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It’s taken a decade, but the City of Milwaukee has finally found what it hopes will be the right plan and the right developer for the former Villa Theater, also known as The Ritz, at 3608 W. Villard Ave.
Last Thursday, the Common Council approved the sale of the 1926 Spanish Colonial-style movie theater to Lincoln Creek Development, LLC.
The purchase price of $10,125 – which reflects the condition of the property, which is being sold as-is with no guarantees – includes the 7,200-square-foot theater building, an adjacent 3,612-square-foot multi-story 1929 building at 3614-16 W. Villard Ave. and a 24-space, 8,040-square-foot parking lot at 5221 N. 36th St.
The City of Milwaukee acquired the theater in 2015 in a property tax foreclosure and the adjacent build arrived in the Department of City Development real estate portfolio the same way five years later. City ownership of the parking lot dates to 1948.
What's the plan?
The buyer intends to re-open the theater as a performance space for plays, live acts and talent shows and lease out the retail and office space. A hair salon is planned for 3614 W. Villard Ave. and a doctor’s office could occupy some of the space, too.
Lincoln Creek, owned by Thomas Matthews, Sr., projects the renovation costs will run to about $4 million.
According to documents on file with the Common Council, Lincoln Creek, “seeks to provide a full-service entertainment experience for Milwaukee residents and tourists alike.
“Matthews is teaming with Kelly Construction to assist and oversee getting the theater project completed in a timely manner and within the Buyer’s proposed budget.”
The new owner to do landscaping work, update the marquee, offer drop-off service for physically challenged patrons and more parking near the alley for guests, performers, staff and media.
Among the work required to get the old theater up and running again are asbestos and mold remediation, electrical and plumbing upgrades, new flooring, painting, roof repair, window upgrades, ceiling work, signage, security cameras and lighting enhancements.
Lincoln Creek is securing funding from Spring Bank, WWBIC and Clearinghouse CDFI of Ohio on the project and, according to the city, has already put together more than 75 percent of the required funding.
A clause in the deal requires that the new owners obtain a Certificate of Occupancy within 24 months of closing.
The building’s most recent uses – which have not been all the recent at all, by now – have been as a salon, a school (called AGAPE), a church and a bookstore.
Despite all that, as I noted in this Urban Spelunking story, when I visited in 2017, the theater interior was largely intact.
A little history
The Spanish Colonial style theater was built as the independent, 840-seat Ritz cinema in 1926 by Michael Brumm, who had opened a nickelodeon called The Princess across Villard Avenue in 1912. His son Arnold helped out at the theaters and later took over the business.
The theater was located in North Milwaukee, which was annexed by the City of Milwaukee in 1929.
In the ‘40s, The Ritz was part of the Fox Wisconsin cinema chain, and in 1959 it was purchased by Marcus Theaters which re-launched the theater in 1962 as The Villa.
In 1986, Marcus closed The Villa and two years later Tanya and Herman Lewis bought the building and attempted to run it as a second-run house, then a first-run cinema, then a community theater and center across the next nine years.
You can see many interior photographs and read more history in this article.
For more stories on Milwaukee history and the built environment, go here.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press. A fifth collects Urban Spelunking articles about breweries and maltsters.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has been heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
