The KiMo opened on September 19, 1927, in a style called Pueblo Deco, a blend of Pueblo Revival and Art Deco. The Boller Brothers architecture firm designed it, after studying Southwest cultures and building styles.
The Albuquerque Journal held a naming contest with a $50 prize. The name had to be Indian and could not have more than six letters. Pablo Abeita, a former governor of Isleta Pueblo, won with "Kimo", which means mountain lion.
The theater closed in 1970 and a fire damaged it by 1977. The family sold it to the city, which saved it and restored it. A replica of the original neon sign, 24 feet tall, went up in June 2011.