Kenosha closes the curtain on historic theater
Dustin Block , Special to The Daily Reporter
Kenosha is tearing down one of its historic movie houses over the objections of the building’s owners.
Kathryn Hanneman and John Gee, owners of the Roosevelt Theatre since 2000, pleaded with city officials to spare the building. They want to turn the movie house into a studio for shooting commercials and television pilots. But after eight years, they’ve made no progress.
Worse, say city officials, the owners let the building deteriorate to a condition beyond repair.
“It’s a building that is in a serious state if disrepair,†said Jim Schultz, Kenosha’s director of Neighborhood Services and Inspections. “It’s a public nuisance and a public safety issue.â€
But Hanneman said the city is rushing to destroy a historic property. She claims the building is made of concrete and steel girders thicker than skyscrapers, and could easily stand for years to come.
“I think it speaks to their lack of vision,†Hanneman said. “Projects like this are done all of the time. They really don’t have any reason to bring it down.â€
The single-screen Roosevelt Theatre, the longest continuously screening theater in Kenosha, opened Christmas Day in 1927 and showed movies for 55 years. It was designed by architect Einar Dahl and revised by architect Charles Augustine. Capacity was originally 1,000 seats but was reduced to 764 seats in the 1970s.
Along with the movie theater, there was a bowling alley in the basement. The interior of the building is all but gone, Schultz said. The bowling alley was removed years ago, and the original organ was dismantled in the 1950s to make room for air conditioning.
The Kenosha City Council voted 14-1 on Aug. 4 to raze the building. The council approved a $37,000 contract with Champion Environmental Services Inc., Gilberts, Ill., to remove asbestos from the theater before demolition. Asbestos removal is scheduled to being in two weeks. Demolition would begin in six weeks.
Hanneman and Gee owe $150,000 in liens and back taxes on the property. They said they do not have the money to make even basic repairs to the theater. They were working with an anonymous donor to receive $500,000 for the theater, but the money was tied up in estate proceedings, Hanneman said.
Gee, an entertainment promoter from Milwaukee, said Kenosha overestimated how much it would cost to “button up†the building until money is found for restoration. His plan was to either fix the exterior and sell the theater to a developer or create a recording and television studio.
But that plan received little support from city officials, said Gee, noting that public money was available to help the Kenosha Theatre and the Rhode Opera House in the city’s downtown. When he asked for city support for the Roosevelt Theatre, he was turned away.
“We wanted a property that supports itself, not one that’s supported by the city,†he said, adding that, in retrospect, he and Hanneman didn’t have the experience needed to complete the project. “That was the weakness in our plan. We didn’t have a real estate professional in our group.â€
Schultz said the city does not support tearing down historic buildings. But in the case of the Roosevelt Theatre, he said, restoration would cost more than $1 million.
“Really there’s no choice in the matter,†he said. “The owner doesn’t have the resources to make the minimum necessary repairs.â€
The 12,500 square-foot theater is in central Kenosha about a mile from the city’s downtown, which includes two historic theaters, one in use and the other undergoing a $24 million restoration. The Roosevelt has not been used as a theater for more than 20 years.
There are no plans to redevelop the site, Schultz said.
Tina, you may be aware that the large 1927 vertical sign read “Dahl’s Roosevelt”. I believe the “Dahl’s” was blanked out shortly afterward but at least one photo with that configuration does exist, as do some others without it.
The owners have until spring to correct minor exterior repairs including paint touch-up and tuckpointing.
A couple of items for the record: the architecture is Gothic, a rather rare style amongst movie palaces; and the theatre had already been renamed the Uptown in the 1940s, long before its closure near New Years Day of 1959. Its manager then was a Mr. Gross or Groce, and at the Uptown’s closure he was immediately appointed to manage the Kenosha Theatre in Kenosha and when the Kenosha closed on April 21, 1963 he took over the Lake Theatre (formerly the Gateway, now the Rhode Opera House) three blocks north, all Standard Theatres chain houses.
There was a Preservation Racine tour of the Uptown in the fall of 1981 and restoration talk was flowing even then. Around that time some rock concerts were held in the auditorium, but patrons had to use a rear exit door as the lobbies were then occupied by the Avenue Frame Shop. That, by the way, was a longtime business (gone now) that attracted many “customers” who ostensibly were interested in picture-framing but who were actually there as curiosity-seekers to see what they could of the vestibules and lobbies.
