STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) — A theater that has sat vacant for over 3 decades could soon have new life next year.
The Fox Theater in downtown Stevens Point has been a topic of conversation for the city for almost a year after CREATE Portage County announced in October they wouldn’t be able to use the building for an IDEA Center. The city bought the property from the Fox on Main LLC in November of 2019 and has tried to figure out what to do with the building since. The back two-thirds of the building was demolished in December for safety reasons, leaving the front third standing.
In March the City released an RFP for the property, letting developers submit bids to repurpose the 126-year-old building. Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza said in a Youtube video posted to the city’s website that they received interest from all across the country. When the RFP process closed in mid-June two local proposals were presented to a selection committee that included the Mayor, Community Development Director Ryan Kernosky, Visitors Bureau Executive Director Sara Brish, Portage County Business Council Director Todd Kuckkahn, and First District Alder Tori Jennings.
After reviewing the two proposals, the selection committee recommended a proposal from Wildcard Corp., a Stevens Point-based computer services company, to the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee approved the proposal from Wildcard at their recent meeting to go onto the council for final approval. Mayor Mike Wiza says in the video that the proposal the council will vote on Monday night is for a multipurpose events space.
“It’s an event space for weddings, birthdays, reunions, conferences, public meetings, city meetings, those sorts of things. And that’s going to be on the inside of the building. The second floor is really an events space, kind of a ballroom or a hall. Off the back, we’re going to have a balcony here. And where I’m standing now is going to be an outdoor garden or like a beer garden, an outdoor events space.”
A rendering of the proposed outdoor events space for the Fox Theater in downtown Stevens Point. (Photo courtesy of The City of Stevens Point and Wildcard Corp.)
The proposal does call for a full renovation of the remaining third of the Fox Theater. But the renovated building will be without one of it’s most recognizable markers. “The proposal that is being submitted is kind of an events space. They’re going to restore the building to its historic facade. Unfortunately, they have to remove the marquee and go back to the original 1901 facade. We’re working with groups to try and preserve that marquee because it’s also iconic.”
A rendering of the proposed inside events space of the Fox Theater in downtown Stevens Point. (Photo courtesy of The City of Stevens Point and Wildcard Corp.)
The property will also be restored to its full land size. The Fox Theater lost some of its back property to the now-demolished Centerpoint Marketplace mall that was built in the mid-80s but closed less than three decades later in 2012. That property, which is currently a parking lot, will be restored to the Fox Theater and used for the outdoor events space.
The Stevens Point’s City Council will vote on the proposed project Monday night at their monthly meeting. If the plan is approved Wildcard will begin work on the project right away with completion scheduled for the fall of 2021.
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