all the great things that come with this theater. We didn’t want it to go away.”

Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.