Derald Milton West – Born June 24, 1918, Died October 18, 2010
Derald Milton West, American Institute of Architects, passed away at 92 in Blowing Rock, NC on October 18, 2010 after living a remarkable life.
He was born June 24, 1918 to the late Frank Milton and Edith Maude Garland West in Chicago, Illinois.
He was a gifted athlete in baseball, football, and hockey in his youth at Lindblom High School in Chicago. From there he was the first member of his family to graduate from college, with honors, from the University of Minnesota in architecture. While a student in 1942, he met and married his wife of 62 years, June Elizabeth Anderson. He was studying for his masters at the Illinois Institute of Technology under Mies van der Rohe when war broke out.
Millions of men were joining the war effort, and Derald was no exception. But his path was quite interesting; he was selected as one of a dozen young scientists and engineers to enter an elite program sponsored by the War Department. He was sent to Wright-Patterson for research and training into the capabilities of munitions, fuses, and other secret technologies. From there, he did further research at Princeton University, during which time he was privileged to meet Albert Einstein on numerous occasions.
Eventually he was sent to England to advise the Ninth Air Force on strategic bombing from a highly technical perspective. He often briefed the Supreme Allied Commanders as the invasion of Fortress Europe approached, and this at the age of 25. He landed on the Normandy beaches days after the invasion to assess the results of aerial bombardment. One of his duties was to advise the Ninth Air Force — after numerous failed missions — to carpet-bomb the runways of a notorious German fighter base in Holland rather than saturate the entire base with smaller munitions. He’d noted earler that the base was ringed with water-pump windmills since it was below sea level and his concept was to destroy the drainage system. The mission was staged and the base was never again operational throughout the war. That success, and his research on how to bomb the Seine bridges prior to D-Day – which precluded Field Marshal Erwin Rommel from reinforcing German resistance to the D-Day landings – earned him a Bronze Star from President Harry S Truman, a rare honor for a civilian.
But his true self-identity was always as an architect. After the war he built a successful practice in Genoa City, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and Blowing Rock, NC which lasted over sixty years – designing the GENOA Theatre in his new hometown and other buildings, particularly schools, throughout America and into South America. Active in the American Institute of Architects (AIA), he served many roles, including as the National Chairman of the Education Committee and as a judge of the NCAARB. He was a mentor and inspiration to three generations of young architects.
The concept of giving back to his community was important to Derald; he was the co-founder of the Genoa City Improvement Association, a member of the Lake Geneva Planning Commission, the Board of the First United Methodist Church of Lake Geneva, the Walworth County Park and Planning Commission, and the co-founder of the Chapel-on-the-Hill in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. In Blowing Rock he was a member of the Planning Board, a founding member and Chair of the Architectural Review Board, a member of the Historical Society, a vestry member of St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church, and a past-President and twice Rotarian of the Year of the Rotary Club of Blowing Rock and a multiple Paul Harris Fellow.
He was survived by his children Deralyn, James, Robert (Sally), and Marilee West, and by six grandchildren.
He was preceeded in death by his wife June, in 2004.
A memorial for Mr. Derald M. West was conducted on Friday, November 12, 2010 at 11:00 o'clock at St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church in Blowing Rock officiated by Father Rick Lawler. Contributions in Derald’s memory can be given to St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church, the Blowing Rock Rotary Foundation or an organization of the donor’s choice. www.hamptonfuneralservice.com.
BURKE TO LEASE VIRGINIAN THEATRE – Deal Is Now Under Way Whereby Collins Theatrical Enterprise Will Lease Virginian (Kenosha Evening News, Friday, January 28, 1921)
The Collins Theatrical Enterprise, owners/managers of the Burke Theatre, announced plans to lease the Virginian from the Virginian Theatre Company. The Virginian had offered vaudeville four days each week for years, and Collins said it had no plans to change the format.
In the SHERIDAN’s photos section here, its May 3, 1938 ad in the Waukegan News-Sun lists its address as 1701 Sheridan Road. Perhaps there was a reallocation of address numbers at some point?
Sidney Schatz passed away at 96 on April 2, 2009 at Balmoral Nursing Home in Lake Forest, IL where he resided after suffering a stroke eight years ago.
Born in New Hampton, IA on Jan. 14, 1913, his family moved to the south side of Chicago when he was eight years old. After working as a clerk for a stock broker, he managed a theatre in Chicago, which led to two of his life interests, investing in the stock market and owning a theatre.
He rented and operated the Sheridan Theatre in North Chicago, IL until he built the Park Theatre in 1947, which he owned for 23 years, after which he semi-retired and sold real estate part-time. He was a longtime member of Congregation Am Echod in Waukegan, IL and a former member of North Chicago Lions Club, North Chicago Chamber of Commerce, Lake County Board of Health and treasurer for North Chicago Little League.
Sidney was survived by his sons Marc (Carol Jakaitis) of Mequon, WI and David (Susan Gehlmann) of River Forest, IL; grandchildren Jeff, Dave (Angie Massen), Timm (JoellePolivy), Dan, Ben and Stephanie; and great-grandchildren Nate and Jon. He was preceded in death by Lois (Stein), his wife of 46 years, in 1984; his sisters Ann Harris and Pauline Peterson, and brother Milton Schatz.
Funeral service were at 11 a.m. Friday, April 10, 2009 at Peterson & Patch Funeral Home in Waukegan with Rabbi Ze'evHarari officiating, and interment at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie, IL. Memorials to the American Stroke Assn. are appreciated by the family.
Sidney Schatz passed away at 96 on April 2, 2009 at Balmoral Nursing Home in Lake Forest, IL where he resided after suffering a stroke eight years ago.
Born in New Hampton, IA on Jan. 14, 1913, his family moved to the south side of Chicago when he was eight years old. After working as a clerk for a stock broker, he managed a theatre in Chicago, which led to two of his life interests, investing in the stock market and owning a theatre.
He rented and operated the Sheridan Theatre in North Chicago, IL until he built the Park Theatre in 1947, which he owned for 23 years, after which he semi-retired and sold real estate part-time. He was a longtime member of Congregation Am Echod in Waukegan, IL and a former member of North Chicago Lions Club, North Chicago Chamber of Commerce, Lake County Board of Health and treasurer for North Chicago Little League.
Sidney was survived by his sons Marc (Carol Jakaitis) of Mequon, WI and David (Susan Gehlmann) of River Forest, IL; grandchildren Jeff, Dave (Angie Massen), Timm (JoellePolivy), Dan, Ben and Stephanie; and great-grandchildren Nate and Jon. He was preceded in death by Lois (Stein), his wife of 46 years, in 1984; his sisters Ann Harris and Pauline Peterson, and brother Milton Schatz.
Funeral service were at 11 a.m. Friday, April 10, 2009 at Peterson & Patch Funeral Home in Waukegan with Rabbi Ze'evHarari officiating, and interment at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie, IL. Memorials to the American Stroke Assn. are appreciated by the family.
Built as a cinema for the Marshfield Amusement Company in mid-1912, it was on a Z-shaped lot. Concrete was furnished by the S. L. Cooper Co. Façade was crème terra cotta by Midland Terra Cotta illustrating “Primitive Dance”, “Ancient dance” and “Modern Dance” in that order, designed by the architects. The white Italian marble lobby occupied the full frontage with ornamental plaster above, and the auditorium was bowl-shaped. The ceiling was vaulted and spanned by curved trusses.
LAKE GENEVA Regional News, April 12, 2016:
Burlington businessman Shad Branen is the new owner of the Geneva Theater. In an email, Branen confirmed that he closed on the building on March 30. He said he intends to get renovation work started as soon as he gets the proper permits.
Ken Robers, Lake Geneva building and zoning administrator, said Branen has not yet taken out a building permit on the theater, but he is bringing in contractors to take a look at the structure. “I’m letting them do exploratory surgery,” Robers said. He said the contractors are “poking around” the building. Some are looking at the roof which will require work. Robers said he’s also allowing the contractors to pull some of the old roofing surface off in preparation to putting down a new roof.
In March, the Lake Geneva City Council approved a developer’s agreement with Branen for the renovation of the Geneva Theater. Under the agreement, Branen will receive $895,000 in city Tax Increment Finance district funds to assist in the renovation of the 1920s-era theater at 244 Broad St.
