Grand Theater revival wins city endorsement
A $2 million plan to redevelop the former Grand Theater, on the border of Milwaukee’s Riverwest and Harambee neighborhoods, received a preliminary city endorsement Tuesday.
Riverwest Investment Cooperative is working with local performers and artists to raise funds needed to buy and redevelop the historic theater, 2917 N. Holton St.
The cooperative would receive a one-year exclusive right to negotiate the purchase of the city-owned property under a resolution unanimously approved by the Common Council’s Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee. The full council will review that proposal at its May 31 meeting.
That negotiation period would give the cooperative more time to refine its plans, do an initial environmental study of the property and raise funds, according to a Department of City Development report.
The restored building would host theatrical, dance and music performances, as well as show movies. It also could provide programs for neighborhood youth and a venue for weddings and other events.
The plans, which are being created with the help of local architectural firm American Design Inc., call for two small theaters that can be combined into one larger venue. One theater would have 99 seats, and the other would have 150 to 200 seats.
The member-owned Riverwest Investment Cooperative would be the lead investor. It would seek to raise $250,000 in equity cash and borrow $750,000.
The remaining $1 million in grants and individual contributions would be raised by the building’s nonprofit tenant, which would likely be an affiliate of various arts groups.
The Grand Theater was built in 1911 in the Spanish Colonial architectural style, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.
The cinema closed in 1975, and the building was last used as a church before the city acquired it through tax foreclosure in 2016.
Ald. Milele Coggs said she wasn’t initially “100 percent sold” on the project. But its backers worked to allay her concerns about parking and security.
Coggs, a committee member whose district includes the theater, said the proposed redevelopment could help bring people together from the Riverwest and Harambee neighborhoods.
“I see this development as a wonderful addition to
Holton Street,” she said.