Wheaton Grand Theater

In response to comments of June 1, I don’t think it is a bad thing to have heated discussion on this web site. Emotional debate is part of the preservation landscape. Take a look at some of the comments on the Crocker Theater in Elgin, if you think this is bad. There’s a guy over there that calls himself: “ELGINsucks*****”. I think the answer is to not visit Cinema Treasures sections that you find distasteful.

I don’t see that you have posted any references, as I mentioned on May 22, Paul.

Thank you for a voice of reason Mr. Grebe. So to sum up… all of us have different opinions about this particular theatre so let’s let it be and do work to help other theatres. Loster and his board will do their best to restore the Wheaton Grand. If they succeed, hooray. If not, it is another theatre gone. Sad that the GTC board members go out and try to ruin our reputation. Sad. A settlement is in the works between GVI (us) and GTC (them) so let the lawyers work it out. Unless attacked or maligned, I will not post here again. Goodbye. Thank you.

Actually, that invitation goes to the rest of you folks who have expressed interest in the Wheaton Grand as well. Bryan & Life’s Too Short, etc. I’d be more than happy to take you through the theater if you haven’t been already. Just let me know.

I, for one, am really getting tired of reading these public CT exchanges and wish they would stop! I don’t know JLoster, but I have communicated with Paul Warshauer though I don’t personally know him. I’m sure there are some truths and some falsehoods in all of these many exchanges. but this is ridiculous and not very professional, imo.

How sad, John. It is easy to blame someone else when you and your board has fallen down. Nice try but intelligent people see through your pack of lies. You gave an 80th birthday party where 15 people and a few friends stop by? Sad. You claim to have been trying to restore the theatre for 5 years. What has happened? Why haven’t you done even ONE fundraiser to put money into the building? Your GTC board is so disconnected with the public it can’t do anything without putting them to sleep… with inertia. Did it take GVI to kick start your efforts? We had thousands of people excited again about the theatre. Now nothing. No action. The 500 people (an exaggeration?) who attended the events you mention are the result of GVIs marketing and contract process, not yours. Our contracts are still there but you do not market them or any others. What happened to the marquee? What happened to all the young people who used to volunteer? You refuse to return stolen property that belongs to GVI. You continue to lie to the public about “their involvement.” Listen to the former advisory board, the schools, the boy and girl scouts, the seniors, the churches, the business and city officials, the kids and many others who WANT three venues, movies and programs for kids. You lost the YMCA’s contract to rent the theatre for theatre camps for the summer! Sad. You lie to the public about renting the old office space (no one there as of this morning). It is time to face the facts, John. You are on a sinking ship. Move over and let others continue the work started. There are plenty of other volunteers who refuse to go back to the theatre because YOU are there. Stop with the personal attacks and focus on the theatre, John. Do the right thing and resign. Then the REAL work of restoring an old theatre can begin.

The Wheaton Grand Theatre turned 80 on Wednesday. How sad no one threw it a party. Grande Venues had big plans for an 8 story cake (one for each decade). We also had bigger plans for its renovation/restoration. GVI got estimates from two major architects and could renovate and open for 4.1 million. Now “restoration guru, Ray Shepardson” (James Fuller, a reporter’s words) wants to spend 8 million! Why don’t the people of Wheaton get involved? Why don’t business and civic leaders ask questions of that misguided board of directors? Is one theatre realistic downtown Wheaton? The DuPage Theatre in Lombard (nearby) suffers but at least there is a better plan for a downtown redevlopment! Meanwhile morale is down at the theatre with the volunteers and teenagers now that no one sits in the front window running events. Sad.

Well…to some extent I brought this on myself by calling you a dirt bag. That was certainly not a cool-headed thing to do.

But, the fact that I am not active in restoration activities does not negate my opinion. A man with a string of angry people following him does not end up in that situation for no reason. While it is true that Donald Trump has dealt with his share of legal trouble, I know that the activities of GVI are not even close to being on the same scale of complexity. There is a world of difference between running an international real estate empire and managing one suburban theater.

The nature of your statements makes me suspect that you deal in emotion, rather than logic. If you are interested in defending your reputation, why don’t you post a list of your successful theater renovation projects…with references (names and phone numbers). Certainly if there is substance behind your sales pitch, that should not be a problem.

By the way, it doesn’t appear to me that your comments are being sanitized. It looks to me like you are being allowed to speak your peace.

