Venetian Theatre
3629 W. Center Street,
Milwaukee,
WI
53210
3629 W. Center Street,
Milwaukee,
WI
53210
6 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 117 comments
Just a quick note to urbanremains, even though this is not the place is discuss such matters.
I can only go on the facts here, that the above plaster was from the Palace, which is not set to come down at all, and thus has never been in the position where it was allowed to be legally salvaged.
This mentality of getting from a reputable dealer is a bad excuse. I remember in Detroit that the Lee Plaza Hotel had beautiful terra-cotta lions illegally stolen out, sold to a architectural salvage company, and many were later put on a new condo project in Chicago. The owner was shocked to find out that they were pillaged.
Your comopany shouldinvestigate things before allowing yourselfs to sell the plaster and later attacking me by leaving harmful comments on this website and on my own. All I can do is provide the facts. If you want to continue this matter, email me before trying to out me as a bad character.
As William Manchester wrote when chronicling the 1950s in his bestselling popular history of the United States from 1932 through 1972, The Glory and the Dream:
“Across America five thousand motion picture theater marquees had been darkened in the great box office recession which had accompanied the rise of television. Ernie Kovacs and Queen for a Day had stolen hearts once pledged to Clark Gable and Ginger Rogers… . Beneath screens on which Paul Muni had defended Alfred Dreyfus and Gary Cooper had submitted to torture rather than divulge the cavalry’s location, empty whiskey bottles accumulated, and where Charles Boyer had begged Hedy Lamarr to run away from the Casbah with him, and Jennifer Jones as Bernadette had been visited by the Virgin Mary, aisles became cluttered with cigarette butts, sanitary napkins, and used contraceptives.”
As with so many other wonderful theaters, no doubt similar, if not exactly the same, things happened in and to the Venetian. While some Milwaukee theaters have found interesting alternative lives (for example, the nearby Zenith—with the Avalon, which is now being restored, Milwaukee’s last two surviving atmospherics—is now a church, although one with, fortunately, most of its theater decor still intact; the unconventional but interesting Koscuiszko is now a bicycle store, while the Lincoln, just down the street from the Kosciuszko, is now a sad hulk, albeit one with its quaint nickelodeon exterior still intact), the Venetian has finally ended its last sad run. It now joins such still-revered Milwaukee wonder palaces as the Wisconsin, the Palace, the Alhambra, the Plaza (the favorite “show house” of my mother, who died 31 years ago today but whose keen memories of growing up from the 1930s to the 1950s played a major part in whetting her son’s keen interest in things historical!), the Colonial, and the other two of Milwaukee’s five atmospherics, the National and the Egyptian.
All that now remains of the Venetian is its imposing rear wall and its stage area, with its riotously colorful, richly detailed stage opening (still including a beautifully detailed molding—or perhaps a carving—of fruit on one side of the large niche over the center of the opening, formally called the proscenium; please see the photos to which I link below) patterned after the world-famous Rialto Bridge in the real Venice—and still surrounded by a few shattered remnants of what was once part of the atmospheric ceiling. Before this tragic altar, like a great sacrificial offering, lies a giant pile of rubble and twisted metal that once was most of the rest of the theater.
The Venetian, like so many theaters that have literally gone before it and like it, deserved better.
Its sturdy doors, once at least once closely watched by vigilant ushers against any young gate-crashers, showed signs of having been forced open—and were guarded only by weeds, old newspapers, and, at least once, an empty bottle of Wild Irish Rose wine (see linked photo).
As Timothy has noted in a previous posting, despite efforts to reinforce the side wall (the east wall) adjoining a residence only a few feet away, some bricks from the theater crashed through the roof pf the house. A blue tarp now covers a hole in the roof estimated to extend 10 to 15 feet down its height.
Fortunately, no one was hurt, although, as Terry, the young man who lives with his family in the first-floor apartment, bricks from the theater crashed through the attic of the house into its second-story apartment. As he showed me on April 14, all the first-floor windows (and, he said, at least some of those on the second floor) on the side of the house facing the theater were broken.
