As many Racine natives and/or residents know, the Westgate site has a heritage of being a movie theater site. In 1949, the Racine Outdoor Theater drive-in opened on this site, adopting the Westgate name in 1952. While Racine had various other movie theatres such as the Rialto, Uptown, Capitol, Venetian, Granada, and others, the Westgate was the only drive-in in the Belle City, with a capacity of 600 cars to take in that unique experience. For almost thirty years the tradition remained steady until its closure in 1978 and subsequent demolition. Several years later, the Westgate Cinemas indoor quintuplex theater opened, for many years serving as Racine's premier movie house. A state-of-the-art complex it was; in addition to being Racine's first cinema to feature stadium seating and digital sound, Westgate welcomed the visitor immediately with its bright atrium, roomy lobby, and clean concessions stand, enhancing many a moviegoer's cinema experience for well over a decade. Nonetheless, with the advent of the Renaissance Cinema in Sturtevant, Westgate closed in September of 2006, which is how it has remained ever since. Almost immediately it was placed for sale, and almost immediately you have advertised its availability. However, for six years it has sat empty and boarded up, with no buyers for the property thus far and likely none (only you would know) in the forseeable future. The reason for the lack of buyers can be traced back to one simple thing, that being the Marcus Theatres placing a deed restriction against theater use.

Nobody is trying to displace or compete with the Renaissance as the first-run cinema in Racine. All we want is for Westgate's rich heritage in Racine cinema history and the memories of its people to be preserved-perhaps in the form of a budget or even an art-house cinema. In addition, Marcus' deed restriction and the lack of buyers thereof have caused this gem which is the first sight many see as they go from Mount Pleasant to Racine to turn into an eyesore and need improvements, with it being a target for vandals and its pillars collapsing.

Therefore, we, the undersigned urge Marcus Theatres and MLG Commercial to lift the deed restriction against theatre use on the Westgate Cinema site, finding a much-needed buyer to revive this historic city landmark and recognize its heritage in the entertainment of the people of Racine!