In 2019, the Liberty Theater in downtown Libertyville was closed permanently. Since then, there has been no renovation, nor any change to the building in any way; but, this is not because of the lack of opportunities. Over the years, there have been numerous proposals to renew this historic building—all turned down by the village board. So, the question remains: will the Liberty Theater ever get updated or revitalized at all?
History
The Liberty Theater first opened on Aug. 27, 1937, by German immigrant Frederick William Dobe. The theater’s first movie played was “Slave Ship,” and the theater went on to host the world premiere of “Desperate Journey” in 1942. As the theater gained popularity over the years, it was subsequently named a “great financial success” by The Independent-Register, setting in stone that the institution of this building was a wise decision.
Proposal
Vee Enterprise, representing the property owner of the Liberty Theater, has most recently proposed a plan to renew this area for better use, instead of keeping it abandoned and a waste of valuable space.
One step of the plan includes repurposing the actual building for restaurant and retail use. The second part outlines the construction of a commercial building to the north of the Liberty Theater. The last segment of their proposal involves building a three-story apartment building south of the theater.
Legal
When the proposal was presented to the village board—after taking a couple of days to convene—they ultimately rejected it for reasons concerning the Certificate of Appropriateness (COA)—a guide that provides an overview of the Village’s historic preservation review process.
As a result of this rejection, the property owner promptly sued the village board for reasons such as the dismissal of the proposal despite meeting all zoning and preservation requirements—unconstitutional conditions attached to the permit approval––and the potential positive economic impact for the village and the developers on downtown revitalization.
Within the lawsuit, a settlement offers multiple propositions for both parties, including the property owner providing individual lease agreements for many neighboring businesses to use a portion of the area for delivery access and garbage collection. In addition to this, the village must review and approve all permits regarding the property, and the village board may issue a COA as well as an exterior design permit.
Both the property owner, their representatives, and the Village are currently deadlocked over this lawsuit.
Progress vs. Preservation
The ultimate argument for and against the revitalization of the Liberty Theater and the area around it is whether or not the town wants to preserve the history that comes with the building or to sacrifice it to make room for more opportunities for future generations.
In terms of preservation—yes, the building holds much historic value; it has been residing in Libertyville now for almost a century and it is the movie theater some people went to as kids or teenagers. It even serves as one of the places Marlon Brando worked before he made his big break. But we need to put nostalgia aside to focus on the here-and-now, which is this: the Liberty Theater is of no use now, and there are ways we can make it a hundred times better.
While the idea of preservation is comforting, it is not necessary. Preservation can only last so long, but progress is forever, and that is what this building displays. The possibilities that could come from this building are endless and could enhance both the economics and appearance of Libertyville.
For one, it could be objectively known that the village may greatly benefit from the establishment of more businesses rather than one deserted building that hasn’t been used for years.
In addition to that, the actual building itself has been described as an “eyesore” by multiple Libertyville residents. From the boarded-up doors to the stained overhead sign, the Liberty Theater needs serious remodeling—or maybe even destruction. The implementation of these new businesses that were proposed by the property owner could generously clean up both the building and the area surrounding it, making it fit in with the rest of the town.
Overall, this will be decided by the lawsuit—still in motion—but the revival of the building is an obvious solution to this problem, even if it preserves the building’s historic aspects in the way the Village wants. Even so, while the Liberty Theater holds special memories for many, they have to let go for new, future generations to make up for others with the establishment of these new businesses.