Earlier this year, Branen approached the city with a proposal to renovate and reopen the Geneva as a four-plex movie theater with a seating capacity of about 500. The city had set aside $800,000 from its TIF funds for renovating the theater. When Branen first approached the city in February, he requested $950,000. The $895,000 figure was reached after negotiations between Branen and the city.
Under the developer’s agreement, Branen must complete renovating the theater by Dec. 31, or face fines of $100 per day, to come out of the TIF grant. And he must own the property for at least 10 years and operate the theater as a for-profit entertainment center open to the general public. Forgiveness of the grant phases in during those 10 years. If the theater closes or ceases operation during those 10 years, Branen would owe the unforgiven portion of the grant to the city.
Branen is committed to spending no less than $1.36 million on renovating the building, which does not include the sale price of the property. If at least $1.36 million isn’t spent on the renovations, a dollar for dollar reduction will be made in the TIF grant. Landscaping and exterior improvements to the property must be completed by no later than six months after the theater receives its occupancy permit.
Branen has already renovated one old, historic theater, the Plaza Theater in downtown Burlington. The Plaza, built in 1928, the same year as the Geneva Theater, is slightly smaller. Branen bought it out of bankruptcy in 2010 and turned the business around. Branen is a member of the Branen family which once owned the Burlington Standard newspaper. Over the past five years, Branen has renovated and restored the theater, turning it into as much of a conference, community and special events center as a movie house.
The theater now shows free movies during holidays and school breaks, hosts performances by high school choirs and local bands, shows free Green Bay Packer games and the Super Bowl on the big screen. The theater also has a weekend menu served to patrons along with a selection of macro and micro brews.
Branen said a revitalized Geneva Theater could be used to tailor special events to Lake Geneva.
(KENOSHA EVENING NEWS – Friday, September 3, 1920)
PACINI INTERESTS OPEN NEW STRAND
New Movie Shrine on Howland Avenue Starts Operation on Saturday
ALL BEEN REBUILT
A new shrine for the “silent drama” is to be opened in Kenosha on Saturday when “The New Strand”, one of the theatres now being operated by the heirs of Charles Pacini, and located at 210 Howland avenue, will start operation after having been closed for several weeks for extensive remodeling and redecorating. The plans for the new theatre were made by the late Charles Pacini several months before he was killed. He purchased the lease for the theatre, formerly known as the Crystal, and let contracts for remodeling and redecorating, all of which were practically completed at the time of his death.
The theatre has been made over completely. Starting with the new façade, a beautiful entrance to the movie house and continuing throughout the entire interior of the theatre, it has been transformed completely.
Beauty Marks Decoration
The interior of the theatre has been beautifully redecorated in soft tints that have completely transformed the playhouse. Pretty wall lamps have been installed to carry out the decorations. New furniture for the theatre and a new piano have been installed to make the house up-to-date to the last feature. In the mechanical line an entirely new machine has been installed with new electrical connections which assure the patrons of the theatre the best service that can be secured.
In announcing the opening of the “New Strand”, Willard Welch, the manager of the Charles Pacini Amusements, emphasized the fact that the new theatre would be part of the Pacini theatres and would show the same class of pictures which are shown at the Majestic and Butterfly theatres. Their contracts include the latest releases from many of the largest film companies in the country.
“The Glorious Lady”
The opening picture will be Miss Olive Thomas in “The Glorious Lady”.
(Thanks to Al Westerman for his exhaustive research.)
Step inside the Lyric Theatre today, and you might feel as if you’re encased in a small, glittering jewel box.
The 102-year-old theater fairly glows with historic charm, adorned by elegant plaster cupids, burnished wood, smooth marble and shimmering gold paint. Chandeliers hang from the ornately stenciled ceiling. Opera boxes curve in graceful arcs. Thick blue curtains shelter a stage that once welcomed stars such as Mae West, Sophie Tucker, the Marx Brothers and Milton Berle.
But it wasn’t always this way. The Lyric — built in 1914 as an intimate vaudeville house with pin-drop acoustics — spent decades in downtown Birmingham as a dark and crumbling ruin. The building’s essential structure remained strong, made of concrete and steel. But the theater at 1800 Third Ave. North existed as a shadow of its former self. Its heyday long past, the Lyric sat in silence — damaged by water and weather, prey to the ravages of time. “When we first got here, it was like King Tut’s tomb,” says Brant Beene, executive director of Birmingham Landmarks, a nonprofit organization that owns the Lyric. “It was really a sight to see.”
Birmingham Landmarks, which acquired the Lyric in 1993, spent more than 20 years figuring out how to revive the theater — and just as important, making sure enough money was raised to pay for such a massive project. Painstaking craftsmanship was required to bring the Lyric’s visual beauty back to life, along with a full-scale overhaul of crucial operating systems such as lighting, plumbing, heating and air conditioning.
In January, audiences saw the result of an $11.5 million restoration as the Lyric reopened to the public as a performing arts center. Three variety shows featuring local entertainers were sold out Thursday through Saturday, marking the theater’s triumphant return.
“I’ve had so many sleepless nights, and I’m sure Brant does, too,” says Danny Evans, board chairman of Birmingham Landmarks and a prime mover behind the Lyric’s revival. “The Lyric was abused for many years, but she’s a strong old girl. … For this to be complete, in spite of some naysayers who kept asking, ‘When are they going to do it?,’ is a great joy to me.”
Talk to organizers who’ve prompted the theater’s rebirth, and you’ll hear detailed accounts of feasibility studies, grant proposals, architectural renderings, preliminary plans, fund-raising efforts, tax credits and more. Some might call it a long and difficult journey, with many stops and starts. Evans, who was there from the beginning, prefers the analogy of building blocks slowly sliding into the proper spots. As he tells it, Birmingham Landmarks never intended to take on the Lyric when the organization was formed in 1987. However, the nonprofit’s basic mission — to save historic buildings — nudged the group in that direction when the Lyric became available a few years later.
According to Evans, Birmingham Landmarks was created for one purpose: to ensure the survival of the Alabama Theatre, a 1927 movie house that was facing bankruptcy. At the time, Evans and a piano-playing friend, Cecil Whitmire, were especially concerned about the theater’s Wurlitzer organ, a majestic instrument that was integral to the building’s history. Birmingham Landmarks bought the Alabama, assumed its debt of $680,000 and made that theater — across the street from the Lyric at 1817 Third Ave. North — the nonprofit’s primary focus. Evans helmed the board; Whitmire managed the theater. Under their leadership, the Alabama began to thrive.
The Lyric was something of an afterthought, purchased in 1993 from the Newman Waters family, along with a companion office building that stretches to 1806 Third Ave. North. The family, which had owned several movie houses in the Birmingham area, set a price of $10, essentially offering the Lyric as a gift. “It was a just a remnant of the vaudeville house it used to be,” Evans recalls. “It had a bad roof. The windows were falling out. It had been abused and used for many things, including selling beauty supplies. All that was dumped in our laps. We were able to get enough money to put a new roof on it and fix the windows, enough to keep it from deteriorating further. … We began doing feasibility studies on the Lyric. We did early architectural renderings and plans in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. In the middle 2000s, interest rates rose and the economy started tanking. We kind of moseyed along like that until 2008 or 2009.”
Although Birmingham Landmarks had a vision for what the Lyric could be, it faced a formidable challenge. The once-pristine theater had been through many structural changes since the glory days of vaudeville, first transformed into a movie house during the early 1930s. That period ended in 1958, when the hardest times hit. The Lyric closed, reopened for a few years in the 1970s as a revival house and had a brief run as a porn theater. The building was shuttered in the 1980s and left to decay.
“The Lyric was so well-built, it wouldn’t fall down,” says Beene, who joined Birmingham Landmarks in 2009. “The cost to demolish a building like that is so great, there wasn’t much talk about making it a parking deck. But nobody wanted to buy it. Nobody knew what to do with it.”
Whitmire, who died in 2010, often said fundraising for the Lyric was more difficult than it had been for the Alabama Theatre, mostly because the vaudeville generation had passed away. Potential donors lacked an emotional connection to the century-old building, he said, and cherished no fond memories of seeing live shows there.