He invited me inside, turning off a booming boom box in the living room and pulling away the plastic covering some of the broken windows in his bedrooms and bathroom to reveal a neighbor’s-eye view of the carnage in concrete, brick, and twisted metal, flecked occasionally with what seemed to be crumbled plaster—some still a vivid sky blue—mixed in. (To those of you who’ve also paid your respects—is that indeed what that blue in the rubble at least sometimes was?) Another window was boarded up.
Terry, born long after so many movie palaces had died, asked me for details as to what sort of building, one apparently unfamiliar to him, had been next to his home. I told him about how large movie theaters like the Venetian had once been common in neighborhoods and downtowns all over America—before television, before suburbia, before the hollowing out of our cities and so many of their neighborhoods. “For a lot of theater owners, these places just couldn’t get the audiences they needed to heat and maintain them,” I explained, adding that that was how places like the Venetian ended up as the likes of liquor stores.
After I showed Terry and his young siblings where to find this page of Cinema Treasures, he and I went out on his front porch, where he showed me how the razing had also dislodged a metal-pipe stairway railing and the corner of a rain gutter at the foont of the house.
“Danger—No Trespassing,” read a sign on the temporary high fence erected around the gravesite. Silently acknowledging my debt to Orson Welles and his film Citizen Kane, I again pulled out my digital camera, set it to movie mode, and photographed the sign, pulling back to reveal the fence and the large yellow wrecker behind it, then panning left to reveal the giant pile of rubble and the looming rear wall, topped with a tall chimney and a graffiti-covered stage-pulley (or is it an elevator-mechanism?) housing.
As to whether or not the foreboding opening or the closing theme, with its overpowering, tragic finality, of Bernard Herrmann’s legendary score to Kane was more appropriate, assuming either was to this newly filmed sequence, I wasn’t sure. But, as in those opening and closing sequences of Kane, even though I didn’t go past that fence, my camera’s eye did—and recorded something tragic yet fascinating.
One passerby, curious why I was taking so many pictures from every angle around the fence—even at times sticking my telescoping lens between the chain links—asked if I was an insurance agent. Another, Shelby Holloman, noted that he thought it was sad that such a building had come to such an end, noting that if it could have been saved, it would have been a great asset to the community. Unlike Terry, he and I are both old enough to remember the movie-palace era firsthand, if only in its last, waning days.
Noting that he himself had done demolition work, Holloman said that some were concerned about how to make sure that the complex, towering rear-wall-and-stage area (at the south end of the theater) could be brought down without damaging the house right across the narrow alley behind the theater. The massive pile and wasteland of debris where the rest of the theater had been, he said, would probably have to be cleared away first.
Even though the site seemed to have been mostly picked clean of such mementos as the weathered but still exquisite terra-cotta work that can now be seen up close on the Internet, I did find a large remnant of one exterior half column, its swirled, beautifully marbleized terra-cotta still sporting two rich, deep red bands flanking one of gold, just inside the fence nearest the street corner (see linked photo; note that this piece, like many other of the theater’s terra-cotta pieces, is numbered; might someone be able to access and, if legally and otherwise possible, exhibit online a copy of the relevant American Terra Cotta Co. catalogue pages showing the pieces that graced the Venetian? Urban Remains friends, might you either be able to do this or know of someone else who can?).
The terra-cotta piece, so masterfully executed, was, like so much else in movie palaces and movies, just a veneer; the rest appeared to be of solid concrete. (Urban Remains and Timothy, is this indeed so?) The piece was far too large and too heavy for any one person to carry safely.
The Venetian, as Timothy has noted, in at least some places had three layers of large, thick bricks forming its exterior walls. In the case of Chicago’s lavish, fabled Paradise Theatre—celebrated and mourned widely, including by the rock group Styx in its homage to childhood memories of the theater through its 1981 album Paradise Theater and its trilogy of songs A.D. 1928, Rockin' the Paradise, and A.D. 1958—the sculptors and other artisans who worked on its were reportedly told, was intended “for all time.” But, as is well known among movie-palace mavens, Paradise was all too soon lost; that theater was open only 28 years when, according to at least one account, theater owner John Balaban said, tersely, “Rip it down.” The theater’s walls and foundations were indeed built to last much longer; a demolition job originally expected to take about six months actually took some two years.
