Will Liberty Theater Be Torn Down? Hearing Held on Demolition

LIBERTYVILLE, IL — A large group of Libertyville residents came out to a Historic Preservation Commission meeting Monday to voice their dismay over a proposal to demolish the historic Liberty Theater. The commission decided to table a vote on whether to approve a demolition request made by the owners of the theater at 708 N. Milwaukee Avenue, the Libertyville Review reports.

The public hearing came a month after the Rhyan family announced its plans to demolish the theater. The Rhyan family has owned the downtown Libertyville building for more than 50 years. In recent years the theater has been operated by Scott Dehn.

The theater first opened as Liberty Theatre in 1937 and in recent years has gone by the name of Liberty 1 & 2 Theatres, according to the Daily Herald. The current tenant has not been able to make enough revenue to pay for rent — even after rent had been reduced three times — and ongoing repairs are needed on the aging building.

The demolition request is the first being considered by the village since a moratorium on the razing of downtown buildings was lifted in April 2018.

The owners of the theater said they are looking for interested buyers while pursuing their demolition request, the Libertyville Review reports. Village officials have said they would like to see the theater building preserved — even if the building is used for something other than a theater.

On Monday, around 40 residents attended the public hearing on the demolition request, and three spoke up in favor of keeping the building in town — either as a theater or a different type of entertainment venue, according to the Libertville Review.

The Historic Preservation Commission plans to meet again Oct. 28 to discuss the demolition request. The village board will have the final say on whether to demolish the downtown theater.

More via the Libertyville Review

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