Entry No. 22 — the Albuquerque file — filed under: haunted
KiMo Theatre
Opened in 1927 in rare Pueblo Deco architecture, this landmark theatre is famously haunted by six-year-old Bobby Darnall, who died during a lobby boiler explosion in 1951. To prevent stage lights from shattering or performers from tripping, visiting theater crews maintain a strict ritual of hanging donuts on backstage pipes as offerings to Bobby's ghost.
The story
When Oreste and Maria Bachechi hired architect Carl Boller to construct the KiMo in 1927, they smashed Art Deco verticality together with Southwestern iconography. The result is Pueblo Deco: a three-story stucco building decorated with plaster bison skulls, native geometric murals, and terra cotta shields. The name comes from a Tewa word meaning "mountain lion," but the theater's darkest story took shape two decades after opening night.
On August 2, 1951, a lobby water heater exploded during an Abbott and Costello matinee, fatally injuring six-year-old Bobby Darnall Jr. By the 1970s, stage crews working productions in the auditorium reported mysterious equipment failures and stage mishaps. To appease Bobby's restless spirit, visiting roadies and local stagehands initiated a strict ritual: hanging fresh glazed donuts from exposed backstage water pipes and leaving small toy cars in stairwell alcoves before opening night.
Folklore investigators later proved that the legendary origin story—that an angry Bobby sabotaged a 1974 performance of A Christmas Carol after a director threw away the donut offerings—was apocryphal, as no such play was staged at the theater that year. You didn't hear it from us, but stage managers rarely care for academic debunking when live stage lights start flickering. To this day, crews working backstage still hang their pastry bribes on the pipes before the curtain goes up.
What it's like
Stepping off Central Avenue puts you directly under plaster ceiling beams and ironwork buffalo heads. If you are buying tickets for a concert or film, grab seats on the main auditorium floor if you have mobility needs—the 1927 building was constructed without an elevator, leaving the balcony accessible only via steep flights of stairs. Skip hunting for scarce street parking on Central and head straight for the covered city garage located right behind the venue at Copper Avenue and 5th Street. While you won't get backstage to inspect the pipe offerings unless you are on production crew, keep an eye out near the lower stairwell alcoves where small toys are routinely left behind.
The move: Attend a film or concert and peek toward the backstage pipes to spot the fresh donut offerings left to appease Bobby.
- 📍 Downtown Albuquerque
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 423 Central Ave NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Telephone Museum of New Mexico — Located just one block east, this four-story collection of working vintage switchboards offers an analog tech contrast before a show at the KiMo.
- Founders Speakeasy — Walk one block down Central Avenue to whisper a password inside a bottle shop and slip into an underground cocktail vault after the performance.
- The Art Vault at Gallery One — Pairs a historic performance hall with an experimental municipal art gallery tucked inside a former cash vault at Civic Plaza.
- Albuquerque Press Club (Whittlesey House) — Head east to Huning Highlands to keep the historic haunt energy going inside a 1903 log villa operating as a private press club.
Good to know
Why do theater crews hang donuts on the backstage pipes?
It is a decades-old theatrical ritual at the KiMo. Stage crews leave fresh donuts and small toys backstage to appease Bobby Darnall, a six-year-old boy killed in a 1951 lobby explosion, believing his spirit will otherwise cause blown lights, tripped actors, and technical glitches.
What makes Pueblo Deco architecture unique?
Pueblo Deco fuses 1920s Art Deco geometric lines with Southwestern Indigenous and Spanish Pueblo Revival styles. At the KiMo, architect Carl Boller combined stucco stepped massing, terra cotta shields, rain-cloud motifs, and plaster bison skulls.
Is the KiMo Theatre wheelchair accessible?
The ground floor lobby and main floor auditorium seating are fully ADA-compliant. Because the historic 1927 structure lacks an elevator, the balcony and upper levels can only be reached by stairs.
Where should I park when attending a show at the KiMo?
The theater has no private parking lot. While metered street parking exists on Central Avenue, the easiest option is the covered public parking garage directly behind the theater at 5th Street and Copper Avenue.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · cabq.gov · hauntworld.com · Reddit
last checked: 2026-07-21