What does any of this one theater stuff matter, Paul? You have been fired. Your office contains a stack of soft drinks now. Furthermore, I am more likely to believe several paragraphs of events presented along a timeline that can be verified than your vague accusations (stated in an inflammatory manner) based on conceptual differences.

I know that Paul has been involved with the Portage, the Uptown, and the Wheaton. None of these projects went anywhere, and there seems to be a string of accusations, some of which have escalated to the point where the judiciary system was involved.

Paul is good salesman…enthusiastic and intelligent. I have observed that a good salesman can usually create another opportunity, even if the previous one was a dismal affair.

I would be cautious, Patsy. I really can’t say anything for certain. But the information has piled up to the point where I would conduct extensive due diligence before becoming financially involved with this gentleman.

I thought you had a pretty good thing going out there, Paul. I am sorry that your intentions now appear to be dubious.

Certainly Paul must have some credibility if he’s been able to be involved in so many projects. A google search shows a number of different projects, and doesn’t neccessarily paint a flattering picture, but certainly there must be something more to the stories.

Oh my god. That is awful. Going by the information posted by the Clerk of the Circuit Court, it looks like there are three outstanding judgments against this guy, from three plaintiffs, worth a total of about $10,000. And to think…I made comments supporting this dirt bag.

Grande Venues, Incorporated (GVI) has had their contract terminated with the Wheaton Theater, which is operated by the 501c3 not-for-profit organization the Grand Theater Corporation (GTC). GVI received the notice of termination on March 29th, 2005 via certified mail, giving them 14 days to pack up their belongings and leave. By midnight on April 12th, they should have been off the premises, but were not, and we had to change the locks on the building. We are attempting to negotiate a settlement to try to honor some of the shows that GVI booked. So far we have seen contracts that weren’t countersigned, contracts that were signed after GVI was given their termination notice, etc.

Unfortunately, GVI has forbidden us to even attempt to contact the bands that they have contracts with, and they have not given us contact
information for nearly all of the bands they hired. This naturally puts us in a difficult situation, for we want to try to minimize the inconvenience to their bands, but yet we cannot work with them because we don’t know how to contact them.

We have only seen a few of the contracts, but my guess is that not a single contract informs their bands of the following two important terms in the GTC/GVI contract: 1) the GTC has the right to terminate the GTC/GVI contract, with OR WITHOUT cause upon 14 days notice; and 2) that GVI expressly agreed “Neither this Agreement, nor any term or condition therein, shall create an agency, joint venture, or partnership relationship between the parties, nor shall either party hold itself out to third parties in such capacity. Neither party has the power or authority to act for, represent, or bind the other in any manner other than as specified herein. No one hired by GVI shall be considered either an employee of independent contractor of GTC unless GTC agrees in writing.” As such, GVI had no authority to bind the GTC, and all of GVI’s contracts should have been subject to GVI’s contract with the GTC being in full force and effect on the date of the event. We are trying to honor GVI’s contracts so that the level of inconvenience to bands is minimized, but this is very difficult with GVI’s refusal to either notify the bands that the GVI/GTC contract has been cancelled, or by GVI refusing to give us contact information.

We find it hard to believe that GVI continued to attempt to book bands
AFTER their contract with the GTC was terminated. Again, we do not know for sure, but it looks like none of the bands that GVI signed after the contract was terminated were told that the contract was terminated.

Last Friday, several volunteers came to the theater in the attempt to honor one of GVI’s events. Not only was a contract NOT produced by GVI, but none of the bands showed up. The Grand Theater Corporation is making the attempt to honor what we can, given a difficult arrangement. Meanwhile we continue to receive calls from vendors that are seeking payment for past expenses incurred by GVI and not yet paid. In addition, GVI did not pay us their contracted March or April payments, their January and February payments were not paid in full and Paul Warshauer had theater property removed from the theater without our knowledge or consent. As an unpaid volunteer who has been involved with this theater for five years, and who spends dozens of hours a week on a project that’s very dear to my heart, I find it sad that Paul accuses me of being untrustworthy. For further reading, you might want to read the judgment entered against Paul Warshauer last year in a lawsuit filed by Annoyance Productions here: http://www.annoyanceproductions.com/lawsuit.html

Hopefully the Grand Theater Corporation can get back to the business of restoring a theater, and Mr. Warhshauer and his company can move on as well.

Bryan: One must register to read the Chicago Tribune article so could you post it on CT?