LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — If you're a longtime local, you may remember the Huntridge Theater Downtown.
It was the place to be for everything from live music to dressing up for "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," and now we're learning the decades-long battle to restore it is stalled once again.
The latest roadblock in restoring the historic Huntridge Theater on East Charleston and Maryland Parkway is a 54-foot cell tower that the owners claim is causing the significant renovation delays.
“If that cell tower is the thing that’s holding this up, they got to get rid of it," said Joshua Walter, born and raised in Las Vegas and owns Mothership Coffee Roasters.
Walter remembers going to the theater in high school in the early 2000s.
I asked him what it would mean to have the Huntridge Theater back.
"Oh everything. I remembered roughly when it closed, and I think the last show that I recall was Beastie Boys," Walter said. “Being in high school at the time, that was pretty incredible."
It's an incredible building that many local Las Vegans would like to see return to its former glory.
Channel 13 has learned the building's owner Dapper Companies, also known as Brass Monkey LLC, filed a lawsuit seeking an emergency temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against telecommunication companies Crown Castle and AT&T to bring down the tower.
The lawsuit claims the defendants breached a 1996 lease agreement on the construction of the cell tower, which they also say did not conform to federal regulations near historic buildings.
Built in 1944 long before cell towers, the theater endured a series of ownership changes and a bankruptcy over its 80 year history.
In 1993, the Huntridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Since 2004, it's been shut down, and plans for restoration fell flat, but in 2021, J. Dapper purchased the property aiming to restore it.
Work was supposed to start this year, but not much has changed, and with the lawsuit, we wanted to learn more about the delays.
According to Brass Monkey LLC, they claim the telecommunication companies have refused to relocate the cell tower.
“This legal action is necessary to prevent further harm to the property, in addition to putting us back on track with the renovation," J. Dapper said in a statement to Channel 13.
We reached out to Crown Castle and AT&T for comment.
"We are reviewing today's filing and plan to continue to find a solution with the owner," Crown Castle said.
While construction remains on hold, owner J. Dapper said he remains committed to the preservation of the project.
For locals like Walter, reopening the theater would mean a chance to relive his youth.
“I’ve always been excited to hear that it’s been reactivated. I mean, that’s something we’ve all been anticipating for a long time," Walter said.
Channel 13 will continue to follow any new developments with this lawsuit. In the meantime, people living in this community tell Channel 13 they hope one day they can step foot back in the theater and take in this piece of Las Vegas history once again.