Beene was hired by Birmingham Landmarks to combat such perceptions, kickstart the Lyric’s finances and stir community participation in the project. After Whitmire’s death, he moved into the executive director role and has overseen the Lyric and Alabama theaters ever since. “I think Cecil and Danny had to swim upstream for about 20 years, because things were moving away from downtown,” Beene says. “At one time, the Alabama Theatre was the only thing downtown. After Birmingham Landmarks was formed, it took 10 years, maybe 11, to get the Alabama to where they wanted it to be. They inherited the Lyric in ‘93, and the Alabama was only half-done at that point. The focus was on the Alabama. It seemed almost impossible, at least to Cecil, to raise the money they needed for the Lyric. And the Alabama was his first love. The Lyric didn’t have an organ. When he died, right at that time period, Railroad Park and lofts and Regions Field and all those things were starting here. I came in and caught the wave.”
As more fundraising, another feasibility study and a mountain of paperwork ensued, Beene sensed a shift in public attitudes about the Lyric. Millennials began to take notice, gushing over tours of the building led by volunteers such as Glenny Brock, then editor of Birmingham Weekly. Articles in that alternative publication, particularly those written by reporter Jesse Chambers, championed the theater and pointed to new life for the old vaudeville house. Brock, who later became outreach coordinator on the staff of Birmingham Landmarks, says her first visit to the Lyric in 2008 made her a believer. It led her to participate in cleanup sessions at the theater — pulling up carpet, scraping paint, mopping floors, removing dead birds and bat droppings. It also inspired her to spread the word about the Lyric and its potential — in print, online and in person.
“The Lyric, to me, was such a beautiful ruin,” Brock says. “The outside of the building, for much of my life, was very plain, like a brown cardboard box. It became a personal mission; I wanted to see it succeed … Most of my role, as this title implies, is making sure people know about the Lyric. Basically, I just tried to get everyone to love that place as much as I did.”
Others involved in the Lyric’s renaissance, such as lead fundraiser Tom Cosby, relied on the simultaneous pull of art, history and economics. Cosby joined the team in 2012 as a paid consultant for Birmingham Landmarks, after 35 years with the Birmingham Business Alliance and its predecessor, the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. Although he’d intended to retire, Cosby quickly became enmeshed in the mission to save the Lyric, using his experience, contacts and knowledge of Birmingham’s power players to get the job done. Spearheading a new “Light Up the Lyric” campaign that was launched in March 2013, Cosby raised more than $7 million for the theater in just nine months. A sparkling new marquee was installed that September, celebrating the campaign and symbolizing the Lyric’s future.
Eventually, Cosby raised more than $8 million via 89 donors — individuals, corporations and foundations — that contributed $10,000 or more. After historic tax credits were secured, the Lyric’s restoration fund reached $11.5 million. “The Lyric is a unique and beloved cause,” Cosby says. “I don’t know in my heart if (the donors) did it because they were such arts patrons — maybe they were — but I think they realized we needed a downtown for this area to thrive. … Places like the Lyric have absolute power and a sense of place. This is what separates Birmingham from a suburban strip mall.”
Executive director Beene — who’s been known to wax poetic about the Lyric, comparing it to a vintage instrument — also regards the theater’s revival as a no-nonsense economic development project. “We can’t afford to have a museum,” Beene says. “That’s not what we can do. From the start, I’ve said that we have to have an operating business for this to work.”
If his hopes for the Lyric are realized, the 750-seat theater will bring more people downtown, spurring growth and renewal that spreads for several blocks, transforming the area into a vibrant entertainment district. At the same time, Beene envisions the Lyric as a potent booster for civic pride.
“This is a place for all of our community to use, to share and to appreciate — not just as the past of Birmingham, but as the future of Birmingham,” he says. “We think that’s very important. … This gives people something to be proud of, something that’s unique, something to come home to. I want people to grow up at the Lyric. I want parents to bring their kids. I want youngsters to come there and see things. I want boyfriends to bring their girlfriends, and girlfriends to bring their boyfriends, and propose to them and get married on the stage. I want people to be swallowed up by the Lyric and enjoy it.”
That theme — the idea of “making modern memories” at the Lyric — comes up in conversation with all four of these key players, as Beene, Evans, Cosby and Brock continue their quest to make the theater shine again. Others who’ve become invested in the Lyric’s rebirth — board members, donors, volunteers, staffers and more — are likely to feel the same.
The restored Lyric Theatre opened to the public with three variety shows featuring local performers on Jan. 14-16, 2016. The task is far from finished. Beene, for example, can tick off a wish list for the Lyric that includes a green room, rehearsal spaces, expanded dressing rooms and a replica of the original box office. The adjoining office building? It hasn’t been touched yet.
Birmingham Landmarks also owns a building next-door to the Lyric that formerly housed the Majestic Theatre, a vaudeville competitor during the early 1900s. Two floors are empty, Beene says; the ground floor is home to Superior Furniture.
“We’ve got lots of dreams, but they’ll have to wait,” says Evans, the board chairman. “We need to get all the kinks worked out at the Lyric.” Ask Evans to retrace his steps back to 1993 and take a big-picture view, summing up how the Lyric was saved, and he responds without hesitation. The most important thing, he says, was taking an initial leap of faith. “The catalyst was when we decided to do it,” Evans says. “We didn’t know how to do it, and there was a lot of bumping into walls. But we made the decision to do it.”
Beene offers another perspective. “With heart,” he says. “That’s the short answer. If you put all the pieces together, it was timing, hometown people and others with a vision to know what the Lyric could be.”
The building was opened as a Topps Department Store in the mid-1960s, which closed by the early 1970s. As part of several mini-mall proposals within, the MARKET SQUARE Cinemas led the way and opened in the late 1970s; the builder and first owner-operator was Frank Carmichael, Jr. of Kenosha – the architect was Charlie Rice of Racine, Wisconsin – and then the MARKET SQUARE was leased to Doug Porchetta of Milwaukee. The comfortable rocker seats were acquired from a closed theater in Michigan. In about 1990, two more smaller auditoria were added, totaling four in all. When the building was purchased by Kenosha County for office purposes, the cinemas still continued to operate for some years because of the unbreakable lease. When that lease expired, the county wanted the space, and the MARKET SQUARE Cinemas passed into fond local history.
Grafton’s only in-town movie theatre was on Bridge Street between 11th and 12th Streets. It opened on April 28, 1949. The GRAFTON Theatre had 530 seats. It closed in 1951 and was unsuccessfully reopened in the 1960s.
On the positive side, the chaser mechanism kept the bulbs off for fractions of a second. With modern technology I’m sure the LEDs could be made to be not only tungsten-color-correct but, more importantly, avoid the sudden harsh On/Off that gives away LED bulb usage. They’re even making LED Edison-look “carbon” bulbs now.
Modjeska Theatre hopes for March opening
By Tom Daykin of the Journal Sentinel – Jan. 23, 2016
Milwaukee’s Modjeska Theatre, which has been undergoing cleanup and renovations for the past two years, plans to reopen in March.
But the theater, a longtime fixture on the city’s south side, initially will not show films.
Instead, it will host mainly concerts and other live events before eventually adding movies to the lineup, said Jesus Nanez, who will help operate the Modjeska, 1134 W. Historic Mitchell St.
“Our vision is that it will be a multiuse venue,” said Nanez, a part owner of Modjeska Theatre Co., which is leasing the theater portion of the building.
The two-story building, including the theater and retail storefronts, is owned by Modjeska Theatre Project LLC, an affiliate of Mitchell Street Development Opportunity Corp., a nonprofit group.
That group in 2014 began removing garbage and debris from the theater, while raising money to renovate the building. It has been closed since 2010.
The group’s members initially planned to open the Modjeska in fall 2014. The work, including fundraising, has taken longer than expected, said Nanez, a commercial broker with Kesselman Real Estate.
However, he said, “There’s definitely been a lot of progress.”
Most of the cleanup work is done. The stage has been altered to open up the orchestra pit. Also, the heating and power systems are being upgraded, Nanez said, and the sprinkler system is being repaired.
Once the building has heat and the power is fully operating, work can more easily proceed on painting the interior and doing plaster repairs. Some of that work has already occurred, he said.
