Property Record
6229 W GREENFIELD AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Paradise Theatre Block |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | Paradie Theater |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 9205 |
| Location (Address): | 6229 W GREENFIELD AVE |
|---|---|
| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | West Allis |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1929 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2019202020151980 |
| Historic Use: | theater/opera house/concert hall |
| Architectural Style: | Art Deco |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Urban F. Peacock |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation. Determination of Eligibility (DOE) completed for this property in April 2015. TERRA COTTA PIERS W/CARVED CAPITOLS. DOMED TOWER ON CNR. Previously surveyed in 1980. The sign above the theater's main entrance has been removed along W. Greenfield Avenue. 2015- Completed in 1929, the triangular Paradise Theater building consists of the theater itself, as well as surrounding first-floor storefronts and second-level office spaces. The Paradise was built at an approximate cost of $200,000 at the height of a period during the late-1920s and early-1930s when #28;movie palaces#29; were rapidly constructed throughout the Milwaukee area. Designed by local architect Urban F. Peacock (1891-1965) in an opulent style with primarily classical elements and some Art Deco elements, the Paradise exhibits some of the exotic features that were characteristic of theaters from this period. Floral and fruit motifs are present on both the interior and exterior of the building. On Thanksgiving Day, 28 November 1929, the Paradise opened its doors to the public beginning with a parade down West Greenfield Avenue, following the annual high school football game. Fox-Midwesco was the parent company of the Paradise, as was common during that time. A number of large Hollywood studios, including Fox, Warner Brothers, Paramount and Universal, opened theaters such as the Paradise to use as venues for their films. Despite the decline of many movie theaters after 1950, the Paradise continued to operate until 1996. Restoration efforts were begun by Charles Tennessen, who managed the theater from 1989 to 1996. The lobby was restored to a tan and gold paint scheme and the original chairs in the auditorium were reupholstered. The owner in 2002, Dan Baldwin of Creative Community Solutions, continued those restoration efforts. Purchased and rehabilitated by Epikos Church in 2012. Existing fenestration installed at that time. It is a very good example of a 1920s theater whose design goal was general opulence rather than adherence to any particular architectural style. -"IH-94/USH 41/WIS 341 Survey," WisDOT ID #1080-27-01, Prepared by Heritage Research, Ltd. (McQuillen) (2015). 2019 - Resurveyed - appearance unchanged. **2020 - Resurveyed for I-94 project 1060-27-04. No significant changes apparent. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | "RESTORING PARADISE," WEST ALLIS STAR, NOVEMBER 16, 1989; WEST ALLIS STAR 7/7/1995; Milwaukee Sentinel 12/17/1965; West Allis Star 5/23/2002. Inaugural dedication program, "Paradise Theatre: Dedicated to the City of West Allis, Thursday, November 18, 1929" This two-paragraph summary was included in #28;West Allis: The Early Years,#29; 27-28, Prepared by Historic Milwaukee, Inc. for its 2002 Spaces & Traces Tour in West Allis, booklet written and edited by HMI Research Chair Traci E. Schnell, full research and citations available in tour script prepared by Sarah McQuillen for the 2002 tour, script on file at the HMI office, Milwaukee, WI. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |