Plans to transform the Fox-Bay Theater building in Whitefish bay into a multi-use gathering space have been submitted to the village for review. Under those plans the former theater at 334 E. Silver Spring Drive, which closed in 2020, would house a new event space called Argo, which would have a bar and restaurant and space for live music and small to medium-sized events, according to village documents.
The 18,000-square-foot building would maintain its exterior façade but would undergo a $7.5 million interior transformation with updates including the addition of windows on the second floor, a complete kitchen remodel, the addition of a mezzanine level and an outdoor patio, and a complete remodel of the main venue space to accommodate multiple uses including live entertainment, event hosting, and the occasional movie, according to village documents.
The event space would have capacity for roughly 200 people, the entertainment space will have capacity for 500 people, and the bar and restaurant will have seating for 75 people with an additional 16 on the outdoor patio.
The building is owned by Milwaukee-based real estate development company New Land Enterprises. New Land would lease the building to Argo, which is lead by Adam Powers, senior brand manager at Pabst Brewing Company; Andrew Coate, product marketing and operations lead at Meta; and Josh Bryant, principal solutions consultant at Demandbase. Milwaukee-based engineering, planning and design firm GRAEF is working with New Land and Argo to conduct a parking study to mitigate parking concerns for events.
New Land and Argo are asking for $1 million in tax incremental district (TIF) funding from the village to support the development.
Argo will hire roughly 30 people to manage the venue, including event employees, security and bar and restaurant employees.
If approved, construction is expected to start in early March and will finish in mid-August. The space is expected to open in December of 2025.