Those initial projects will cost around $200,000. A full restoration of the Modjeska would cost an estimated $5 million, Nanez said.
The restoration, which could include financing through state and federal historic preservation tax credits, would include exterior renovations, such as a new marquee. Engberg Anderson Architects has been providing volunteer work for that possible redesign, he said.
“The historic renovation is definitely some years away,” Nanez said. “We need to get open and get the ball rolling. … I don’t have a Pabst Theater standard of what it should look like.”
Another future project includes removing the bottom floor seats.
Those seats, which are likely over 30 years old, are in poor shape, he said.
They will be replaced with removable chairs and cocktail tables to create cabaret seating. The second-floor seats will remain.
“We will be able to accommodate large banquets with a one-of-a-kind venue,” Nanez said.
Attracting live events creates a revenue source for the Modjeska, said Nanez, a professional musician who has relationships with show promoters. His gigs have included drumming for the Milwaukee group Vic and Gab.
The theater will seek a tavern license so it can serve beer, wine and cocktails at live events, Nanez said. While a regular film schedule isn’t part of the near-term plan, the Modjeska could host the Milwaukee Short Film Festival this September.
Last year’s festival was held at ComedySportz, 420 S. 1st St., and drew around 1,000 people over two days, said Bill Quirmbach, co-director. He said a final decision for the 2016 venue will likely be made in April.
“We’re very encouraged” by the prospect of locating at the Modjeska, Quirmbach said. He said the festival would bring its own projection and sound equipment, sparing the theater that expense.
Nanez said the Modjeska also might eventually convert one of the retail storefronts into an attached bar and restaurant, similar to Bay View’s Avalon Theater, which reopened in 2014.
“It’s really got great potential,” he said.
The Modjeska opened in 1925 and was used for both films and vaudeville performances. It stopped regular movie showings in 1989.
Two years later, the building was sold to Stewart and Diane Johnson, who started the Modjeska Youth Theatre Company. Their nonprofit group staged amateur productions such as “Annie” and “West Side Story.”
Also, the theater was used for professional shows, including performances by David Byrne, Alice in Chains, Gregg Allman, Rob Zombie, Nanci Griffith, Marilyn Manson and They Might Be Giants.
In December 2006, the Johnsons sold the theater for $450,000 to Modjeska Theater Project, a partnership between the youth theater company and Mitchell Street Development Opportunity Corp.
But the youth theater company’s revenue couldn’t cover its expenses, and that group folded in April 2010. That left Mitchell Street DOC with the building.
The Modjeska’s renovations are among a series of nearby new real estate investments.
They include the conversion of the former Goldmann’s Department Store, 930-932 W. Historic Mitchell St., into the new home of the Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center; the upcoming conversion of the historic Hills Building, 906-910 W. Historic Mitchell St., into a new Milwaukee Public Library branch and 57 market-rate apartments, and next weekend’s opening of Mitchell Street Marketplace, a neighborhood grocery at 1101 W. Historic Mitchell St.
The HUDSON Theatre was at 205 Locust Street in Hudson, Wisconsin and closed on July 30, 1984, leaving Hudson without a movie theater for the first time in more than 75 years until December, 1989 when the new Southside Cinema 4 opened (later expanded to nine screens and renamed Hudson Cinema 9). In the early 1900s, Hudson had two theatres, the GEM at 501 Second Street and the THEATER DELIGHT at 220 Locust Street. The GEM didn’t last long, but the THEATER DELIGHT survived under the leadership of A. Johnson and later L.H. Clark. In 1917, Clarence “Showhouse” Mickelson purchased the THEATER DELIGHT and by 1921 built the REX Theatre building at 220 Locust Street which evolved into all the later theatres in Hudson.
In 1938 Mickelson sold the REX to J.G. Heywood of New Richmond and E.L. Peaslee of Stillwater; they renamed it the HUDSON and operated it until 1947 when they sold it to Arthur and Ethel Peterson of Kenyon, Minnesota. Their son-in-law Alfred J. Bergmann managed the HUDSON until moving to Ashland in 1961 when his son-in-law Harry Swanson (1943-1984) took over for the next decade or so. In 1969, the HUDSON Theatre building was sold to the State Bank of Hudson (later Wells Fargo Bank). At some time in the early 1970s the HUDSON was sold to Mark Pallas, who in July 1976 sold it to Henry Sampson, Paul Zipf and Don Buchholz (the latter managing) until 1982, when the HUDSON was sold to Hudson native Steve O'Connell who closed it on July 30, 1984. O'Connell said “Up until that time, our only competition were single-screen theaters in neighboring towns like River Falls, Stillwater or New Richmond.” Stillwater got a six-screen theater in the early 1980s, giving the HUDSON more competition. (The Stillwater theatre later was the victim of fancier theatres in nearby Oakdale, Woodbury and North St. Paul.)
“If a theatre wanted to run a new blockbuster beginning on opening weekend, the numbers were vicious,” O'Connell said. “For example, we would have had to pay maybe $5,000 to $10,000 up front. During the first week or two, the Hollywood studio would take 80 percent of the take. During the third and fourth week they would take 70 and then maybe 60 percent. In a community like Hudson, however, it was tough to keep a movie four weeks. And, if after four weeks I had taken in only $3,000 or $4,000, I was stuck. New movies were just too risky. I opened one of the first releases in Hudson in a couple of decades. It was one of the Superman movies.”
Steve praised competitor Stan McCullough of River Falls, who had an advantage over other theatres in being a film agent. “Stan was a great guy and was a great businessman. He was a booker who had control over 30 or 40 theaters so he could get copies of new releases.” He said McCullough tried to convince him to book “ET” for opening-weekend release. “He knew it was going to be a blockbuster when blockbusters really existed. Now everything is a blockbuster — for about a week. I should have taken Stan’s advice on ‘ET.’” The HUDSON finally ran “ET” 12 weeks after it opened in River Falls and still had a good three-week run. “We usually ran movies that were fairly safe. After three or four weeks we knew if they were successful and we could get them at a more attractive percentage. Always know that Hollywood studios are going to get the most money. That’s why selling concessions has become such an important part of the theatre business.”
He said theatre owners are often referred to as glorified popcorn vendors. “No one knows if a theater is going to make it on a movie when they pay such a premium to get a new movie,” and that studios keep precise records on every theatre across the country.
“I enjoyed my days in the theater business, however,” O'Connell said. “I remember if a movie was a little short I’d run a cartoon before the movie. People loved that because in the old days there was always a cartoon first.” the HUDSON was charging about $2 to $2.50 in its final days. At the time, the Twin Cities theaters were charging $4 or $4.50. “You’d be surprised how some people wouldn’t come to our theater because they thought we were showing an edited version of the movie because we didn’t charge as much.”
The Hudson Theatre Building was demolished to allow a bank expansion. With it went some of Hudson’s connection to the golden years of Hollywood.
The MAJESTIC Theatre opened on March 20, 1914 by David Burke with a Mary Pickford feature and the play “Quo Vadis” in eight acts. Its front was mission brick with 13 electric lights. Dark oak covered the outer lobby which had a natural wood foyer. A French beveled mirror was at the exit. There were 320 seats, a 12' x 20' stage with a 12' x 14' proscenium and three drops portraying a street, a garden and a parlor. The booth was 8' x 10'. At its opening there was also a ballroom, bowling alleys and a separate stage for class plays and community events, all closed by the 1940s. A dairy promotion allowed free admission to those bringing in enough red handles from Pleck’s milk.
In September of 1925 the MAJESTIC added 225 seats and had a total of five bowling alleys. The stage was enlarged, dressing rooms were added, projection lenses were replaced and a new organ was installed. The Wednesday evening shows offered glassware along with the five-cent admission.
Algoma’s MAJESTIC Theatre was demolished for the rebuilding of the Community State Bank.
Derald Milton West – Born June 24, 1918, Died October 18, 2010
Derald Milton West, American Institute of Architects, passed away at 92 in Blowing Rock, NC on October 18, 2010 after living a remarkable life.
He was born June 24, 1918 to the late Frank Milton and Edith Maude Garland West in Chicago, Illinois.