The Venetian, while much smaller and less lavish than such theaters as the Paradise, spent only 27 of its 80 years as a theater—spending most of its existence otherwise.
As Holloman said, awe as well as a tinge of sadness in his voice, “This is a monument, man.”
As movie-palace history pioneer Ben Hall noted in his landmark 1961 book The Best Remaining Seats, a sign in one atmospheric theater reminded operators to be sure to turn off the twinkling stars and the machine projecting moving clouds onto the ceiling before closing up for the night.
Whether the Venetian ever had such a sign, I don’t know. But its night sky is tonight all too real, and dark clouds cover the stars. What’s left of the fanciful Venetian courtyard that formed it is about to vanish forever.
I did get to take hundreds of photos yesterday—sad, yet beautiful and powerful. You can see them at the following link:
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/album/576460762397988905">View link
To see any one photo in detail, click on the muted thumbnail in the main body of the page. The selected photo will appear, together with a brief explanation I’ve written for each photo at the very top of the page.
Let me know what you think!
Scott Enk
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It is so interesting for me to see, once again, how my lifelong interest in silent films, movie palaces, and related subjects has once again gotten me to expand my online capabilities. I first got online in 1998 after I began,, out of curiosity, to explore the Internet on a library computer. When I saw what it had to offer regarding silent film—something I’ve loved since I was five years old (and that’s now more than 40 years ago, folks!), I knew that the Internet indeed had “arrived.” After I saw Paul Charlesworth’s Web site devoted to Lillian Gish (who’s at the center of a far, far happier Milwaukee movie-palace memory for many Milwaukee-area folks, me certainly included—but that’s another story for another time and Cinema Treasures page!), with a series of unanswered questions he had about Gish for which he requested answers from anyone who knew them and I realized I could answer all but one off the top of my head, I just knew it was time for me to get online and get my own e-mail address. So I did, soon followed by my own computer.
Now, for the first time, I’ve learned how to upload photos to a Web link! Talk about the new aiding the old; like many others, I strongly believe the Internet is one of the best things that has ever happened for silent films, movie palaces, theater organs, and related matters and for the people who love them and want to preserve them and share them with others!
The Net has certainly helped those interested in these various things, interests long often pursued in isolation from their natural kindreds (for example, some silent-movie people often seemed to care only about the films but little about the theaters or the organs designed to showcase them!), learn from and work with each other. Those interests—and everyone concerned—thus all benefit. Now if only we had had the Internet to help save the likes of the Paradise, New York’s Roxy, Milwaukee’s Egyptian—and so many others …
after reviewing this blog, we had no choice but to comment on the wonderfully gifted detroit “decay” photographer who posted incredibly inaccurate and/or unfounded information…please, step forward and reveal yourself…and what made you arrive at your conclusion that our company is “bad and shady”. please feel free to contact us at 312-523-4660 for further discussion regarding senseless defamation of character. clearly, your comments reflect upon the type of person you are…and frankly, we find it saddening. do you find us attacking your “photography” on your website? think about it…
urban remains staff
This urban salvage company is running a very bad & shady business.
The item featured here: View link is from a theater in Gary Indiana (The Palace) and no approval was given to have them mine the building for all she’s worth.
Save your money and stay away from this place.
Hi Scott,
Those are some beautiful items that were found there. I saw others who were retrieving items last week, could be that was some of it.
I was told that prior to the start of razing, the company doing the work was asked for permission to go on site and remove the full amount of terra cotta from the building exterior but the company did not respond.
As for safe and legal going on site, I’m afraid I’m not able to answer that. But I can tell you that about all that is left of the building is the stage wall (I’m sure there is a term for it) and parts of the stage. The reminder of the material has been piled together by the crew over the former lobby area in what looks like they are preparing to start dumping it in trucks. I’d say there is nothing left to get from it.
I believe that some pieces are on display at Historic The Times Cinema.. at least that’s what I heard.
