KENOSHA — The owner of the historic Kenosha Theater is asking for the community’s help after a kitchen fire damaged the iconic building last week, threatening to derail decades of restoration work.
Jeff Bass has dedicated more than 40 years to bringing the 1927 theater back to life. The building, built by Carl Laemmle founder of Universal Studios, once drew crowds from across Wisconsin to experience the magic of movies.
Watch: Kenosha Theater owner fights to restore landmark after fire damage
But on Wednesday night, a fire broke out in the kitchen of one of the theater’s apartments. While all tenants and their pets got out safely, Bass says water and smoke damaged parts of the newly restored lobby and foyer, and insurance will leave him with a $10,000 deductible.
"These things have been the story of my life here," Bass said. "I don’t want it to be that, when my time comes, there’s still a mess here. I want to at least leave my son with something."
Bass gave a tour of the theater, showing where decades of neglect had been reversed and sharing the building’s unique place in movie history.
"There are only three structures designed to pack people in: churches, stadiums, and theaters," Bass said. "This is the one that celebrates imagination."
The theater closed in 1963 and spent decades as a warehouse and flea market before Bass and his late brother bought it in 1983 with a dream of restoring it.
Now, a GoFundMe has been launched to help cover the deductible and keep the restoration work on track.
"What broke my heart was seeing the tenants out in the rain, holding their pets," Bass said. "But everybody was fine and we’ll keep going."
The Kenosha Theater is located at 5919 6th Ave. Donations to help with repairs can be made here.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
