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Old theater space in Libertyville could be converted to apartments

A space once occupied by a long-forgotten theater in downtown Libertyville would be converted to apartments as part of an ambitious proposal under village review.

"I've always dreamed of putting apartments up there," said Jeff Lovinger, who bought the 116-year old building at the southeast corner of School Street and Milwaukee Avenue in 1985.

Lovinger plans to convert the upper two floors, which once housed the La Villa Theatre, offices and meeting rooms, to eight apartments.

The $1.5 million to $2 million project would restore some of the original building features and recycle or reuse other elements.

It also would establish living spaces in an area that has been transformed to a bustling destination during Lovinger's tenure.

"Different times, that's for sure," said Lovinger, an original member of MainStreet Libertyville, a volunteer organization that has worked for 30 years toward that vision.

The three-story brick building was erected in 1903 for the First Bank of Libertyville. The ground floor has housed retail spaces for some time. Starbucks, Clucker's restaurant and Avenue 21 are the current tenants.

Upstairs was the La Villa Theatre, which closed in 1937. Before the Liberty Theater became a mainstay downtown, patrons sat on the hardwood floor to watch movies on a screen that rolled up when not in use.

That section of the building remains a soaring two-story auditorium space surrounded by a mezzanine. Since 1980, it has been used as a performing arts/assembly space by Dancenter North, founded by Cheri Lindell in 1974.

Lovinger said he has tried to be fair with Dancecenter as a long-standing tenant but told the second owner when it changed hands that the current five-year lease, which is up at the end of the month, could be the last.

Stacy Joy Keller, a former Joffrey Ballet dancer and a teacher at Dancenter North for the past eight years, becomes the new owner June 1. The building needs extensive repair, but Dancecenter couldn't afford to be closed during that time and then return to a rent hike, Keller said.

So the performing arts school will be moving to Gurnee with the goal of opening for summer dance camps and classes June 10.

"Dancenter is legendary to dancers in the area, and I couldn't handle the thought of the doors closing," she said.

That clears the way for the conversion.

"It's an adaptive re-use from this assembly space to apartments," said Mike Kollman, a Libertyville resident and architect who is working with Lovinger on La Villa Lofts.

The building exterior will be restored to look more like it did when it was built than it does now, Kollman said. That will include the reintroduction of 7-foot-tall arched windows on the north facade and two entrance canopies.

Inside, various features will be employed so the building uses 50% to 75% less energy than is in typical new construction, he added.

"It's an interesting combination of historic preservation and green design philosophies," Kollman said.

The concept has been well received by village officials. Lovinger is seeking a zoning change to allow eight apartments rather than six and also is working through parking requirements but the concept has been "positively received," according to John Spoden, community development director.

The village's plan commission/zoning board of appeals discussed the matter once and continued the public hearing to Monday, when a recommendation to the village board is expected to be reached.

Lovinger said work could begin the first week in June.

"This building deserves to be updated and brought up to snuff," he said.

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  The owner of the building on the southeast corner of Milwaukee Avenue and School Street in downtown Libertyville, built in 1903, wants to convert the second and third floors to apartments. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Libertyville architect Mike Kollman looks at a historic photo of the La Villa Theatre, which once operated in the building at Milwaukee Avenue and School Street in downtown Libertyville. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
This rendering shows what one of the planned apartments could look like in a downtown Libertyville building. Courtesy of Mike Kollman
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