‘Theatrical limbo’: Wheaton Grand Theater continues to sit idle

Smack dab in the middle of downtown Wheaton, surrounded by the bustling businesses of Hale Street, sits an empty old theater with a red-and-black marquee.

The Wheaton Grand Theater, first opened in 1925 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, once was a centerpiece for films and live performances. But for the past two decades the site has, as former Wheaton Mayor Michael Gresk put it, “languished in a theatrical limbo.”

The theater has been vacant since the early 2000s, despite successive efforts to raise funds and garner support for restoration. When Wheaton property owner Jim Atten purchased the theater from a bank in 2012, hope for revival was renewed. But his efforts and those of supporters have stalled without money from the city or private investors.

“There was interest from some private groups,” Gresk said. “What a lot of them wanted was some sort of tax help, tax assistance, and I don’t believe we were ever of that mind as a city council to do such a thing.”

As the theater continues to sit empty, interest from the community has waned. Nancy Flannery, a member of the Wheaton Historic Commission, said she is not aware of any groups actively advocating for the theater. Additionally, while renovation may be possible, Flannery said, restoration no longer seems like a viable option.

“Too much is gone,” Flannery said. “You would have to re-create just about everything, and that would be extremely expensive.”

According to Atten, the current plan is to renovate the front part of the theater for use as a restaurant and bar. Atten estimates the costs for the endeavor to be about $1.5 million — notably lower than the estimated $5 million to restore the whole venue, including the auditorium and stage, but still unattainable without funds from the city or a private interest.

Over the past decade, the city of Wheaton has worked to revitalize the downtown area where the theater is situated, by completing streetscaping and infrastructure projects. As Hale Street has become a busy restaurant row, the theater lags behind.

“It would be great if it was open,” said Dick O’Gorman, owner of Ivy Restaurant, located directly across the street from the theater. “Right now, having 12,000 square feet on Hale Street not being used is very sad, but having anything in there would be great.”

Despite its disuse, recent rebuilding and installment of lighting on the theater’s marquee have kept the empty building from becoming an eyesore, and current Wheaton Mayor Phil Suess said he gives Atten “a lot of credit” for maintaining the theater’s facade.

The Wheaton Grand is a historic relic, one of many suburban theaters built in the 1920s that hosted live acts and vaudeville shows as well as movies. Some theaters, including the DuPage Theatre in Lombard, have been demolished after falling into disrepair, while venues such as the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles have been successfully renovated for modern use. The willingness of a city or individual to invest in reconstruction can define whether a theater survives or moves on.

As the city continues its hands-off approach to the property, the fate of the Wheaton Grand rests with Atten and anyone with the interest and means to take on the hefty work necessary for revival.

“We’re still trying to generate money in order to get the thing off the ground,” Atten said. “We would be happy to entertain conversation with a group or person that does fundraising and grant raising in order to help us with our mission here.”

The theater approaches its 100th birthday in 2025, and its future remains uncertain.

“I think everyone would appreciate if the theater were able to come to fruition, I think that’s something that would be a big positive for the community,” Suess said. “But we’re very much aware of the challenges associated with that.”