The Uptown Theater was a

movie theater A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall ( Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...

Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditio ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Operating history

The building first opened on May 2, 1928, as a live theater, sponsored by businessman Ernst Klinkert., and known as the Majestic Theater. Its single stage with 1,292 seats was built on a hillside, using the natural slope of the land in its design. With The building included eight apartments, for actors to stay in during runs. The Majestic Theater closed in 1930, but it was converted into a cinema, and it reopened in 1940, now called the Uptown Theater. It closed once again in 1953, but reopened again the next year, before permanently closing at the end of 1959.

History after closing

After the Uptown Theater closed, its lobby was converted into retail space which became the Avenue Frame Shop. This store remained open for decades, but has recently closed. In 1981, a group called Preservation Racine set out to restore some of the city's former landmarks, including the Uptown, and in 1982, with their support, it was listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The idea of restoring and reopening the theater was promoted by the

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

Uptown Theater Group, which was formed in 2001. For

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

in 2001, the Uptown Theater Group sponsored a haunted house attraction inside the abandoned theater. The haunted house was a

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

event to promote awareness and support a renovation of the Uptown Theater. In 2002, the Uptown Theater Group planned to hold another haunted house fundraiser at the site, but could not obtain the proper permits from the city of Racine. As a last resort, the organizers rented out a banquet hall adjacent to the theater. Racine police found some of the party goers to be in possession of illegal drugs. Despite the Group's protests, renovation efforts effectively stopped after the incident. As of 2015, the Uptown Theater remains abandoned.

References

{{coord, 42.7158, N, 87.7983, W, source:wikidata, display=title Buildings and structures in Racine, Wisconsin Cinemas and movie theaters in Wisconsin Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Racine County, Wisconsin Theatres completed in 1928 1928 establishments in Wisconsin

Operating history

History after closing

See also

References