One of the Urban Remnants photos—the one of one of those urns that was at the very top of the building—shows just how much work and care went into the Venetian and so many other movie palaces. How many today would be concerned about, much less include, garlands on those urns, a detail that few if any people would see at such a height?
As with the films for which these theaters were built, “they just don’t make them like that any more.”
Tim—
Thanks again for those sad but fascinating photographs. For many of us, they will be our only chance to see what was left of the Venetian’s interior—and whatever tangible will soon be left of the Venetian itself.
Yes, I, too—as SNWEB indeed has asked above—should have asked, when it was still possible, about whether if it ultimately proved not possible to rehabilitate or otherwise save the Venetian, its priceless terra-cotta trim could have been preserved as a unit or at least in larger units, perhaps to be mounted on another building elsewhere, or whether smaller pieces could have gone to museums—perhaps to the Milwaukee County Historical Society and/or the Milwaukee Public Museum, or that of the Theater Historical Society of America in Elmhurst, Illinois. I hope that those of you who have been able to obtain remnants might at least consider thus donating a piece or two so that future generations can glimpse what we have all too often lost in many cases and places—and be inspired to do all they can to preserve the few vintage theaters we still have.
For those of you who might be interested (and have the money—they aren’t inexpensive to buy), some choice remnants of the Venetian are now for sale by Urban Remains, a Chicago architectural-artifacts firm. You can see photos of these remnants via the following link:
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Be sure also to click on the “Theater Building Artifacts” link at the bottom left of the above Web page.
I am still considering going to the Venetian myself some time soon and retrieving whatever I still might be able to.
Tim and all, how can one best do this safely and lawfully? (The demolition photos clearly indicate entry into the site.) Is there someone at the site or elsewhere from whom one must first ask permission to enter?
Two safety concerns that might well apply here to anyone attempting to retrieve theater artifactn in addition to demolition-site-safety and legal matters relate to two materials commonly found in older theaters: asbestos (in those fire curtains and in building insulation) and lead (in paints). What can any of you tell us all as how to best avoid such hazards, much less bringing them with us?
Scott Enk
Thanks Ziggy.. know I know that term correctly (wish I could go back and correct that.. oh well.. So much for that career as a writer!)
As for capitals being saved, I know for certain of two. I have one of them.
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Though it is chippped, considering the fall it took to the street below, it’s still a cool piece. The back of it has a very cool item, which to me just adds to the wonder of this building and what I have of it.
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You can see the finger marks of a worker who spread morter material on the back as well as where they stopped moving. A little piece of history frozen in time.
There is a great deal of detail on this part. The colors are very brilliant, which I think is amazing given the age of it.
I have a few other pieces such as this portion of the arch that was over the wrought iron balconys on the front and west side.
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Note the numbering on this piece
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I also have this proscenium detail piece which was the underside of the porch.
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This is for me an example of the details that were in the building. View link
It is a fragment end piece of a column and you can see the slight ridge detail on the depression. This was not something I ever saw from the ground, but close up it can be seen. Also, I was impressed with the faux marble treatment on this as is the arch piece. I imagine this might have faded a bit, but still an amazing detail.
They truly don’t build them like that any more.
OK, two more photos..
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The movie screen as it hangs yet today.
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The curtains that were on the sides of the framwork are still there after all these years. From the ground it appears to be a 1.33:1 format.
Larry Widen in his book (written with Judi Anderson) Silver Screens – A Pictorial History of Milwaukee Movie Theaters Writes “During World War II, the theaters importance as a news source became frighteningly evident when, in 1941 Japan bombed the Navel base at Pear Harbor, The Avalon and Venetian Theaters interrupted their showings of Here Comes Mr. Jordan to announce the disaster. …”
Perhaps they were watching it on this screen? Perhaps someone knows.
Thank you, Tim, for those photos. What a wonderful neighborhood theatre this must have been. It was a shock to read about its destruction, since the last news I’d heard was that it was going to be restored. What happened?
By the way, the top member of a column is called a “capital”, not a “capitol”. Speaking of which, did you get to save any of them?
Thanks again for the photos.
Nice photos, looked like someone climbed on the wreckage! I would have done the same, and I have for some demolished buildings.
