Retlaw Theatre

50sSNIPES on December 10, 2023 at 5:59 pm

The Retlaw became a triplex in 1983, and two more screens were added in December 1985.

Norm Lenburg on October 20, 2014 at 3:54 pm

As of Oct. 20, 2014, the demolition of the auditorium and stage of the Retlaw Theatre is nearly complete. Only the stage proscenium opening remains standing, and this will come down soon.

Norm Lenburg on September 3, 2014 at 3:39 pm

Commonwealth Development Corp. has begun a partial demolition of the Retlaw Theater building. First to go was Theater Five that was added to the building in the 1980s, along with another “modern” auditorium, as part of a modernization. When demolition is completed, both “add-on” theaters and the main auditorium will be gone. The lobby facade and retail and office space that was part of the original Rapp & Rapp structure will remain and be converted into offices for Commonwealth and market rate apartments. The Reporter (local newspaper) has posted videos of the first two days of demo work:

Day one video 9/2/2014

and

Day two video 9/3/2014

Day two video 9/3/2014

Norm Lenburg on July 5, 2014 at 8:35 pm

The Friends of the Retlaw Theatre group also have a Facebook page and a fund-raising website.

LouRugani on June 27, 2014 at 4:49 pm

There are some who consider the former Retlaw Theater a dilapidated, mold-riddled space with a leaky roof and standing water in the basement.

But a group operating mostly online with no ownership rights to the Main Street building sees a gem in the rough. Friends of the Retlaw Theater say the historic downtown building is structurally sound, has only surface mold resulting from malfunctioning roof drains and should be transformed into a usable theater for the community.

Louie Lange, president of Commonwealth Companies, has been granted an option to purchase the property that fronts 23 S. Main St. Once home to a grand theater, the buildings that are part of the theater complex have been vacant and for sale for seven years. Commonwealth intends to close on the property within the month and begin a project to renovate the building into a mix of offices, retail and apartment space. Lange said his project would not be financially viable with the theater.

“In order to develop the apartments that (financially) support the cost of the building, we need windows on the eastern side of the building — the same with the office space,” Lange said.

Parking, he said, is not as important as creating apartments on the eastern portion of the building. If parking were the only issue, he said Tuesday, the theater may have been salvaged.

Friends of the Retlaw Theater has been collecting signatures from people who want to save the theater. The group says it has 1,300 to 1,500 signatures but has largely stopped its petition efforts.

The following is posted online, petitioning Commonwealth Development Corp.:

“Please do not turn our Retlaw Theater into a 32-space parking lot. Utilize the auditorium in your redevelopment plan and be a hero to Fond du Lac citizens, young and old!”

Commonwealth is planning a $2.4 million project at the Retlaw site. The plan calls for creation of first-floor offices for 24 Commonwealth staff members and retail space. The second floor and part of the third floor will become 10 apartments priced at market rate including several two-story lofts. Wempner’s School of Dance may continue as a tenant on the third floor. Portions of the theaters facing Sheboygan and Portland streets will be razed and replaced with a parking lot.

Friends of the Retlaw group held a meeting Tuesday night at Fond du Lac Public Library that was attended by nearly a dozen people. The group invited all “Fond du Lac County residents, Commonwealth friends, Thelma friends, and the media to confirm facts and share ideas and find the common ground we all know exists to SAVE the Historic Fond du Lac Retlaw Theater for Fond du Lac’s Downtown Arts and Entertainment District.”

Fond du Lac resident Christine Clementi, who has been leading the Save the Retlaw Theater charge, said Tuesday she didn’t expect a buyer — any buyer — to have a plan that included demolition of the theater. When she and others learned of Commonwealth’s intentions, “they panicked,” she said, and started an online effort to try and find a way to work with Commonwealth.

Lange said his plan calls for construction of five apartments facing Main Street and five facing Sheboygan Street. The theater, he said, doesn’t fit with the design.

A 32-space parking lot could provide parking for some of his office employees, apartment tenants and retail employees/customers. Lange said he’s already purchased spaces in a nearby parking garage.

The historical character of the Retlaw Theater facade facing Main Street will be maintained. Lange said he will try and salvage architectural aspects of the building’s interior.

“It would be wonderful if we had an economically viable way to preserve that theater,” Lange said.

He said it would take at least $9 million to restore the theater. The Friends of the Retlaw group believe it can be done for a much lower amount.

The Retlaw complex Lange is purchasing is more than a theater — it encompasses the buildings at 17, 19 and 23 S. Main St.

A portion of one theater was made into a kitchen during the time it served as Fusion Restaurant and floors were flattened in another one-third of the building, said Amy Hansen, executive director of the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership. She said a middle section still has theater seats, but they are covered with mold and can’t be reused.

Retlaw Theater is listed on local, state and national historic registries but it’s the local designation that is the most restrictive, said Dyann Benson, redevelopment planner for the City of Fond du Lac.

Benson said properties on the state and national historic registry are eligible for tax credits and funding for certain types of projects.

Because of the local historic designation, the city’s Historic Preservation Commission was required to vote on demolition and exterior alterations to the building.

“The HPC doesn’t have the authority to negate an accepted offer,” Benson said. An initial motion to delay demolition by three months was amended to allow immediate demolition when the committee questioned what a delay would accomplish.

Lange told them a delay could impact his plans for purchase of the building.

Ann Kelly, owner of Wempner’s Dance Studio, said a commercial cleaning specialist walked through the theater in October 2013 and told her the mold in the dressing rooms under the stage was “surface mold” and could be cleaned up and painted and that wood trim and wood doors should be removed to eliminate continual mold growth. The specialist said the mold was not dangerous black mold and would not require any special kind of cleanup.

