Brookfield hopes to redevelop an iconic downtown property, and it wants your input.
The village announced Tuesday it acquired the former Brookfield Theater building at 3723 Grand Blvd. on Sept. 5. Now, the village intends to seek proposals to redevelop the property in a way that will “complement the vibrant Grand Boulevard Business District and promote economic development.”
Community Development Director Libby Popovic told the Landmark Friday that the village purchased the building for about $275,000 “via an assignment,” which is a real estate term for when someone who has a contract for a property sells the rights to that contract to another entity, whether that’s someone else or, in this case, Brookfield.
Popovic said the building’s previous owner had worked for the owner before her and inherited the property, which had been in a trust, when he died about two years ago. Popovic said the owner before last had used the property mainly to store cars and furniture.
“[The previous owner] didn’t have any specific plans for it,” she said. “It’s a building that has a lot of things that need to be fixed on it, code issues. It’s an overall project.”
While the property’s future is not settled, Popovic said she thought it likely the village would work to preserve the building in some form.
Brookfield is looking for feedback from residents on what kind of development they would like to see go in at the former theater’s location. The first public meeting about the property will take the form of a discussion at the village board’s next committee of the whole meeting on Monday, Sept. 23, where the village invites residents to give trustees their thoughts.
The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., but Brookfield will have a regular village board meeting at 6:30 p.m. The committee of the whole meeting will not begin until all business from the village board meeting is finished.
Popovic said she and other village staffers have already heard feedback from some residents who suggested putting in a restaurant, a brewery, a bowling alley or even an indoor recreation center. Regardless of what goes in, she said, Brookfield is looking for a real investment in its downtown.
As 3273 Grand Blvd. is located in one of the village’s four tax increment financing districts, any growth in the property’s value — and, therefore, in the amount of property tax collected by the village — after it is sold and redeveloped will allow Brookfield to invest that extra revenue into further improving the area.
“We are looking for it to be revenue-generating, so tax revenue-generating, because TIF funds [were] used to purchase it, so we need to be able to continue that,” Popovic said. “We’re looking for meaningful development that’s going to be able to have some [revenue] generation back into the village and into the community.”
She stressed that the village is seeking serious proposals for development that would fit Brookfield’s character while conforming to its sustainability and comprehensive plans.
According to the village, the Brookfield Theater was built in 1915 and later was called the Strand. From its inception until it closed in 1952, the theater showed movies and hosted vaudeville performances and other live entertainment. According to a 2006 Landmark editorial, the theater charged only 25 cents for admission up until it closed.
In 1953, an affiliate of the Chicago Air Filter Company took over the building, and the front of the building was later converted into office space while the rest was used for storage.
While she couldn’t say for certain, Popovic said she thought it was unlikely the Brookfield Theater building would be demolished to make way for an entirely new development.
“There have been community members who have voiced that they would like to have the architectural integrity preserved, which would be nice, if that’s what the village wants. I don’t necessarily foresee it being demolished. I think the plan would be someone who could refurbish it and use that structure, because it’s a cool looking structure,” she said.
“It has a history there, and it’s part of Brookfield. It could look really amazing. It’s a seminal building within our downtown. Whatever goes there kind of sets the precedent for the rest of the downtown.”
