![]() ![]() "I think for certain types of clients they (the spaces are attached to a theater) would be a draw. "The retail spaces are leased spaces that will be available," said Brannan. Brannan said there is a plan to renovate the apartments, though he declines to share details. A couple more retail spaces remain, as do 20 apartments that are also located in the building. Just south of the lobby, another retail space has been converted into a full kitchen. A cozy nook with an exposed brick wall creates an intimate vibe. The retail space north of the 5,000-square foot lobby – and connected to it – will be a bar accessible from the street and from the theater. "The two screens helps, plus the food and beverage helps, the bar helps." And it will help make the business viable, said Brannan. This space makes the Avalon the only duplex theater in the group’s portfolio. It’ll be great for the neighborhood … great for the company."īehind the stage, the second screen has been completely updated and improved to help prevent sound leakage between the rooms. ![]() "It hasn’t shown any movies since 2000, so it’s been a while. "We are very excited about it … very happy," said Brannan. The capacity of the main theater is now just upwards of 250, thanks to wide, comfortable individual seats that allow patrons to enjoy dinner and snacks with their films, and because the balcony is closed to the public. Neighborhood Theater Group owner Lee Barczak is spending more than $2 million to bring the long-shuttered Avalon back to life. This one is a Mediterranean villa in the south of Spain that’s the particular shtick here." "This whole atmosphere theater idea was kind of sweeping the country then. "The idea is one of putting an audience in another place and time, a specific place and time," said Neighborhood Theater Group’s Director of Operations John Brannan, during a tour last week, as a variety of workers attended to tasks on the exterior and throughout the interior, getting the Avalon ready for today. Last of a handful of atmospheric – read "faux open-air" – theaters in Milwaukee – six to be precise, including the Egyptian, the National, the Venetian, the Zenith and the Grand on Holton – Barr created a theater in the Mediterranean revival style, bringing an outdoor vibe inside and loading it with architectural and decorative details, many of which remain. Other than the Eagles Club on Wisconsin Avenue, his best-known works here are Prairie Style homes that many might mistake as the work of his mentor. Unlike most grand movie houses in Milwaukee, which tended to be drawn by architects specializing in the genre – such as Kirchhoff & Rose and Chicago’s Rapp brothers – The Avalon, built in 1929, is the work of native son Russell Barr Williamson.Ī disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright, Milwaukee’s Williamson worked for Wright and supervised work on the famed architect’s Bogk House and American System Built homes in Milwaukee – and the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo – before striking out on his own in 1918. The theater is currently owned by Neighborhood Theater Group, which also operates the Rosebud Cinema Drafthouse in Wauwatosa and The Times Cinema on Vliet Street. Kinnickinnic Ave., which opens tonight, and you get a double feature: a movie and an early look at a revamped Milwaukee movie palace. There are lots of places you can catch "The Hobbit" or the new "Night at the Museum" film this week, but see them at the revamped Avalon Theater, 2473 S. ![]()
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