He was a gifted athlete in baseball, football, and hockey in his youth at Lindblom High School in Chicago. From there he was the first member of his family to graduate from college, with honors, from the University of Minnesota in architecture. While a student in 1942, he met and married his wife of 62 years, June Elizabeth Anderson. He was studying for his masters at the Illinois Institute of Technology under Mies van der Rohe when war broke out.
Millions of men were joining the war effort, and Derald was no exception. But his path was quite interesting; he was selected as one of a dozen young scientists and engineers to enter an elite program sponsored by the War Department. He was sent to Wright-Patterson for research and training into the capabilities of munitions, fuses, and other secret technologies. From there, he did further research at Princeton University, during which time he was privileged to meet Albert Einstein on numerous occasions.
Eventually he was sent to England to advise the Ninth Air Force on strategic bombing from a highly technical perspective. He often briefed the Supreme Allied Commanders as the invasion of Fortress Europe approached, and this at the age of 25. He landed on the Normandy beaches days after the invasion to assess the results of aerial bombardment. One of his duties was to advise the Ninth Air Force — after numerous failed missions — to carpet-bomb the runways of a notorious German fighter base in Holland rather than saturate the entire base with smaller munitions. He’d noted earler that the base was ringed with water-pump windmills since it was below sea level and his concept was to destroy the drainage system. The mission was staged and the base was never again operational throughout the war. That success, and his research on how to bomb the Seine bridges prior to D-Day – which precluded Field Marshal Erwin Rommel from reinforcing German resistance to the D-Day landings – earned him a Bronze Star from President Harry S Truman, a rare honor for a civilian.
But his true self-identity was always as an architect. After the war he built a successful practice in Genoa City, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and Blowing Rock, NC which lasted over sixty years – designing the GENOA Theatre in his new hometown and other buildings, particularly schools, throughout America and into South America. Active in the American Institute of Architects (AIA), he served many roles, including as the National Chairman of the Education Committee and as a judge of the NCAARB. He was a mentor and inspiration to three generations of young architects.
The concept of giving back to his community was important to Derald; he was the co-founder of the Genoa City Improvement Association, a member of the Lake Geneva Planning Commission, the Board of the First United Methodist Church of Lake Geneva, the Walworth County Park and Planning Commission, and the co-founder of the Chapel-on-the-Hill in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. In Blowing Rock he was a member of the Planning Board, a founding member and Chair of the Architectural Review Board, a member of the Historical Society, a vestry member of St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church, and a past-President and twice Rotarian of the Year of the Rotary Club of Blowing Rock and a multiple Paul Harris Fellow.
He was survived by his children Deralyn, James, Robert (Sally), and Marilee West, and by six grandchildren.
He was preceeded in death by his wife June, in 2004. A memorial for Mr. Derald M. West was conducted on Friday, November 12, 2010 at 11:00 o'clock at St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church in Blowing Rock officiated by Father Rick Lawler. Contributions in Derald’s memory can be given to St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church, the Blowing Rock Rotary Foundation or an organization of the donor’s choice. www.hamptonfuneralservice.com.
BURKE TO LEASE VIRGINIAN THEATRE – Deal Is Now Under Way Whereby Collins Theatrical Enterprise Will Lease Virginian (Kenosha Evening News, Friday, January 28, 1921)
The Collins Theatrical Enterprise, owners/managers of the Burke Theatre, announced plans to lease the Virginian from the Virginian Theatre Company. The Virginian had offered vaudeville four days each week for years, and Collins said it had no plans to change the format.
Circa 1944.
The MAJESTIC Theatre opened on Saturday, August 17, 1912. (Research courtesy Al Westerman.)
Kenosha’s original ORPHEUM Theatre opened on Saturday, September 24, 1910 with May’s Pictures and Songs and a five-cent admission.
In the SHERIDAN’s photos section here, its May 3, 1938 ad in the Waukegan News-Sun lists its address as 1701 Sheridan Road. Perhaps there was a reallocation of address numbers at some point?
WAUKEGAN NEWS-SUN, May 3, 1938.
Sidney Schatz passed away at 96 on April 2, 2009 at Balmoral Nursing Home in Lake Forest, IL where he resided after suffering a stroke eight years ago.
Born in New Hampton, IA on Jan. 14, 1913, his family moved to the south side of Chicago when he was eight years old. After working as a clerk for a stock broker, he managed a theatre in Chicago, which led to two of his life interests, investing in the stock market and owning a theatre.
He rented and operated the Sheridan Theatre in North Chicago, IL until he built the Park Theatre in 1947, which he owned for 23 years, after which he semi-retired and sold real estate part-time. He was a longtime member of Congregation Am Echod in Waukegan, IL and a former member of North Chicago Lions Club, North Chicago Chamber of Commerce, Lake County Board of Health and treasurer for North Chicago Little League.
Sidney was survived by his sons Marc (Carol Jakaitis) of Mequon, WI and David (Susan Gehlmann) of River Forest, IL; grandchildren Jeff, Dave (Angie Massen), Timm (JoellePolivy), Dan, Ben and Stephanie; and great-grandchildren Nate and Jon. He was preceded in death by Lois (Stein), his wife of 46 years, in 1984; his sisters Ann Harris and Pauline Peterson, and brother Milton Schatz.
Funeral service were at 11 a.m. Friday, April 10, 2009 at Peterson & Patch Funeral Home in Waukegan with Rabbi Ze'evHarari officiating, and interment at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie, IL. Memorials to the American Stroke Assn. are appreciated by the family.
Sidney Schatz passed away at 96 on April 2, 2009 at Balmoral Nursing Home in Lake Forest, IL where he resided after suffering a stroke eight years ago.
Born in New Hampton, IA on Jan. 14, 1913, his family moved to the south side of Chicago when he was eight years old. After working as a clerk for a stock broker, he managed a theatre in Chicago, which led to two of his life interests, investing in the stock market and owning a theatre.
He rented and operated the Sheridan Theatre in North Chicago, IL until he built the Park Theatre in 1947, which he owned for 23 years, after which he semi-retired and sold real estate part-time. He was a longtime member of Congregation Am Echod in Waukegan, IL and a former member of North Chicago Lions Club, North Chicago Chamber of Commerce, Lake County Board of Health and treasurer for North Chicago Little League.
Sidney was survived by his sons Marc (Carol Jakaitis) of Mequon, WI and David (Susan Gehlmann) of River Forest, IL; grandchildren Jeff, Dave (Angie Massen), Timm (JoellePolivy), Dan, Ben and Stephanie; and great-grandchildren Nate and Jon. He was preceded in death by Lois (Stein), his wife of 46 years, in 1984; his sisters Ann Harris and Pauline Peterson, and brother Milton Schatz.
Funeral service were at 11 a.m. Friday, April 10, 2009 at Peterson & Patch Funeral Home in Waukegan with Rabbi Ze'evHarari officiating, and interment at Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie, IL. Memorials to the American Stroke Assn. are appreciated by the family.
Built as a cinema for the Marshfield Amusement Company in mid-1912, it was on a Z-shaped lot. Concrete was furnished by the S. L. Cooper Co. Façade was crème terra cotta by Midland Terra Cotta illustrating “Primitive Dance”, “Ancient dance” and “Modern Dance” in that order, designed by the architects. The white Italian marble lobby occupied the full frontage with ornamental plaster above, and the auditorium was bowl-shaped. The ceiling was vaulted and spanned by curved trusses.
LAKE GENEVA Regional News, April 12, 2016: Burlington businessman Shad Branen is the new owner of the Geneva Theater. In an email, Branen confirmed that he closed on the building on March 30. He said he intends to get renovation work started as soon as he gets the proper permits.
Ken Robers, Lake Geneva building and zoning administrator, said Branen has not yet taken out a building permit on the theater, but he is bringing in contractors to take a look at the structure. “I’m letting them do exploratory surgery,” Robers said. He said the contractors are “poking around” the building. Some are looking at the roof which will require work. Robers said he’s also allowing the contractors to pull some of the old roofing surface off in preparation to putting down a new roof.
In March, the Lake Geneva City Council approved a developer’s agreement with Branen for the renovation of the Geneva Theater. Under the agreement, Branen will receive $895,000 in city Tax Increment Finance district funds to assist in the renovation of the 1920s-era theater at 244 Broad St.
