Fox Theater
1116-1128 Main Street,
Stevens Point,
WI
54481
1116-1128 Main Street,
Stevens Point,
WI
54481
2 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 145 comments found
I am a high school student who is doing a local history project on the Fox theater. I have got a lot of basic information on its history however I would appreciate any personal stories or information on the protest in the 50’s so please post if you can help. Thanks!
I’m not completely sure what’s happening but this summer the projects at the old mall will start. They are going to be removing parts of it to put a street back in. I’m still not sure what’s happening with the Fox… But in March I’m moving back up to the Stevens Point area…so I’ll find out then. And yes I’ll be getting back into research at the archives about the local theaters.
Is anything happening with this theatre? Those articles are years old, and the construction blog hasn’t been updated since 2009. Does anyone know anything about it’s current standing?
The unofficial vote count is Yes 2,597 No 1,925… Looks like the Fox may get its stage back some time soon. It’s hard watching a dream come true when I now live so far away from the Fox.
Lots of recent activity in the local newspaper:
View link Comments are welcome.
www.onelist.com/group/WisconsinTheatres
The topic of the downtown mall area is really hot right now; plans are to raze parts of it. The part where the stage was may be removed; fun how almost 30 years ago the city took of the stage and now the city wants to do the same with most of the mall. Almost 5.8 million dollars will be going the project if it passes in the February vote.
The mall in Stevens Point has very few stores left in it; I think I can say that it’s dying. The area where the stage was is almost totally empty, just the mall offices left in that area. Only one major store left there and some stores and a children’s museum. To think that what killed the Fox (or put it in a deep sleep) has finally killed it’s self… The marquee lights are on for Christmas.
Apparently the owners have given permission for the marquee to be used for asvertising,when I was last downtown the marquee was advertsing a dog park opening in Stevens Point
Awesome :)
Here are two 1982 photos:
Photo1
Photo2
I hope it all works with this project.
I no longer in the area I now live in Beloit Wis.
Here is a new article for those who haven’t seen it already except they got the closing year wrong and do not acknowledge that Jeanette Sanders is deceased
View link
Can anyone direct me to a group active in restoration efforts or involved somehow in the politics of it all?
thanks
I was just looking at the scan for historical registry and about the mall being uilt and having a pedestrian linking the city proposed demolition does that mean they wanted to tear down the whole theater or just the part that they did tear down? if it was full demolition then it’s no wonder why the owners were so angry and bitter
The marquee they are using now which is on sometimes is supposed to be a replica of the old one,would love to hear some of your memories of movies you saw at the fox and what the inside was like anything you wish to share
Does anyone remember if the lights on the Fox marquee (that ran along the bottom and up the side) remained constantly on or did they do a “chase” type of arrangement? Been to that theater so many times back in the 70’s, but can’t remember what that row of incandescents did, if anything.
I’m in the planning stages of creating a replica of that theater for my HO scale layout. The marquee will be the difficult part.
Anyone have any dimensions of the marquee?
Thanks for any input.
Dale K.
Thanks by the way
Have we seen everything you are donating on this site? if not could you kindly provide a link to your submissions?
I just donated all of research on the Fox Theater and other other local theater to the University Archives.
It will eventually be open to the general public. (They are refilling it into folders so it could take awhile.)
This is the Archives web site:
View link
Very interesting Ed,where did you find tbat?
I just came across this website, and I’m happy to see that so many people are interested in reopening the Fox Theater and the progress that has been made. Fixing up the marquee is a big deal because nothing had been done to the theater in all the time I lived there since the time it was closed. Although I don’t live in WI anymore and the last time I visited Stevens Point was in 2002, I grew up there and went to the Fox Theater up until I was about 10 years old.
I think I saw Annie and maybe some Tom & Jerry cartoons there. I remember that the balcony was always closed and that there were bats that swooped down at us every so often. And it was really cold. I didn’t know at the time that it had to do with a dispute with the city, until now. While I lived in Stevens Point, I had always heard the rumor that the owner refused to do anything with the theater once it got closed but I never knew why until now. I didn’t like the mall when it first got built and even while I lived there, but since it did get built, there’s no reason why the owner shouldn’t try and do something with the theater and improve the downtown for the greater good of the community.
If the owner did pass way, I think the way to find out who’s the current owner is by looking the information up at the assessor’s office or the register of deeds for Portage County. That info usually is public information.
Added more to flickr account.
anything new pics,listing,etc? Ed,anything on your end?
I checked that obit….I’m pretty sure she would be the owner of the Fox like you mentioned, since Jeanette Andrae Sanders is how the obit read, and Andrae was the name of the man who built the Fox in 1894.
Probably goes to her children. Maybe now we will start to see things happen with the place. Who knows…. BTW, the marquee is on again, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen it lit.