1925 Theater Looks for a Second Act in 2011

How important is the Wheaton Grand Theatre to Wheaton?

Voters will be asked that when they go to the polls April 5 to select their next mayor and City Council members.

In addition to the municipal and school board contests, an advisory, non-binding referendum question will be on the ballot asking whether the city should contribute taxpayer money for the restoration and new operation of the 85-year-old theater.

Jim Mathieson, a downtown property owner, spoke to about 100 supporters of the Wheaton Grand Theatre advisory referendum at a fundraiser Thursday night.

“We’re trying to get a ‘yes’ vote, that’s going to say, ‘We want something to happen in downtown Wheaton,’” Mathieson said.

The theater showcased vaudeville performers and silent movies. It opened its doors on May 25, 1925 with a showing of a romantic drama, "The Dressmaker from Paris," starring Sally Rand.

Plans for its reincarnation as a performing arts space originally called for a 1,000- to 1,100-seat theater, for an estimated cost of up to $20 million, Mathieson said Thursday. That vision has been scaled back to a $3 million model, which would include renovations of the existing building to have a 540-seat theater—similar to the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, a live entertainment and arts education facility in Arlington Heights. Another option would be a small movie house, he said.

“We want to see something move forward … that’s why we need to get this ‘yes’ vote. We’re not talking about a tax increase—we’re not talking about extending an SSA, we’re talking about a contribution of already existing monies, which are there for the purpose of development.”

Ray Shepardson is a theater restoration and design consultant who has led projects to reopen the Fox, State and Gem theaters in Detroit, the Palace Theatre in Louisville and the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan.

He’s also a Wheaton resident who is ready to transform the Wheaton Grand Theatre, which, he said, is in “a completely golden market”—conservative but golden.

“We’re kind of a spoiled community … No one’s lifestyle is going to change if the theater is torn down,” he said. However, if done well, it would be a success, he said.

Most of Shepardson’s experience is with 2,500- to 5,000-square-foot theaters, so a $3 million project is “pretty easy to do if you’ve done stuff like this before,” he said. It would be fun whether it is a funky, cool place with indie rock and jazz concerts, or the full-blown, $15 million project, he added.

Mayoral candidate John Prendiville, who has been involved with the Wheaton Grand Theater committee, said the referendum is “pro business.” The theater would be something that brings people downtown, benefiting restaurants, retail stores and other downtown businesses, he said.

He added that the theater is also an important cultural and historic part of Wheaton. “We have a theater that plays a tremendous role in the memories of lifelong residents,” he said, adding that people want to have a cultural center for the community.

If the referendum passes, council member Todd Scalzo—who proposed the referendum—said the City Council would have direction to approach a private entity for a partnership.

If the referendum passes and the city still couldn’t find a private entity to invest, “that’s fine, really. We’re no worse for the wear because we tried and we couldn’t find it,” he said.

The council voted 5-2 on Jan. 3, to add the non-binding referendum to the ballot. Mayor Michael Gresk and Councilman Phil Suess opposed the measure.

“It has to be a private partnership along with the city,” Gresk said Saturday. “I don’t want it to be put on the average taxpaying homeowner in town.” 

He added that the city could use the TIF district that is in place to pay for infrastructure on the property, which could be an inducement for investors.

Suess said Friday he thinks the referendum is disingenuous. He said if allocating $150,000 to the theater was the only issue keeping it from getting done, it’d be appropriate.

However, he said, the city doesn’t own the theater, there is no operator and there is no plan.

“I think we’re confronted with a lot more pressing issues today of where we spend public money than the theater … Especially when it’s been represented in the past that the theater could be done with private money without assistance.

That $150,000 could be spent on upgrading storm water sewers, roads and sidewalks, he said. “People don’t pay taxes to go to the theater. People pay taxes to have roads and sewer systems work … the things they wouldn’t do on their own.

Suess, who also served on the Wheaton Grand Theater committee, noted that he would love to see the project move forward, but not at a cost to taxpayers.

Jim Carr, who was mayor from 1993 until Michael Gresk took office in 2007, said he opposes the referendum. “I tried my best to let it work on a private basis,” he said, but “nothing was ever really able to gel or come to fruition.

“It was disappointing because I believe it (the theater) can play an important role in the development of (the) downtown … I do not feel the city should put forward money for the process.”

He added that he believes philosophically the theater is part of Wheaton’s history—and it could be a catalyst for economic development downtown.

CORRECTION: Jim Mathieson is not the owner of the theater property. Suburban Bank and Trust is the owner. 

The City Council voted 5-2 to approve the referendum, not 4-2.