Hollywood Theater renovations approved - WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

LA CROSSE, WI (WXOW)—The old Hollywood Theater in downtown La Crosse will reopen.

The Heritage Preservation Commission gave the approval for construction to begin during Thursday night's meeting.

It closed in 2005, but Phil Addis bought the building earlier this year.

Addis said he plans to use the theater in its original purpose, a concert hall and theater.

In September he will begin construction which includes insulating the building and painting the exterior.

He said he would love to have to building open for New Year's Eve, but the project will likely take six months to complete, pushing the opening to March.

"We've spent a lot of time and money on the plans and having inspections and studies done," Addis said. "So it's nice to finally have approval to start building on the project if we can afford it of course that's the next step."

Addis also hopes to restore the original 42 foot tall Hollywood Theater sign.

He doesn't know what the original sign colors were so he's asking for your help to vote what color scheme you prefer.

Click here for to visit their Facebook page and vote.