Please check into the Roosevelt Theatre in Kenosha WI, which has just come up for sale through Bear Realty www.bearrealty.com (262) 694-2327. There are flanking storefronts and upper floors to provide extra income. The street is busy, and is WI Highway 50. Thanks!
I recall that there were a few unconnected voices of preservation raised in the mid-1970s, terming the closed and endangered Venetian a landmark though it never was officially designated as such.
But the local daily newspaper (the Journal Times) demanded its demolition in editorials and denounced the Venetian’s value as a landmark, showing as its “proof” of that denial a photo of the plain brick stagehouse at the rear of the theatre.
After demolition, the land was vacant for a quarter of a century.
The Roosevelt Theatre Building with its attached storefronts and second-floor offices and parking lots is now totally vacant and for sale through Bear Realty of Kenosha WI. Roosevelt Road itself was recently streetscaped, resurfaced and upgraded to Wisconsin Highway 50. The City is installing a large parking lot next door.
It was originally the Butterfly Theatre (named for its distinctive butterfly-winged ornamentation flanking the proscenium), and was built by the Klinkert Brewery of Racine during Prohibition and operated by local exhibitor Michael Lencioni. It was renamed ‘Hollywood Theatre’ in the 1930s. The final double-feature film program at the Hollywood Theatre was on the night of April 30, 1952. Thereafter the theatre was vacant for a time and was then rented for church services. It was still intact until 1960, when the local Polish Legion of American Veterans post acquired the Hollywood, leveled the floor and walls, and hung a false ceiling, which still remains above it. The Hollywood’s two-manual pipe organ is now in the B'nai Brith Temple in Library Park downtown.
The Vogue Theatre opened in September 1923 and was operated by local barkeep Walter Schlager. It hosted second-run films and live acts into the 1930s. A random search turned up an appearance by Patsy Montana. There was a two-manual Wicks organ. Local exhibitor Bill Exton (who also operated the Roosevelt and Hollywood Theaters) leased the Vogue, which was part of Milwaukee’s Standard Theatres chain in the 1940s. The last regular double-feature program there was on the night of Monday, December 15, 1951, with the outside temperature at fifteen below zero.
Kenosha closes the curtain on historic theater
Dustin Block , Special to The Daily Reporter
Kenosha is tearing down one of its historic movie houses over the objections of the building’s owners.
Kathryn Hanneman and John Gee, owners of the Roosevelt Theatre since 2000, pleaded with city officials to spare the building. They want to turn the movie house into a studio for shooting commercials and television pilots. But after eight years, they’ve made no progress.
Worse, say city officials, the owners let the building deteriorate to a condition beyond repair.
“It’s a building that is in a serious state if disrepair,†said Jim Schultz, Kenosha’s director of Neighborhood Services and Inspections. “It’s a public nuisance and a public safety issue.â€
But Hanneman said the city is rushing to destroy a historic property. She claims the building is made of concrete and steel girders thicker than skyscrapers, and could easily stand for years to come.
“I think it speaks to their lack of vision,†Hanneman said. “Projects like this are done all of the time. They really don’t have any reason to bring it down.â€
The single-screen Roosevelt Theatre, the longest continuously screening theater in Kenosha, opened Christmas Day in 1927 and showed movies for 55 years. It was designed by architect Einar Dahl and revised by architect Charles Augustine. Capacity was originally 1,000 seats but was reduced to 764 seats in the 1970s.
Along with the movie theater, there was a bowling alley in the basement. The interior of the building is all but gone, Schultz said. The bowling alley was removed years ago, and the original organ was dismantled in the 1950s to make room for air conditioning.
The Kenosha City Council voted 14-1 on Aug. 4 to raze the building. The council approved a $37,000 contract with Champion Environmental Services Inc., Gilberts, Ill., to remove asbestos from the theater before demolition. Asbestos removal is scheduled to being in two weeks. Demolition would begin in six weeks.
Hanneman and Gee owe $150,000 in liens and back taxes on the property. They said they do not have the money to make even basic repairs to the theater. They were working with an anonymous donor to receive $500,000 for the theater, but the money was tied up in estate proceedings, Hanneman said.
Gee, an entertainment promoter from Milwaukee, said Kenosha overestimated how much it would cost to “button up†the building until money is found for restoration. His plan was to either fix the exterior and sell the theater to a developer or create a recording and television studio.
But that plan received little support from city officials, said Gee, noting that public money was available to help the Kenosha Theatre and the Rhode Opera House in the city’s downtown. When he asked for city support for the Roosevelt Theatre, he was turned away.