Kelly said a structural engineer from a Green Bay firm inspected the theater on April 25 and reported that water damage is due to malfunctioning roof drains, and the building is structurally adequate and does not pose a safety concern.

A preservation architect from the Wisconsin Historical Society, Mark Buechel, who also viewed the property in April, said the theater is “in remarkable condition and a beautiful example of Art Deco architecture.” The architect said the theater could stand another 89 years if roof issues were addressed. He also wasn’t overly concerned about the basement mold.

Lange said Tuesday he is concerned dilapidated areas will “start eating at the rest of” the building.

Kelly has a secondary offer on the property, but Commonwealth’s is the offer accepted by owner Chuck Boyd.

Clementi said she believes the HPC should have voted to postpone demolition of the theater because another proposal (Kelly’s vision for a performing arts center for children) existed. The committee voted unanimously May 21 to allow demolition.

Fond du Lac City Council President Sam Meyer, on a recent online post, said the City of Fond du Lac does not have authority to dictate the terms of the property sale.

“This is a transaction between two private parties about a privately owned property,” he said. “The city can’t stop, alter, negotiate or deny any portion of this transaction because the city doesn’t own the property, nor does it have authority to do so. While some might not like it, if the private owner of this property decides they want to tear part of the property down, then that is their right.”

Meyer said no city taxpayer money was used in the development project/transaction and there isn’t a Council member associated with the seller or the buyer. Council, he added, did not vote to demolish anything related to the Commonwealth project. He said the owner does not need Council approval.

Hansen said she’s looked at the state of Rapp and Rapp theaters — the Chicago architects of the Retlaw Theater and 105 theaters in the U.S. Forty-seven have been demolished, 16 are vacant and still standing and 42 are open.

“It’s an unfortunate reality that not all of these properties can be saved,” Hansen said.

LouRugani on March 10, 2014 at 6:37 pm

Commonwealth Companies' boutique-hotel plans in the Retlaw Theater have been replaced by a plan for office/ retail space and 10 apartments. Louie Lange III is president of The Commonwealth Companies. The Retlaw auditorium facing Sheboygan and Portland streets would be razed for parking. Commonwealth says it intends to renovate the Retlaw facade facing Main Street “in a way that would complement the historic nature of Main Street”.

Wempner’s School of Dance owner Ann Kelly has been opposed to demolition of the Retlaw Theater and is unsure if she would stay in the building. Her lease continues through 2016. Kelly said a group of people interested in preserving the historic theater has no imminent plans for action. Still, Kelly would like to see the theater brought to life. “Is it not worth a chance to make it work?” she said. Lange says the theatre portion of the building has “lost its viability” and questioned whether more theater space is needed in Fond du Lac. “Are there groups out there that right now don’t have theater space to operate?” he asked.

City of Fond du Lac Community Development Director Wayne Rollin said the condition of the buildings has worsened “alarmingly” over the past several years. He said the roof leaks badly, the basement floor is under water, mold is an issue and electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling systems need to be replaced, the elevator hasn’t been working since fall, and “it would cost millions to restore the theater”, Rollin said, adding “If this proposal doesn’t work out the community will face the probability of condemnation and complete demolition of the entire complex in the near future, at public expense,” in a memo to Fond du Lac City Manager Joe Moore.

Dyann Benson, the city’s redevelopment planner, said the Retlaw theater property has been for sale for about five years. No one has proposed restoring the theater during that time. “In order to really invest in restoration, you have to have a return on the investment on the back end,” she said, adding that there would continue to be operating and maintenance costs and other expenses.

Norm Lenburg on October 2, 2012 at 1:51 pm

The Retlaw property is currently for sale:

http://zacommercial.com/files/Download/Retlaw%20%26%20Main%20St.%20Properties%20-%20Brochure.pdf

Norm Lenburg on April 28, 2008 at 3:41 pm

I can tell you the Retlaw NEVER had a balcony. At the time it was built, one of its claims to fame was that it was the largest single-floor theater in Wisconsin (around 1140 seats). The benefits of a single-floored auditorium were excellent sight lines and lower construction costs. The down-side was higher cost for land because the auditorium occupied more space per seat. All in all, it was a pretty house, but not very ornate along the side and back walls. The proscenium arch, faux-boxes fronting the organ chambers, and the ceiling were quite attractive. All of this ornamentation survives to this day, but I do not have any photos to show it.

Norm Lenburg on April 27, 2008 at 11:41 am

Here’s a link to contemporary photos of the Retlaw Theater’s exterior: http://webpages.charter.net/nlenburg/retlaw/

Jason Fox on March 28, 2008 at 10:46 pm

Since the Bravo Productions site does not appear to work, what is the current status of the former Retlaw? Has there been any movement towards restoration?

JimmyC on October 1, 2004 at 7:13 am

One of my best memories from my childhood in Fond du Lac was going to see Disney’s Pinocchio at the Retlaw when it was still one large grand theater. This was in the late 70’s and the Retlaw seemed larger than life and breathtakingly beautiful with it’s ornate lighting and gilded ceilings and the grand lobby.

One correction I need to note about the theater’s history is that it was actually split into three screens in the mid-80’s. There was one larger theater in the middle with two small theaters on either side. In the later 80’s, two additional screens were built onto the back of the original building making it a five-screen. Each theater replicated and preserved the decor of the original. I was proud at the time to say my hometown had preserved and modernized a gorgeous, historical downtown movie house maintaining its original splendor.

My heart broke when I learned the Retlaw was closed in the late 90’s following the opening of the new (and un-originally named) Fond du Lac Theater multiplex on the west side of town by the freeway. When my parents told me the Retlaw was being re-opened as a performing arts center, my hopes were high that it would succeed and future generations could see how wonderful a place it truly is. I’m going to see my niece in a play there and will see it for the first time in years. I pray the new owners have done the old Retlaw justice.