Lakehurst Cinema
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lakehurst Cinema was a movie theatre located in Waukegan, Illinois in the United States that operated from 1974 - 2007.
[edit] History
Lakehurst Cinema opened in 1974 as a part of Lakehurst Mall, a 1.1 million square-foot shopping mall literally across the street from the theatre. The theatre was built with three screens. In 1984 the theatre expanded to 5 screens. Over time the theatre continued to expand and by 2004 it featured 12 screens. From its opening in 1974 until its closing in 2000, the theatre was owned by General Cinema. The official name of the theatre was General Cinema Lakehurst 12.
Over time the Lakehurst property declined, mostly due to competition from Gurnee Mills and Westfield Hawthorn. The dying mall was drastically affecting the surrounding businesses. Many restaurants, shops, and attractions closed. Eventually the theatre closed for the first time in 2000, one year later, the mall was shuttered (except for the Carson Pirie Scott store, which remained open until 2004). However in 2002 Lakehurst Cinema re-opened, but instead of being owned by General Cinema (which had been acquired by AMC Theaters), it was operated by a small chain of theaters in the Chicago area called Village Theaters, however, the theatre still bore the General Cinema signage.
In 2003 the Lakehurst property was purchased by the Shaw Co.. It was then announced that Lakehurst Mall would be demolished to build Fountain Square of Waukegan. It was also announced that Lakehurst Cinema would close in the future, but a date was not given for the last showtimes.
January 7, 2007 marked the last day of screenings for the aging theatre. While the closure was sudden, it was not planned. The building was forced to cease operation after Lake County Building Inspectors red-tagged the building for numerous problems (including leaking roofs, heating and cooling problems, and other problems). The theatre, while still standing as of February 2007, will be demolished to build a Holiday Inn Express.[1]
Among the last films to be shown at the theatre were Happy Feet, Rocky Balboa, Night at the Museum, Stomp the Yard, Eragon, and We are Marshall.