I sure hope you grabbed those sheilds and capitol to save. They are heavy I’m sure, but could be cut down and look great cast in a new building.
Sad photos – but fascinating nonetheless.
Thank you so much for documenting this loss, and for sharing those images with us.
Bob
Hi Folks,
Some more photos of the Venetian.
Photo of a Shield from building exterior on the ground.
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A Shield that stopped at the base of a Tree on the sidewalk
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Tuesday 4/10/2007 – shell of building
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Rope sign – Circa 1946 – or at least the paper was.
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How I know the age…..It was on the back of a movie poster for a Red Skelton Movie “The Show Off” If it was a first run movie shown at the Venetian, then, that’s the age.. or close, right?
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Sadly, it has taken the distruction of this building for us to see the great detail that went into building it. For example,
Proscenuim detail – looking up from center of the stage
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proscenium detail – side and top
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After all these years, the paint is still there on some of the parts. I suspect that the white painted areas were the result of the drop ceiling and over painting of the garden interior for Venetian Sales.
This detail is above the Proscenium, stage left. You can see three important items here. The great structure to simulate a porch over the stage. the sky painting complete with a cloud that remained and some of the lighting in the auditorium. I’m guessing this is the lighting that helped to dim the night sky at the beginning of a show and simulate a sunset/sunrise as part of that.
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This is the same type of lighting fixture as shown in the photo above. This was on the west side of the building. Can anyone confirm this? The flex conduit is confusing as the date this would have been installed. Is this original 1927 type lighting and conduit
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One of the corner piller sections on the ground
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A column piece
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Sorry folks, I could not get a better photo of the movie screen, still hanging with curtains. Video comming soon.
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Hand written note of what to do in case of fire – stage right toward front.
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A capitol piece from front left side of building
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Capitol piece closer – note the numbering on the side. Several pieces that could be seen had this exact same type of marking
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A Film reel, I’m guessing it’s pre-1955 era.
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Here is something that was pointed out to me by someone. Look at the two photos:
section of the East wall
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See something odd about them?
Left side shield section
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I’ve been looking at this building since the late 1960 and never saw it.
Lastly, the durability of this building was evident by the difficulity that the crew had in trying to raze it. I count at least 3 layers of bricks in this photo of the east well where it meets up with the stage front wall.
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Tim
What a loss. The theater may not have been salvageable but the facade can and should have been saved for future development.
The graceful arches should have been taken off and preserved at the least. They appear to be pristine.
If you have any further information about the restoration of the organ, or the new owners, please forward it to me so I may add it to the history of this theater. My email address is on my profile.
Thanks
Tim.
According to the information I have, the style F Wurlitzer (2 manuals 8 ranks)from the Venetian Theatre has been sold from the Catholic church where it was installed for many years. The organ is supposedly in the home of the residence of Lou Knudson in Apple Valley, MN.
Scott, thanks for your comments. As of this morning there is really nothing to see except for the back wall and stage area as well as the shell of the lobby. All other areas have been razed and cleared. The site is not accessable and police are watching closely, given the damage to the nearby house this is not a suprise.
Yes, the interior was a pool of plaster, we can enjoy what little can be seen and appreciate the workmanship of that bygone era.
Sad news, but most of us who knew and cared about the Venetian and its fate saw what’s now happened as all but inevitable—including many who deeply hoped that the efforts of Milwaukee urban-renewal advocate Paul Bachowski and his colleagues to renovate the Venetian (and, ultimately, help its decline-ridden neighborhood) would succeed. We had all been awaiting some news on this front, and had hoped it would be good. The news has now come, but it’s not good.
Thanks, Timothy R., for sharing all those powerful photos eith us all. If I can get there some time this weekend or soon afterward, I’ll be trying to get some good pictures myself—and, if possible, share the best ones with you and everyone here.