Earlier this year, Branen approached the city with a proposal to renovate and reopen the Geneva as a four-plex movie theater with a seating capacity of about 500. The city had set aside $800,000 from its TIF funds for renovating the theater. When Branen first approached the city in February, he requested $950,000. The $895,000 figure was reached after negotiations between Branen and the city.
Under the developer’s agreement, Branen must complete renovating the theater by Dec. 31, or face fines of $100 per day, to come out of the TIF grant. And he must own the property for at least 10 years and operate the theater as a for-profit entertainment center open to the general public. Forgiveness of the grant phases in during those 10 years. If the theater closes or ceases operation during those 10 years, Branen would owe the unforgiven portion of the grant to the city.
Branen is committed to spending no less than $1.36 million on renovating the building, which does not include the sale price of the property. If at least $1.36 million isn’t spent on the renovations, a dollar for dollar reduction will be made in the TIF grant. Landscaping and exterior improvements to the property must be completed by no later than six months after the theater receives its occupancy permit.
Branen has already renovated one old, historic theater, the Plaza Theater in downtown Burlington. The Plaza, built in 1928, the same year as the Geneva Theater, is slightly smaller. Branen bought it out of bankruptcy in 2010 and turned the business around. Branen is a member of the Branen family which once owned the Burlington Standard newspaper. Over the past five years, Branen has renovated and restored the theater, turning it into as much of a conference, community and special events center as a movie house.
The theater now shows free movies during holidays and school breaks, hosts performances by high school choirs and local bands, shows free Green Bay Packer games and the Super Bowl on the big screen. The theater also has a weekend menu served to patrons along with a selection of macro and micro brews.
Branen said a revitalized Geneva Theater could be used to tailor special events to Lake Geneva.
As the CRYSTAL Theatre, it opened on Friday, December 5, 1913.
(KENOSHA EVENING NEWS – Friday, September 3, 1920)
PACINI INTERESTS OPEN NEW STRAND
New Movie Shrine on Howland Avenue Starts Operation on Saturday
ALL BEEN REBUILT
A new shrine for the “silent drama” is to be opened in Kenosha on Saturday when “The New Strand”, one of the theatres now being operated by the heirs of Charles Pacini, and located at 210 Howland avenue, will start operation after having been closed for several weeks for extensive remodeling and redecorating. The plans for the new theatre were made by the late Charles Pacini several months before he was killed. He purchased the lease for the theatre, formerly known as the Crystal, and let contracts for remodeling and redecorating, all of which were practically completed at the time of his death.
The theatre has been made over completely. Starting with the new façade, a beautiful entrance to the movie house and continuing throughout the entire interior of the theatre, it has been transformed completely.
Beauty Marks Decoration
The interior of the theatre has been beautifully redecorated in soft tints that have completely transformed the playhouse. Pretty wall lamps have been installed to carry out the decorations. New furniture for the theatre and a new piano have been installed to make the house up-to-date to the last feature. In the mechanical line an entirely new machine has been installed with new electrical connections which assure the patrons of the theatre the best service that can be secured.
In announcing the opening of the “New Strand”, Willard Welch, the manager of the Charles Pacini Amusements, emphasized the fact that the new theatre would be part of the Pacini theatres and would show the same class of pictures which are shown at the Majestic and Butterfly theatres. Their contracts include the latest releases from many of the largest film companies in the country.
“The Glorious Lady”
The opening picture will be Miss Olive Thomas in “The Glorious Lady”.
(Thanks to Al Westerman for his exhaustive research.)
Step inside the Lyric Theatre today, and you might feel as if you’re encased in a small, glittering jewel box. The 102-year-old theater fairly glows with historic charm, adorned by elegant plaster cupids, burnished wood, smooth marble and shimmering gold paint. Chandeliers hang from the ornately stenciled ceiling. Opera boxes curve in graceful arcs. Thick blue curtains shelter a stage that once welcomed stars such as Mae West, Sophie Tucker, the Marx Brothers and Milton Berle.
But it wasn’t always this way. The Lyric — built in 1914 as an intimate vaudeville house with pin-drop acoustics — spent decades in downtown Birmingham as a dark and crumbling ruin. The building’s essential structure remained strong, made of concrete and steel. But the theater at 1800 Third Ave. North existed as a shadow of its former self. Its heyday long past, the Lyric sat in silence — damaged by water and weather, prey to the ravages of time. “When we first got here, it was like King Tut’s tomb,” says Brant Beene, executive director of Birmingham Landmarks, a nonprofit organization that owns the Lyric. “It was really a sight to see.”
Birmingham Landmarks, which acquired the Lyric in 1993, spent more than 20 years figuring out how to revive the theater — and just as important, making sure enough money was raised to pay for such a massive project. Painstaking craftsmanship was required to bring the Lyric’s visual beauty back to life, along with a full-scale overhaul of crucial operating systems such as lighting, plumbing, heating and air conditioning.
In January, audiences saw the result of an $11.5 million restoration as the Lyric reopened to the public as a performing arts center. Three variety shows featuring local entertainers were sold out Thursday through Saturday, marking the theater’s triumphant return.
“I’ve had so many sleepless nights, and I’m sure Brant does, too,” says Danny Evans, board chairman of Birmingham Landmarks and a prime mover behind the Lyric’s revival. “The Lyric was abused for many years, but she’s a strong old girl. … For this to be complete, in spite of some naysayers who kept asking, ‘When are they going to do it?,’ is a great joy to me.”
Talk to organizers who’ve prompted the theater’s rebirth, and you’ll hear detailed accounts of feasibility studies, grant proposals, architectural renderings, preliminary plans, fund-raising efforts, tax credits and more. Some might call it a long and difficult journey, with many stops and starts. Evans, who was there from the beginning, prefers the analogy of building blocks slowly sliding into the proper spots. As he tells it, Birmingham Landmarks never intended to take on the Lyric when the organization was formed in 1987. However, the nonprofit’s basic mission — to save historic buildings — nudged the group in that direction when the Lyric became available a few years later.
According to Evans, Birmingham Landmarks was created for one purpose: to ensure the survival of the Alabama Theatre, a 1927 movie house that was facing bankruptcy. At the time, Evans and a piano-playing friend, Cecil Whitmire, were especially concerned about the theater’s Wurlitzer organ, a majestic instrument that was integral to the building’s history. Birmingham Landmarks bought the Alabama, assumed its debt of $680,000 and made that theater — across the street from the Lyric at 1817 Third Ave. North — the nonprofit’s primary focus. Evans helmed the board; Whitmire managed the theater. Under their leadership, the Alabama began to thrive.
The Lyric was something of an afterthought, purchased in 1993 from the Newman Waters family, along with a companion office building that stretches to 1806 Third Ave. North. The family, which had owned several movie houses in the Birmingham area, set a price of $10, essentially offering the Lyric as a gift. “It was a just a remnant of the vaudeville house it used to be,” Evans recalls. “It had a bad roof. The windows were falling out. It had been abused and used for many things, including selling beauty supplies. All that was dumped in our laps. We were able to get enough money to put a new roof on it and fix the windows, enough to keep it from deteriorating further. … We began doing feasibility studies on the Lyric. We did early architectural renderings and plans in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. In the middle 2000s, interest rates rose and the economy started tanking. We kind of moseyed along like that until 2008 or 2009.”
Although Birmingham Landmarks had a vision for what the Lyric could be, it faced a formidable challenge. The once-pristine theater had been through many structural changes since the glory days of vaudeville, first transformed into a movie house during the early 1930s. That period ended in 1958, when the hardest times hit. The Lyric closed, reopened for a few years in the 1970s as a revival house and had a brief run as a porn theater. The building was shuttered in the 1980s and left to decay.
“The Lyric was so well-built, it wouldn’t fall down,” says Beene, who joined Birmingham Landmarks in 2009. “The cost to demolish a building like that is so great, there wasn’t much talk about making it a parking deck. But nobody wanted to buy it. Nobody knew what to do with it.”
Whitmire, who died in 2010, often said fundraising for the Lyric was more difficult than it had been for the Alabama Theatre, mostly because the vaudeville generation had passed away. Potential donors lacked an emotional connection to the century-old building, he said, and cherished no fond memories of seeing live shows there.
