Indisputably rough around the edges and giving way to the ravages of time, the once-grand Genesee Theater in downtown Waukegan, in the eyes of a New York-based theater restoration consultant, could have a whole new life as the centerpiece of a revitalized downtown area.
Although preliminary, that opinion is music to the ears of movers and shakers at the Waukegan Downtown Association and its subsidiary Waukegan Sunrise, who have been working since 1995 to piece together the elements necessary to put nightlife back into the central area of Lake County’s largest city.
More than 100 people turned out for a public meeting recently at the Fiesta Palace nightclub, at Genesee and Clayton Streets, across the street from the Genesee Theater, bringing the restoration experts together with the most important part of the equation–the ticket-buying public who will ultimately decide if restoring the theater is worth the effort.
The enthusiastic showing of residents new and old made a strong impression on representatives from Theatre Projects Consultants Inc., who said that community support is the foundation that makes any bricks-and-mortar restoration successful.
“Every community is unique, but I think what Waukegan has that most other communities don’t have is the nucleus for a restoration not only of the Genesee, but of their entire downtown area. They have a real vision here,” said Victor Gotesman, president of Theatre Projects Consultants’ North American operations.
Most of the building’s deterioration is cosmetic, Gotesman said. Structurally, the ornate, brick-and-limestone edifice seems sound, although further testing is required before engineers can come to a final verdict, he said.
The theater’s stage and wings would need to be enlarged to be used by contemporary theatrical touring companies, which use sets and staging techniques not yet developed in 1927, the year the theater was built.
Lighting and sound systems would have to be updated, too, said Paul Turner, a consultant with Theatre Projects who toured the Genesee Theater. Additionally, the theater would have to be modified to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which would require that an elevator be installed to reach the balcony.
These and other modifications may reduce the theater’s 1,785-seat capacity, but probably not by much, Turner said.
A complete rehabilitation could cost anywhere from $8 million to $12 million, downtown association officials estimate. Several developers have made inquiries about the theater, and the downtown association is working with the city on developing options for a potential public/private civic authority to manage it, they said.
“It shouldn’t be that difficult to make a late 20th Century theater out of it,” said Michael Coan, an architect who serves on Waukegan Sunrise’s executive committee. “That building, including its apartments and retail spaces, could be a real hub for downtown.”
Turner’s two-day visit included tours of other theaters and auditoriums in the area, ranging from the Trapp Auditorium at Waukegan High School to the theater at Barat College in Lake Forest to Ravinia Festival in Highland Park. The tour is the first step in a $50,000 consulting project sponsored by the downtown association to determine the feasibility of restoring the Genesee.
What the Genesee needs more than anything, Turner said, is a dynamic context. People won’t necessarily come to downtown just to see a show. They need restaurants, nightclubs and plenty of free parking to make their night out a package deal.
