Owner Seeks to Demolish Downtown Theater

LIBERTYVILLE, IL — The owners of a longtime theater in downtown Libertyville are requesting it be demolished, the Daily Herald is reporting. Located at 708 N. Milwaukee Avenue, the building has been owned by the Rhyan family for more than 50 years and operated by Scott Dehn in recent years.

The theater first opened as Liberty Theatre in 1937 and in recent years has one by the name of Liberty 1 & 2 Theatres, according to the article. 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 historic preservation commission will be the first to hear the matter and can recommend approval of the demolition, approve it with conditions, deny it or continue the matter to a future hearing, according to the Daily Herald. The village board would have the final say on what would be done with the building.

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