Beene was hired by Birmingham Landmarks to combat such perceptions, kickstart the Lyric’s finances and stir community participation in the project. After Whitmire’s death, he moved into the executive director role and has overseen the Lyric and Alabama theaters ever since. “I think Cecil and Danny had to swim upstream for about 20 years, because things were moving away from downtown,” Beene says. “At one time, the Alabama Theatre was the only thing downtown. After Birmingham Landmarks was formed, it took 10 years, maybe 11, to get the Alabama to where they wanted it to be. They inherited the Lyric in ‘93, and the Alabama was only half-done at that point. The focus was on the Alabama. It seemed almost impossible, at least to Cecil, to raise the money they needed for the Lyric. And the Alabama was his first love. The Lyric didn’t have an organ. When he died, right at that time period, Railroad Park and lofts and Regions Field and all those things were starting here. I came in and caught the wave.”
As more fundraising, another feasibility study and a mountain of paperwork ensued, Beene sensed a shift in public attitudes about the Lyric. Millennials began to take notice, gushing over tours of the building led by volunteers such as Glenny Brock, then editor of Birmingham Weekly. Articles in that alternative publication, particularly those written by reporter Jesse Chambers, championed the theater and pointed to new life for the old vaudeville house. Brock, who later became outreach coordinator on the staff of Birmingham Landmarks, says her first visit to the Lyric in 2008 made her a believer. It led her to participate in cleanup sessions at the theater — pulling up carpet, scraping paint, mopping floors, removing dead birds and bat droppings. It also inspired her to spread the word about the Lyric and its potential — in print, online and in person.
“The Lyric, to me, was such a beautiful ruin,” Brock says. “The outside of the building, for much of my life, was very plain, like a brown cardboard box. It became a personal mission; I wanted to see it succeed … Most of my role, as this title implies, is making sure people know about the Lyric. Basically, I just tried to get everyone to love that place as much as I did.”
Others involved in the Lyric’s renaissance, such as lead fundraiser Tom Cosby, relied on the simultaneous pull of art, history and economics. Cosby joined the team in 2012 as a paid consultant for Birmingham Landmarks, after 35 years with the Birmingham Business Alliance and its predecessor, the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. Although he’d intended to retire, Cosby quickly became enmeshed in the mission to save the Lyric, using his experience, contacts and knowledge of Birmingham’s power players to get the job done. Spearheading a new “Light Up the Lyric” campaign that was launched in March 2013, Cosby raised more than $7 million for the theater in just nine months. A sparkling new marquee was installed that September, celebrating the campaign and symbolizing the Lyric’s future.
Eventually, Cosby raised more than $8 million via 89 donors — individuals, corporations and foundations — that contributed $10,000 or more. After historic tax credits were secured, the Lyric’s restoration fund reached $11.5 million. “The Lyric is a unique and beloved cause,” Cosby says. “I don’t know in my heart if (the donors) did it because they were such arts patrons — maybe they were — but I think they realized we needed a downtown for this area to thrive. … Places like the Lyric have absolute power and a sense of place. This is what separates Birmingham from a suburban strip mall.”
Executive director Beene — who’s been known to wax poetic about the Lyric, comparing it to a vintage instrument — also regards the theater’s revival as a no-nonsense economic development project. “We can’t afford to have a museum,” Beene says. “That’s not what we can do. From the start, I’ve said that we have to have an operating business for this to work.”
If his hopes for the Lyric are realized, the 750-seat theater will bring more people downtown, spurring growth and renewal that spreads for several blocks, transforming the area into a vibrant entertainment district. At the same time, Beene envisions the Lyric as a potent booster for civic pride.
“This is a place for all of our community to use, to share and to appreciate — not just as the past of Birmingham, but as the future of Birmingham,” he says. “We think that’s very important. … This gives people something to be proud of, something that’s unique, something to come home to. I want people to grow up at the Lyric. I want parents to bring their kids. I want youngsters to come there and see things. I want boyfriends to bring their girlfriends, and girlfriends to bring their boyfriends, and propose to them and get married on the stage. I want people to be swallowed up by the Lyric and enjoy it.”
That theme — the idea of “making modern memories” at the Lyric — comes up in conversation with all four of these key players, as Beene, Evans, Cosby and Brock continue their quest to make the theater shine again. Others who’ve become invested in the Lyric’s rebirth — board members, donors, volunteers, staffers and more — are likely to feel the same.
The restored Lyric Theatre opened to the public with three variety shows featuring local performers on Jan. 14-16, 2016. The task is far from finished. Beene, for example, can tick off a wish list for the Lyric that includes a green room, rehearsal spaces, expanded dressing rooms and a replica of the original box office. The adjoining office building? It hasn’t been touched yet.
Birmingham Landmarks also owns a building next-door to the Lyric that formerly housed the Majestic Theatre, a vaudeville competitor during the early 1900s. Two floors are empty, Beene says; the ground floor is home to Superior Furniture.
“We’ve got lots of dreams, but they’ll have to wait,” says Evans, the board chairman. “We need to get all the kinks worked out at the Lyric.” Ask Evans to retrace his steps back to 1993 and take a big-picture view, summing up how the Lyric was saved, and he responds without hesitation. The most important thing, he says, was taking an initial leap of faith. “The catalyst was when we decided to do it,” Evans says. “We didn’t know how to do it, and there was a lot of bumping into walls. But we made the decision to do it.”
Beene offers another perspective. “With heart,” he says. “That’s the short answer. If you put all the pieces together, it was timing, hometown people and others with a vision to know what the Lyric could be.”
The building was opened as a Topps Department Store in the mid-1960s, which closed by the early 1970s. As part of several mini-mall proposals within, the MARKET SQUARE Cinemas led the way and opened in the late 1970s; the builder and first owner-operator was Frank Carmichael, Jr. of Kenosha – the architect was Charlie Rice of Racine, Wisconsin – and then the MARKET SQUARE was leased to Doug Porchetta of Milwaukee. The comfortable rocker seats were acquired from a closed theater in Michigan. In about 1990, two more smaller auditoria were added, totaling four in all. When the building was purchased by Kenosha County for office purposes, the cinemas still continued to operate for some years because of the unbreakable lease. When that lease expired, the county wanted the space, and the MARKET SQUARE Cinemas passed into fond local history.
The TOWN Theatre was opened in 1938 and was destroyed by a tornado in October, 1955.
Grafton’s only in-town movie theatre was on Bridge Street between 11th and 12th Streets. It opened on April 28, 1949. The GRAFTON Theatre had 530 seats. It closed in 1951 and was unsuccessfully reopened in the 1960s.
It’s very well done … but they list the wrong name on the theatre.
On the positive side, the chaser mechanism kept the bulbs off for fractions of a second. With modern technology I’m sure the LEDs could be made to be not only tungsten-color-correct but, more importantly, avoid the sudden harsh On/Off that gives away LED bulb usage. They’re even making LED Edison-look “carbon” bulbs now.
They’re 11-watt S-14 sign bulbs.
The NORTHERN LAKES was called the HAPPY HOUR Theatre in the early 1920s.
Modjeska Theatre hopes for March opening By Tom Daykin of the Journal Sentinel – Jan. 23, 2016 Milwaukee’s Modjeska Theatre, which has been undergoing cleanup and renovations for the past two years, plans to reopen in March.
But the theater, a longtime fixture on the city’s south side, initially will not show films.
Instead, it will host mainly concerts and other live events before eventually adding movies to the lineup, said Jesus Nanez, who will help operate the Modjeska, 1134 W. Historic Mitchell St.
“Our vision is that it will be a multiuse venue,” said Nanez, a part owner of Modjeska Theatre Co., which is leasing the theater portion of the building.
The two-story building, including the theater and retail storefronts, is owned by Modjeska Theatre Project LLC, an affiliate of Mitchell Street Development Opportunity Corp., a nonprofit group.
That group in 2014 began removing garbage and debris from the theater, while raising money to renovate the building. It has been closed since 2010.
The group’s members initially planned to open the Modjeska in fall 2014. The work, including fundraising, has taken longer than expected, said Nanez, a commercial broker with Kesselman Real Estate.
