The old Ames Theater, 2420 Lincoln Way, will soon be replaced by a software company’s Ames branch that seeks to keep the theater close to its original form.

Lon Gretillat, vice president of development for Kingland Systems Corp., 2625 North Loop Dr., said the company has been getting input from the State Historical Society of Iowa in an effort to keep the theater as true to original building as possible.

“No promises,” Gretillat said. “But if we look at the costs, and it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other, then we’ll go with the historical; it’ll look better than now, that’s for sure.”

The building, when finished, will have a theater theme inside, Gretillat said.

He said the current plan is to put clear glass around the existing stage and divide it in half for an office room and conference room; employees would be in tiered seating in the aisles, and track lighting would be installed on the floor. A screen will be installed in the ceiling with a projector in the balcony to allow for company presentations. Also, offices will be set up in the balcony and neon signage will be put up in the waiting room.

So far, the rigging from above the stage has been pulled down, some walls have been demolished, and asbestos removal is underway, Gretillat said.

He said his main criterion for finding a new home for the company, which is currently housed in the ISU Research Park, was location.

He said the need to grow and expand was a definite requirement, and management wanted a place close to campus and CyRide routes so workers could get to the building. He said this was especially important because people will be in and out of the building 18 hours a day and the majority of its employees are students.

“In this building, we will do research for four big audit firms to keep people out of trouble with the FCC,” Gretillat said.

He said management had looked into receiving money from various historical societies, but the Ames Historical Society couldn’t find the money and the state level required too much time and paperwork.

Jack Porter, preservation architect for the State Historical Society of Iowa, said the building could potentially receive both federal and state tax credits on its rehabilitation costs if funding were pursued. To accomplish this, basic information and photos must be given to the historical society to prove the historical value of the property, a process which can take up to a year.

Instead, Kingland Systems plans to take advantage of the Ames revitalization plan offered by the Ames City Council, Gretillat said.

Joe Pietruszynski, Ames city planner, said the tax abatement for the Ames revitalization is something the city set up to provide for structures in poor condition.

Pietruszynski said he hasn’t seen an official submission for the abatement yet, but he has seen a draft of what is being done and expects the documents to come in any day. If they meet criteria, the plan will then go back to the City Council for final approval.

Pietruszynski said Kingland Systems is meeting the criteria by doing things like restoring the brick on the outside of the building. An abatement from the city would go only toward those projects.