(L to R) Houston, Hipskind, and Farmer
In Disney movies, there is about to be a reboot of the tale of Aladdin setting his sights on royalty, but in historic downtown Benton, Shawn Hipskind just got the keys to the Palace.
MySaline originally reported that Hipskind – a real estate developer who has been building and improving residential properties downtown – made an offer to purchase the Palace Theater from the City of Benton. The City Council met on May 2nd, 2019 and approved the deal at a purchase price of $20,000. Today, only 12 days later, they closed on the property at City Hall and then came to the Palace for Mayor Tom Farmer to hand over the keys to Hipskind. City Attorney Brent Houston was also present, having been instrumental in the contracts for the agreement.
So what are his plans for the building? Hipskind would divulge that he wants to take down the arched front and replace the windows where they have been filled in with concrete. But as far as what’s going inside the building, he’s not ready to announce anything until he has it set in stone. But you can be certain I’ll update as soon as there is news. This story is an update to Benton Developer Approved by City to Purchase 100-Year-Old Palace Theater from May 3, 2019.
The Palace Theater turns 100 years old in 2019 and Hipskind will be the fourth owner. Read the interesting history of The Palace at mysaline.com/palace-history and see a photo gallery of its past and present at mysaline.com/palace-gallery.