Milwaukee, WI - BREAKING: Fire guts historic Milwaukee theater State Theater opened in 1915

posted by ThrHistoricalSociety on February 10, 2017 at 2:31 pm

From TMJ4.com: A historic Milwaukee theater went up in flames Thursday evening.

The State Theater, located in the 2600 block of State Street, was destroyed in the two-alarm fire.

The abandoned building is located just two blocks from the famous Five O'Clock Steakhouse.

The theater first opened in 1915 and played host to silent movies and various entertainment events.

Throughout the years, it was also known as the Electric Ballroom and Palms, and even served time as a church.

U2 played a concert at the theater before the band became well known, but the building has been abandoned for at least two decades.

Nobody was injured in the fire and it’s not clear what sparked it.

Story link, with video: http://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/fire-guts-historic-milwaukee-state-theater

ABOUT THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA: Founded by Ben Hall in 1969, the Theatre Historical Society of America (THS) celebrates, documents and promotes the architectural, cultural and social relevance of America’s historic theatres. Through its preservation of the collections in the American Theatre Architecture Archive, its signature publication Marquee™ and Conclave Theatre Tour, THS increases awareness, appreciation and scholarly study of America’s theatres.

Learn more about historic theatres in the THS American Theatre Architecture Archives and on our website at historictheatres.org