Westgate Outdoor Theatre (Racine, Wisconsin)
Coordinates: 42°42′59″N 87°50′16″W / 42.7165°N 87.8378°W
| Westgate Outdoor Theatre | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Outdoor theater |
| Location | 4801 Washington Avenue Racine, Wisconsin |
| Construction started | 1948 |
| Opened | April 30, 1949 |
| Design and construction | |
| Developer | J. & M. Enterprises (Minneapolis, Minnesota) |
The Westgate Outdoor Theatre, previously known as the Racine Outdoor Theatre, was an outdoor and drive-in theater that operated at the southwest corner of Washington Avenue and Ohio Street in Racine, Wisconsin from 1949 to 1978. It was located on what is now the site of the Westgate Mall Shopping Center, and its function as a movie theater was replaced by the Westgate Cinema indoor theater across Perry Avenue.
History
In June 1948, the 35-acre site was purchased by J. & M. Enterprises of Minneapolis, Minnesota, which announced that it would immediately begin work on constructing an outdoor drive-in theater with state-of-the-art features and a planned capacity of approximately one thousand cars.[1] Located in the formerly rural but rapidly suburbanizing area of Mygatts Corners, the site was immediately outside Racine's city limits at the time. In December 1948, the Nelson Walker homestead along Washington Avenue was demolished more than a century after it was built, in order to make way for the theater's ongoing construction.[2] During construction, on March 19, 1949, an oil burner in the production booth exploded, causing approximately $2,000 in damage but no injuries.[3][4]
The Racine Outdoor Theatre opened on April 30, 1949, with a showing of the 1948 musical romantic comedy film Romance on the High Seas.[5][6] In September 1950, a safe containing $400 was stolen from the theater, which was found empty and damaged "beyond repair" a month later along Four Mile Road.[7]
In September 1951, the theater was acquired by the Papas-Spheeris Company, which began major renovations in advance of the 1952 season. 650 new speakers were installed, post lights were added to improve visibility for drivers, and a children's playground was built at the base of the screen. Papas-Spheeris also renamed the venue, calling it the Westgate Outdoor Theatre.[8] Westgate reopened on April 17, 1952, with a showing of the 1951 Western film Passage West.[9] The theater, located in a low-lying area, was in the path of the natural sewage drainage of houses on Perry Avenue and in Mygatts Corners, and its operators had initially agreed to allow the water to flow across their property unobstructed. However, in April 1953, the theater's owners announced they would block the flow, and during a heavy rainstorm a few days later, their blockage caused the basements of nearby houses to be flooded. After complaints from residents and the town board of Mount Pleasant, the theater agreed to unblock the sewer until a permanent solution could be found.[10]
References
- ↑ "Outdoor Theater Announced Here", Racine Journal Times, June 21, 1948, page five.
- ↑ "Mygatts Corners", Racine Journal Times, December 14, 1948, page 21.
- ↑ "Happenings in the City", Racine Journal Times, March 19, 1949, page three.
- ↑ "City Briefs", Racine Journal Times, March 21, 1949, page four.
- ↑ "Westgate Outdoor Theatre", cinematreasures.org.
- ↑ Advertisement, Racine Journal Times, April 29, 1949, page 19.
- ↑ "Happenings in the City", Racine Journal Times, October 16, 1950, page four.
- ↑ "Improve Theater on Highway 20", Racine Journal Times, March 21, 1952, page 22.
- ↑ Advertisement, Racine Journal Times, April 16, 1952, page 29.
- ↑ "Mt. Pleasant Board Calls Emergency Sewerage Meeting", Racine Journal Times, April 28, 1953, page five.