The pictures might not be quite as dramatic as the famous one of Gloria Swanson amid the ruins of New York’s Roxy or Milwaukee movie-palace maven Larry Widen’s haunting photos of the interior of Milwaukee’s Egyptian shortly before its razing, but they’re nonetheless powerful, especially that closeup of the northwest exterior corner with its brickwork grotesquely twisting. As many of us had long feared and as Mr. Bachowski confirmed to me—and as the pictures and accounts above show—there indeed wasn’t much of the original theater left inside, but what little did remain (get a load of that remnant of wonderful, riotous color on and near the remains of the proscenium!) is still a reminder of the theater’s better days.
A less spectacular photo among the many I’ve taken of the Venetian myself might also summarize all too well what’s been happening to the Venetian for many years that has led to this week’s demolition. Taken in 2004, this photo shows a rear stage entrance that apparently had been the target of someone trying to kick it in at the bottom—and was guarded only by weeds and an empty bottle of Wild Irish Rose wine. This is all too symbolic of what’s happened to a once-festive, happy theater, its neighborhood, and, in many ways, many areas of its city.
“And so, my friends, we’ll say ‘Good night,'
for time has claimed his prize …"
—Styx, A.D. 1958
Thanks for posting! The heart of the community has been torn out, and I’m wondering… Which bureaucrats are ultimately responsible for this destruction? The contractors are also responsible, since they didn’t have to choose that job in the first place. It is as if one enters a museum and turns the place upside down, whether legal or illegal. Art is an extension of the soul. Please try to salvage additional remnants. Thank you for your work, Tim!!!
Here are some photos taken of the razing of the Venetian.
The Projection booth and balcony:
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Re-enforcement of the East Wall:
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West Wall and Stage area:
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Detail shot of the front fake balcony door:
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Roof and partial wall:
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West Wall and full building:
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Detail of a second story front window. These have been boarded over for many years:
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East Wall corner:
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Roof Details and tear down of East wall:
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Stage area: Marked view of details over the stage. The orignal painted walls are visible. Did not see this while in person, noticed only on the photo. It was a remarkable find.
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Stage area portions over the stage:
The stage is actually smaller than I expected it would be. This is a wider shot than the one above. You can see how some of the plaster details for the fake Venice balcony areas are over the stage opening.
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Sadly,
Tim
Hi Tim!
I am from NY, but my heart goes out to you and all the residents who favored &/or fought for this gem. Shame on the developers and all other parties who didn’t think it was a big deal. I detest selfish people. I believe in a divine presence, and this behavior will not go unrecorded. Don’t let them get away with this without putting up a fight. Thank you for documenting it. Please continue to keep us posted. Power to the people!!!
Hello everyone,
It is with a heavy heart that I write this. As I do so, the Venetian Theater Building is being razed. A crew arrived 4 days ago and as of this afternoon, most of the west wall including the terra cotta corner, most of the east wall and a larger percent of the roof are torn down. The roof was pulled down away from the stage. This afternoon Milwaukee police had Center street blocked off to all traffic while the east wall was removed as there was concern that the front wall may colapse into the street.
I will post photos and a link to them as soon as I am able. Two other people are providing me with photos of the progress and I have there permission to display them. These will show the progress of this final event for the building as well as show details that were perhaps of come curosity for those have read this page for any amount of time.
Some items to note. The projection booth was intact, with the details around it including handrails for the balcony. The balcony was present as was the stage with the colored details around it and above it as well. It is very easy to see the bases of the ledges that were over the stage. One person who has been watching the razing continually over the last 4 days reported to me that upon opening the west wall where work started, none of the interior was visible or intact. It was a crumbled mess as he described it, except for the items I have mentioned above.
An attempt to retrive the terra cotta by an interested party was met with no response by the contruction crew chief. I was able to secure two bricks from the east wall that I will treasure. There are markings on one of the bricks which should permit me to determine the company that made them.
The lady is not going in that dark night with out putting up a good fight! The duplex to the east of the building, which was about 4 feet away from the brick wall has recieved damage from when the east wall was taken down. There is a large gaping hole in the roof perhaps about 10 foot long and consuming most of the roof height. One officer told me that a few bricks came crashing into the residential area of the home.
I will post any further updates and will also post links to the photos once I have them sorted out.
Regards,
Tim
Hi all, what has been happening in regards to the Venetian since the deadline of Feb. 5th?? Funding, grants??
