Opened in 1927 with 2,300 seats, designed by architect Larry P. Larson for the Universal Pictures chain, the theatre was built to resemble the Alcazar castle in Segovia, Spain, which is rumoured to be the inspiration behind Cinderella’s Castle at Walt Disney World. An atmospheric theatre, the auditorium ceiling was painted a dark navy blue and covered with lights that were meant to look like stars. This gave patrons the illusion that they were sitting in a courtyard under the night sky while watching a film. Larson took it a step further than most of his contemporaries when it came to the layout of the ‘stars’ and arranged them with data from the department of astronomy at the University of Wisconsin.

Like many early 20th century theatres, the Kenosha opened as a vaudeville and silent film house. The opening program included a vaudeville act called “Dear Little Rebel” and a silent film, “The Irresistible Lover”. The Kenosha began showing ‘talking pictures’ when a Vitaphone system was installed in February 1927. It hosted artists such as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole. The theatre was successfully taken over by Warner Bros. and by Standard Theatres inc., which closed it in 1963 to privilege their other venue in town, the Lake Theatre. The building was then subsequently used as a warehouse, a flea market, and finally closed.

It was purchased by Kenosha Theatre Development in 1983 and is awaiting restoration.


Editions available:

95 x 120 cm, edition of 9 plus 2APs
AP 1/2 available

150 x 190 cm, edition of 6 plus 2 APs
#1/6 available (also available #5, AP1, AP2)