However, he said, “There’s definitely been a lot of progress.”
Most of the cleanup work is done. The stage has been altered to open up the orchestra pit. Also, the heating and power systems are being upgraded, Nanez said, and the sprinkler system is being repaired.
Once the building has heat and the power is fully operating, work can more easily proceed on painting the interior and doing plaster repairs. Some of that work has already occurred, he said.
Those initial projects will cost around $200,000. A full restoration of the Modjeska would cost an estimated $5 million, Nanez said.
The restoration, which could include financing through state and federal historic preservation tax credits, would include exterior renovations, such as a new marquee. Engberg Anderson Architects has been providing volunteer work for that possible redesign, he said.
“The historic renovation is definitely some years away,” Nanez said. “We need to get open and get the ball rolling. … I don’t have a Pabst Theater standard of what it should look like.”
Another future project includes removing the bottom floor seats.
Those seats, which are likely over 30 years old, are in poor shape, he said.
They will be replaced with removable chairs and cocktail tables to create cabaret seating. The second-floor seats will remain.
“We will be able to accommodate large banquets with a one-of-a-kind venue,” Nanez said.
Attracting live events creates a revenue source for the Modjeska, said Nanez, a professional musician who has relationships with show promoters. His gigs have included drumming for the Milwaukee group Vic and Gab.
The theater will seek a tavern license so it can serve beer, wine and cocktails at live events, Nanez said. While a regular film schedule isn’t part of the near-term plan, the Modjeska could host the Milwaukee Short Film Festival this September.
Last year’s festival was held at ComedySportz, 420 S. 1st St., and drew around 1,000 people over two days, said Bill Quirmbach, co-director. He said a final decision for the 2016 venue will likely be made in April.
“We’re very encouraged” by the prospect of locating at the Modjeska, Quirmbach said. He said the festival would bring its own projection and sound equipment, sparing the theater that expense.
Nanez said the Modjeska also might eventually convert one of the retail storefronts into an attached bar and restaurant, similar to Bay View’s Avalon Theater, which reopened in 2014.
“It’s really got great potential,” he said.
The Modjeska opened in 1925 and was used for both films and vaudeville performances. It stopped regular movie showings in 1989.
Two years later, the building was sold to Stewart and Diane Johnson, who started the Modjeska Youth Theatre Company. Their nonprofit group staged amateur productions such as “Annie” and “West Side Story.”
Also, the theater was used for professional shows, including performances by David Byrne, Alice in Chains, Gregg Allman, Rob Zombie, Nanci Griffith, Marilyn Manson and They Might Be Giants.
In December 2006, the Johnsons sold the theater for $450,000 to Modjeska Theater Project, a partnership between the youth theater company and Mitchell Street Development Opportunity Corp.
But the youth theater company’s revenue couldn’t cover its expenses, and that group folded in April 2010. That left Mitchell Street DOC with the building.
The Modjeska’s renovations are among a series of nearby new real estate investments.
They include the conversion of the former Goldmann’s Department Store, 930-932 W. Historic Mitchell St., into the new home of the Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center; the upcoming conversion of the historic Hills Building, 906-910 W. Historic Mitchell St., into a new Milwaukee Public Library branch and 57 market-rate apartments, and next weekend’s opening of Mitchell Street Marketplace, a neighborhood grocery at 1101 W. Historic Mitchell St.
The HUDSON Theatre was at 205 Locust Street in Hudson, Wisconsin and closed on July 30, 1984, leaving Hudson without a movie theater for the first time in more than 75 years until December, 1989 when the new Southside Cinema 4 opened (later expanded to nine screens and renamed Hudson Cinema 9). In the early 1900s, Hudson had two theatres, the GEM at 501 Second Street and the THEATER DELIGHT at 220 Locust Street. The GEM didn’t last long, but the THEATER DELIGHT survived under the leadership of A. Johnson and later L.H. Clark. In 1917, Clarence “Showhouse” Mickelson purchased the THEATER DELIGHT and by 1921 built the REX Theatre building at 220 Locust Street which evolved into all the later theatres in Hudson.
In 1938 Mickelson sold the REX to J.G. Heywood of New Richmond and E.L. Peaslee of Stillwater; they renamed it the HUDSON and operated it until 1947 when they sold it to Arthur and Ethel Peterson of Kenyon, Minnesota. Their son-in-law Alfred J. Bergmann managed the HUDSON until moving to Ashland in 1961 when his son-in-law Harry Swanson (1943-1984) took over for the next decade or so. In 1969, the HUDSON Theatre building was sold to the State Bank of Hudson (later Wells Fargo Bank). At some time in the early 1970s the HUDSON was sold to Mark Pallas, who in July 1976 sold it to Henry Sampson, Paul Zipf and Don Buchholz (the latter managing) until 1982, when the HUDSON was sold to Hudson native Steve O'Connell who closed it on July 30, 1984. O'Connell said “Up until that time, our only competition were single-screen theaters in neighboring towns like River Falls, Stillwater or New Richmond.” Stillwater got a six-screen theater in the early 1980s, giving the HUDSON more competition. (The Stillwater theatre later was the victim of fancier theatres in nearby Oakdale, Woodbury and North St. Paul.)
“If a theatre wanted to run a new blockbuster beginning on opening weekend, the numbers were vicious,” O'Connell said. “For example, we would have had to pay maybe $5,000 to $10,000 up front. During the first week or two, the Hollywood studio would take 80 percent of the take. During the third and fourth week they would take 70 and then maybe 60 percent. In a community like Hudson, however, it was tough to keep a movie four weeks. And, if after four weeks I had taken in only $3,000 or $4,000, I was stuck. New movies were just too risky. I opened one of the first releases in Hudson in a couple of decades. It was one of the Superman movies.”
Steve praised competitor Stan McCullough of River Falls, who had an advantage over other theatres in being a film agent. “Stan was a great guy and was a great businessman. He was a booker who had control over 30 or 40 theaters so he could get copies of new releases.” He said McCullough tried to convince him to book “ET” for opening-weekend release. “He knew it was going to be a blockbuster when blockbusters really existed. Now everything is a blockbuster — for about a week. I should have taken Stan’s advice on ‘ET.’” The HUDSON finally ran “ET” 12 weeks after it opened in River Falls and still had a good three-week run. “We usually ran movies that were fairly safe. After three or four weeks we knew if they were successful and we could get them at a more attractive percentage. Always know that Hollywood studios are going to get the most money. That’s why selling concessions has become such an important part of the theatre business.”
He said theatre owners are often referred to as glorified popcorn vendors. “No one knows if a theater is going to make it on a movie when they pay such a premium to get a new movie,” and that studios keep precise records on every theatre across the country.
“I enjoyed my days in the theater business, however,” O'Connell said. “I remember if a movie was a little short I’d run a cartoon before the movie. People loved that because in the old days there was always a cartoon first.” the HUDSON was charging about $2 to $2.50 in its final days. At the time, the Twin Cities theaters were charging $4 or $4.50. “You’d be surprised how some people wouldn’t come to our theater because they thought we were showing an edited version of the movie because we didn’t charge as much.”
The Hudson Theatre Building was demolished to allow a bank expansion. With it went some of Hudson’s connection to the golden years of Hollywood.
The MAJESTIC Theatre opened on March 20, 1914 by David Burke with a Mary Pickford feature and the play “Quo Vadis” in eight acts. Its front was mission brick with 13 electric lights. Dark oak covered the outer lobby which had a natural wood foyer. A French beveled mirror was at the exit. There were 320 seats, a 12' x 20' stage with a 12' x 14' proscenium and three drops portraying a street, a garden and a parlor. The booth was 8' x 10'. At its opening there was also a ballroom, bowling alleys and a separate stage for class plays and community events, all closed by the 1940s. A dairy promotion allowed free admission to those bringing in enough red handles from Pleck’s milk.
In September of 1925 the MAJESTIC added 225 seats and had a total of five bowling alleys. The stage was enlarged, dressing rooms were added, projection lenses were replaced and a new organ was installed. The Wednesday evening shows offered glassware along with the five-cent admission.
Algoma’s MAJESTIC Theatre was demolished for the rebuilding of the Community State Bank.
Nothing was ever built on this site afterwards.