Thanks for all your input, friends. But don’t thank me—I’ve just spread the word. Thank Paul Bachowski and his partners for their “heavy lifting” through their efforts to renovate the Venetian.
Although I certainly do not speak on behalf of Mr. Bachowski or his organization, he told me earlier today (Monday, February 5) that his deadline for firming up first-stage funding is this Thursday, February 8. Time thus is indeed of the essence—so if anyone “out there,” whether from Milwaukee or elsewhere, knows of any potential sources of grants and/or other possible funding for this project, now is the time to contact him and let him know. To get contact information for him, please see my posting above.
Scott Enk
This theater does have great potential. Its renovation/restoration will foster revitalization of the existing town. I am particularly fond of the glazed terra cotta work on the facade. Please keep us informed. Bless you all!
For the Venetian, might the darkest hour be preceding a new dawn?
To excerpt what Paul Bachowski of MUSIC LLC, Milwaukee Urban Skyline Investment Company, states in a February 1, 2007, posting on the Web site of Milwaukee Renaissance:
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Project Save the Venetian Theatre Launched!
A report by Paul Bachowski, Feb. 1, 2007
Operation Save the Venetian Theatre is underway! Ron Roberts of the [City of Milwaukee] Department of Neighborhood Services has stated that he will hold off on the demolition of the theater if I am able to provide them with a financially supported renovation plan. The buildingâ€\s impressive brick and terracotta facade, brick walls, steel roof structure and concrete floors are all in great shape… . The long road to seeking grants for the restoration of the theater has begun.
At least $200,000 will need to be raised in the next couple months to acquire, stabilize and clean out the building. The replacement of the roof, facade cleanup and lobby area restoration would be the first phase. A non-profit entity will be formed that will oversee the renovation of the building interior and manage fund raising efforts… . With the $200,000 funding in place this year you will see a new facade on the first floor of the building and can stop in daily to watch the renovation of the theater taking shape behind secured windows.
Please help me get the word out as this window of opportunity may not last long. Grant support and partners with money and skills will be crucial.
The redevelopment of the Venetian Theatre will be a major catalyst to the redevelopment of the area… .
Sincerely,
Paul Bachowski
MUSIC LLC
Milwaukee Urban Skyline Investment Company
office/fax: 414â€"374â€"8775
mobile: 414â€"517â€"1277
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Congratulations, thanks, and best of luck, Mr. Bachowski!
You can read Bachowski’s full statement at the following Web address (copy and paste it into your browser window if it turns out not to be a working link):
As much as I love movie palaces, especially those of my hometown of Milwaukee, I, like most theater lovers in our area, had long ago despaired of any chance of saving the Venetian. This has been not only due to the theater’s long lack of use and poor condition but, as other posters to this board have stated, there seemed to be little chance of support for such a building in a neighborhood that has long been in decline. I’ve always hoped that I’d be wrong about this when it comes to the Venetian, and I hope that Bachowski and his colleagues indeed succeed!
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Not only would the restoration—or, better yet, the resurrection—of the Venetian be a great outcome in itself for it, its city and neighborhood, and all of the people of its neighborhood and the Milwaukee area. Like the current efforts to bring back Milwaukee’s Avalon (like the Venetian, one of a total of five atmospheric theaters built in Milwaukee), bringing the Venetian back from the brink would be a refreshing change from all the losses of other fine Milwaukee theaters we’ve seen over the last few decades.
Of all Milwaukee movie palaces, the theater whose story has seemed most parallel to the Venetian’s so far might be the Egyptian. Jim Rankin, who chronicled so many Milwaukee theaters on this Web site and elsewhere, would, I’m sure, be elated, as this writer and many others are at this latest news. The rebirth of the Venetian would be a great tribute to him and his efforts. (For those of you who don’t know, Jim, sadly, passed away in January.) Let’s hope we have a different ending—a happy one—for this Milwaukee movie palace!
My thanks to my friend Mike McC. for alerting me to this news and sending me the link. I’m sure there will be much more—I’ll do all I can to keep you posted and invite my fellow Milwaukee-area movie-palace aficionados to do the same!
Scott Enk