Uptown Theater (Racine, Wisconsin) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Uptown Theater
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The Uptown Theater as it appeared in 2012
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 Location in Wisconsin
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| Location | 1426-1430 Washington Ave., Racine, Wisconsin |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1927 |
| Architect | Wade B. Denham |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 82000702 |
| Added to NRHP | March 1, 1982 |
The Uptown Theater is an old movie theater in Racine, Wisconsin. It was designed by an architect named Wade B. Denham and first opened its doors in 1928. Today, the building is recognized as a special historic place.
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History of the Theater
The theater has a long and interesting story, with many changes over the years.
Grand Opening as the Majestic
When the building first opened on May 2, 1928, it wasn't a movie theater. It was a place for live plays and performances, called the Majestic Theater. It was built on a hill, and the architect cleverly used the natural slope of the land to design the seating area.
The theater was quite large, with 1,292 seats. It even had eight apartments inside the building. These were for actors to live in while they were performing in a show. However, the Majestic Theater closed just two years later, in 1930.
A New Life as a Cinema
After being closed for ten years, the building was given a new purpose. It was changed into a cinema and reopened in 1940 with a new name: the Uptown Theater.
It showed movies for over a decade before closing again in 1953. It reopened one more time the next year, but it finally closed for good at the end of 1959.
What Happened After It Closed?
After the theater stopped showing movies, its front lobby was turned into a store called the Avenue Frame Shop. This shop was open for many years.
In 1981, a group called Preservation Racine wanted to save some of the city's old buildings, including the Uptown Theater. Thanks to their work, the theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. This is a list of places that are important to American history.
Efforts to Reopen the Theater
In 2001, a new non-profit group was formed with the goal of fixing up and reopening the theater. To raise money and get people excited, they held a haunted house event inside the old theater for Halloween.
The group planned another haunted house the next year, but they had trouble getting permission from the city. Because of some problems at a later event, the plans to fix the theater were stopped. For many years, the Uptown Theater has remained empty and unused.
See also
