The theater is a three-story stucco building with the stepped massing characteristic of native pueblo architecture, as well as the recessed spandrels and strong vertical thrust of Art Deco skyscrapers.

Both the exterior and interior of the building incorporate a variety of indigenous motifs, like the row of terra cotta shields above the third-floor windows.

Pablo Abeita, the former governor of Isleta Pueblo, was chosen as the winner for his suggestion of "Kimo", meaning "mountain lion" (sometimes loosely translated as "king of the beasts").

The most recent preservation was completed in 2000 with the installation of new seating and carpet, main stage curtain, new tech booth, lighting positions hid between and behind "vigas" on the ceiling, and a re-creation of the KiMo's original proscenium arch.

[19][20] According to local legend, the KiMo Theatre is haunted by the ghost of Bobby Darnall, a six-year-old boy killed in 1951 when a water heater in the theater's lobby exploded.

[21] The tale alleges that a theatrical performance of A Christmas Carol in 1974 was disrupted by the ghost, who was supposedly angry that the staff was ordered to remove donuts they had hung on backstage pipes to appease him.

[22][23] While investigating the legend, writer Benjamin Radford determined that the performance of A Christmas Carol in question actually occurred in 1986, not 1974, and two people he spoke with who were involved in the production did not remember anything unusual.

Radford also contacted Bobby Darnall's siblings, who told him they felt "exploited by the story" and did not appreciate "claims that their beloved brother is eating doughnuts or ruining performances at the KiMo Theater".