Renovations Have Begun on Historic Theater in Lawrenceburg

Dan McCabe’s Thigmotrope LLC and the City of Lawrenceburg Redevelopment Commission are renovating The Liberty Theater in downtown Lawrenceburg, Indiana. The renovated space will be called “Whiskey City’s Liberty Theater,” memorializing the historic site and the prominence of whiskey in the area.

The renovation is dually funded by McCabe’s company and the commission, accumulating to a total of $4.75 million for the project. The theater, located at 229 Walnut St. in the historic downtown setting, is set to open next year.

The theater, which was built in 1893, is a historic landmark for the city of Lawrenceburg, originally operating as a German music theater called Liedertafel Hall. The theater was later converted to show movies and was renamed The Liberty Theater during World War II. For the last 50 years, however, the building has remained empty.

Cincinnati architect firm Drawing Dept was selected to assist in the design process. “Revitalizing the Liberty Theater as a historic lantern and cultural epicenter for downtown Lawrenceburg is an exciting prospect for all of us and something that we are very proud to have been able to cultivate with Dan and team,” Ron Novak, founder and architect of Drawing Dept, said in a press release. “There’s an approachability to everything that we have done here.”

The design of the theater embraces its history while also adding two storefront businesses: Stage Left Whiskey Bar and the Stage Right Kitchen, combining the historical style with focuses on the city’s music and whiskey scenes.

“This is a versatile room that can flip daily from live performance to wedding receptions to culinary events to exhibitions, film, comedy and more,” Dan McCabe said in a press release. “This is a lasting endeavor putting to work a dormant historic asset attracting new people and businesses to historic downtown Lawrenceburg for generations to come.”

Whiskey City’s Liberty Theater, celebrating 130 years since its inception, is set to return in summer 2024.

“We’re enthusiastic about the opportunity to bring visitors to our community to see the historic Liberty Theater fully activated in downtown Lawrenceburg,” Lawrenceburg Redevelopment Director Bryan Messmore said in a press release. “It’s a privilege to be a part of the legacy redevelopment project centered around the Liberty Theater.”