1938
Paul Revere Williams is hired and the cornerstone is laid.
1939
The First Church of Christ, Scientist is completed and opens for services.
1982
The building is listed in the Nevada State Register of Historic Places.
1993
Congregation member Edda Houghton Morrison hatches the idea of converting the church into a theater to support the local theater community.
1994
The Reno-Sparks Theater Community Coalition (RSTCC) is incorporated as a non-profit with the express purpose of working toward purchase and renovation of the church building.
1996
The RSTCC selects architects Dolven Simpson (later Fred Dolven and Associates) to design a master plan for adaptive reuse of the historic church.
1997
Moya Lear offers a donation of $1.1 million toward the purchase of the building by the RSTCC, provided the organization match her donation, which they do. The Nevada Commission for Cultural Affairs (CCA) awards the building a grant of $175,000, the first of several CCA grants received annually and totaling over $1 million.
1998
The purchase of the church building by the RSTCC is finalized and it is named the Lear Theater. A small brick house at 528 West 1st Street that formerly served as the church's Reading Room and an L-shaped parking lot west of the church building are included in the purchase.
1999
The church building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the Reno Historic Register. The Wiegand Foundation pledges $600,000 to the project as a matching grant.
2000
A capital campaign is begun with the goal of raising $9 million to fund the costs of renovation, an endowment, and firstyear operating expenses. Construction activities begin.
2002
RSTCC purchases a small brick house adjacent to the Lear Theater office and sets it up as a rental. Barron Hilton makes a $100,000 donation.
2003
IGT pledges $600,000 to the project.
2004
The Lear Theater receives just short of $400,000 from Save America's Treasures.
2005
Dan Rosenblatt takes on the role of Executive Director with a new vision to develop a professional theater company. The RSTCC is renamed Lear Theater, Inc. The Nevada Legislature grants the Lear matching funding for the Save America's Treasures grant of $600,000.
2006
A new architect, JCJ Architecture, is hired and, over the next three years, designs a plan to drastically reconfigure the interior structure for a full theater experience.
2007
Around the end of the year, with declining success in fundraising, the Lear begins to explore pursuing Historic Tax Credits and New Market Tax Credits as a revenue source and hires a firm, BAC, to develop a Part 2 Application (Description of Rehabilitation).
2009
Architect Mercedes de la Garza designs a new plan with Dolven's 2000 built design and limited parts of JCJ's proposed design. This work provided 30% design development (DD) plans from which to obtain construction estimates and an updated and approved Part 2 application providing eligibility for Historic Tax Credits and New Market Tax Credits to offset up to 60% of the construction costs. This leads to a revived fundraising campaign with the strong support of Mayor Bob Cashell.
2010
The deepening recession stifles the fundraising campaign. Lear Theater Inc. announces significant debt, lays off its remaining employees, sells its rental property, and closes its administrative office.
2011
With reports that $7.7 million has already been spent on the building to date, Lear Theater, Inc. donates the Lear Theater plus the adjacent brick house and parking lot to the non-profit organization Artown.
2018
Artown selects the Sierra School for the Performing Arts as the new owner of the building after soliciting proposals from the community.
2020
Artown announces it has ended negotiations with the Sierra School and is working with Ken Krater Consulting on a plan to renovate the theater, close the adjacent sections of Ralston Street and Riverside Drive to vehicular traffic, and construct an adjacent multi-story apartment building between the Lear Theater and Bicentennial Park to help serve as a revenue stream for the Lear's renovation.