“We wanted a property that supports itself, not one that’s supported by the city,†he said, adding that, in retrospect, he and Hanneman didn’t have the experience needed to complete the project. “That was the weakness in our plan. We didn’t have a real estate professional in our group.â€
Schultz said the city does not support tearing down historic buildings. But in the case of the Roosevelt Theatre, he said, restoration would cost more than $1 million.
“Really there’s no choice in the matter,†he said. “The owner doesn’t have the resources to make the minimum necessary repairs.â€
The 12,500 square-foot theater is in central Kenosha about a mile from the city’s downtown, which includes two historic theaters, one in use and the other undergoing a $24 million restoration. The Roosevelt has not been used as a theater for more than 20 years.
There are no plans to redevelop the site, Schultz said.
The Vaudette Theatre opened on Thursday, January 27, 1938 with the feature film “Back in Circulation”.
Tina, you may be aware that the large 1927 vertical sign read “Dahl’s Roosevelt”. I believe the “Dahl’s” was blanked out shortly afterward but at least one photo with that configuration does exist, as do some others without it.
The owners have until spring to correct minor exterior repairs including paint touch-up and tuckpointing.
A couple of items for the record: the architecture is Gothic, a rather rare style amongst movie palaces; and the theatre had already been renamed the Uptown in the 1940s, long before its closure near New Years Day of 1959. Its manager then was a Mr. Gross or Groce, and at the Uptown’s closure he was immediately appointed to manage the Kenosha Theatre in Kenosha and when the Kenosha closed on April 21, 1963 he took over the Lake Theatre (formerly the Gateway, now the Rhode Opera House) three blocks north, all Standard Theatres chain houses.
There was a Preservation Racine tour of the Uptown in the fall of 1981 and restoration talk was flowing even then. Around that time some rock concerts were held in the auditorium, but patrons had to use a rear exit door as the lobbies were then occupied by the Avenue Frame Shop. That, by the way, was a longtime business (gone now) that attracted many “customers” who ostensibly were interested in picture-framing but who were actually there as curiosity-seekers to see what they could of the vestibules and lobbies.
The Capitol’s organ was relocated to a newer minimalist-styled playhouse built by a local amateur live-theater group on Northwestern Avenue.
That’s correct; it was indeed the Bharat Cinema by June of 1977, and before that it was the Roberto Clemente Theatre. Thanks.
Please check into the Roosevelt Theatre in Kenosha WI, which has just come up for sale through Bear Realty www.bearrealty.com (262) 694-2327. There are flanking storefronts and upper floors to provide extra income. The street is busy, and is WI Highway 50. Thanks!
I recall that there were a few unconnected voices of preservation raised in the mid-1970s, terming the closed and endangered Venetian a landmark though it never was officially designated as such.
But the local daily newspaper (the Journal Times) demanded its demolition in editorials and denounced the Venetian’s value as a landmark, showing as its “proof” of that denial a photo of the plain brick stagehouse at the rear of the theatre.
After demolition, the land was vacant for a quarter of a century.
The Roosevelt Theatre Building with its attached storefronts and second-floor offices and parking lots is now totally vacant and for sale through Bear Realty of Kenosha WI. Roosevelt Road itself was recently streetscaped, resurfaced and upgraded to Wisconsin Highway 50. The City is installing a large parking lot next door.
It was originally the Butterfly Theatre (named for its distinctive butterfly-winged ornamentation flanking the proscenium), and was built by the Klinkert Brewery of Racine during Prohibition and operated by local exhibitor Michael Lencioni. It was renamed ‘Hollywood Theatre’ in the 1930s. The final double-feature film program at the Hollywood Theatre was on the night of April 30, 1952. Thereafter the theatre was vacant for a time and was then rented for church services. It was still intact until 1960, when the local Polish Legion of American Veterans post acquired the Hollywood, leveled the floor and walls, and hung a false ceiling, which still remains above it. The Hollywood’s two-manual pipe organ is now in the B'nai Brith Temple in Library Park downtown.
The Vogue Theatre opened in September 1923 and was operated by local barkeep Walter Schlager. It hosted second-run films and live acts into the 1930s. A random search turned up an appearance by Patsy Montana. There was a two-manual Wicks organ. Local exhibitor Bill Exton (who also operated the Roosevelt and Hollywood Theaters) leased the Vogue, which was part of Milwaukee’s Standard Theatres chain in the 1940s. The last regular double-feature program there was on the night of Monday, December 15, 1951, with the outside temperature at fifteen below zero.