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Wheaton Grand to be demolished?
posted by
jwballer
on
April 14, 2011 at 10:45 am
WHEATON, IL — When 56 percent of voters in last Tuesday’s election rejected a proposal that would have set aside up to $150,000, the fate of the theatre may have been decided. The building that first opened its doors as a vaudeville house in 1925 has long been the center of controversy over various plans to renovate it. The current owner (Suburban Bank & Trust) will continue to try to sell the property or ultimately, we believe, the building will be demolished and we will be left with an empty lot in the heart of downtown Wheaton, similar to what happened to the DuPage Theater in Lombard.
OPTIONS
Option One: Wheaton Grand Theater as a Live Performance Theater
Option Two: Wheaton Grand Theater as a 9 or 10 screen, First Run Movie Complex
The private theater operator would invest a majority of the funds needed to buy the property, build the structure, and fund the operation.
A new parking structure will probably need to be built by the city to handle the anticipated need.
