Paradise Theater may be saved after all

Former Rosebud Cinema Drafthouse owner Jay Hollis has purchased the Paradise Theater, but the building's future remains murky and a raze-or-repair order is still in effect.

West Allis Development Director John Stibal said the city is waiting to see what Hollis will do. Stibal said plans could include something similar to the Rosebud, but Hollis has the building listed as being for sale.

Stibal said the building is now in the name of Hollis' wife.

Hollis would not comment on the transaction when reached for comment Monday.

The city granted Hollis a six-month extension on the raze-or-repair order, in the hopes progress will be made on renovations. But West Allis officials won't hesitate to act sooner than six months if the building continues to sit idle and deteriorate, Stibal said.

The Paradise Theater, 6229 W. Greenfield Ave., has fallen badly into disrepair to the point the city's Building Inspection Department issued the order in the spring.

Hollis expressed interest in the buying the Paradise Theater last winter, but plans back then did not materialize.

Hollis opened Wauwatosa's Rosebud Cinema, where movie-goers can relax on sofas and drink beer while watching films, in 1999. He sold the business in 2007.