Wheaton Grand Theater 'Miracle Workers' Fundraising for 2014 Opening

The group of business owners and stakeholders working to bring back the Wheaton Grand Theater has grown to include city officials, interested residents and high school students all invested in raising the $5 million needed to reopen the theater in July 2014.

They've dubbed themselves "miracle workers" as the return of the theater will be their "Miracle on Hale Street."

After Jim Atten, owner of Atten Real Estate purchased the property at 119-127 N. Hale St. in November 2012, the theater's corporate board members have worked to form fundraising plans, come up with a design for the new 650-seat theater, update the historic marquee and signage and rolled up their sleeves to clear debris inside the old building. 

Last week, they held their first public fundraising planning session at The Bank Restaurant, where more than 40 people tossed around ideas including a $100,000 raffle and a movie showing at the theater in August, said Rick Erickson, president of Bold Steps, Inc. in Wheaton and overall project leader for the Grand Theater Corporation's Miracle on Hale Street project. 

To open the 650-seat theater to host performing arts programs, concerts, movies, and special events, the team would need to raise $3-5 million, according to the Wheaton Grand Theater website. The tentative target open date is July 4, 2014. 

The raffle runs until Aug. 9 and would raise $80,000 for the theater, with 1,000 $100 tickets and prizes of $1,000, $2,000, $5,000 and $10,000. Tickets will be available at local restaurants and through individual sellers, and sellers will receive 10 percent of the winnings, Erickson said. 

Let Patch save you time. Get stories delivered to your inbox—sign up for our email newsletter. Fast signup here. You can also like us on Facebook.

Erickson said he also hopes to host an event at the theater this summer. He said a local wealth manager who had success hosting a movie showing of The Ultimate Gift, starring James Garner and Bill Cobbs as a fundraiser suggested hosting a similar event to show a pre-screening of the movie's sequel, The Ultimate Life.

"We also talked about critical upcoming events (like the Taste of Wheaton), where we'll have a big presence to raise awareness that it's coming back," he said. 

"(I'm) optimistic about the meeting and... Our momentum... We're going to go really hard."

"I think we're going to be surprised pleasantly, the more the word is saturated around Wheaton (and everyone knows what we're doing," he said.

For more information about the theater, follow the Wheaton Grand Theater Facebook page or go to the Wheaton Grand Theater website.

Related:

• Wheaton Grand Theater to Close Nov. 30
• Prospective Buyer Withdraws Bid for Wheaton Grand Theater
• Potential Buyer Interested in Wheaton Grand Theater
• Al Hollenbeck's Letter to the Editor: Vote Yes on Wheaton Grand Theater
• 1925 Theater Looks for a Second Act in 2011
• City Council Candidates Weigh in on Theatre Referendum
• City to Include Advisory Referendum for Wheaton Grand Theatre on Ballot in Upcoming Election
• City Withholds Payment to Grand Theatre Consultant
• Chamber Member Reaches Out to Community to Take Action Toward Restoration of Wheaton Grand Theater