MERRILLVILLE, IN—The Radisson at Star Plaza and the adjacent Star Plaza Theatre complex will be permanently closing its doors here to make way for a new complex at the intersection of I-65 and US 30, according to White Lodging Services. The hotel will close in January 2017 and the theater will close April 30, 2017.
The complex, managed by White Lodging Services since the company’s inception in 1985, has been an integral part of the community since 1969 when it opened as a Holiday Inn. The move is being made to provide for the development of a state-of-the-art hospitality, meeting and training facility along with a full-service, nationally branded upscale hotel scheduled to open late summer 2018, according to the company.
“The decision to close the Radisson and Star Plaza Theatre was carefully analyzed and not taken lightly. As part of this community, and even more as a part of the White family, I know what the property has meant to all of us,” said Bruce White, chairman and CEO of White Lodging. “However, when we looked at the enormously positive impact the new facility can have on the area, we realized this would be the logical, next chapter of my father’s dream. And, this new chapter and fresh look will help put Northwest Indiana on the right track to attract new visitors and groups as well as new jobs and opportunities for the community.”
“The South Shore CVA has helped host hundreds of thousands of visitors at the hotel, conference space and theatre,” said Speros Batistatos, South Shore CVA’s president and CEO. “Personally, I am deeply saddened, as I started my career at the (Holiday) Star Theatre more than three decades ago. The proposed changes will create new opportunities for the region and our organization is excited to see the growth of our destination. With the changes, the CVA is poised to stay competitive in the sports, convention, business and leisure travel market.”
Originally known as the Holiday Star, the Radisson at Star Plaza was the brainchild of Dean White, the father of White Lodging’s founder Bruce White. The hotel and its restaurants, as well as the adjacent theater, turned the I-65 and US 30 interchange here into a retail and hospitality mecca, according to the company. The 3,400-seat theater was opened in 1979 and proved to be a key stop for A-list performers and shows.
When the company began exploring the process of redeveloping the hotel site, it discovered the existing structural challenges of the hotel also impacted the theater, according to the company.
“I sat down with ownership,” said Charles Blum, president & CEO of Star Productions, the entertainment division of White Lodging, “and we all concluded that to rebuild the theater and rightfully increase the seating capacity would not only be cost prohibitive, but ultimately would not fit on the revised property site. Although the theater represented a small part of Star Productions, it is a huge part of our community and of my life and my dedicated team.”
“None of us would be here, and White Lodging would not be the company it is today if it was not for our first venture into the hospitality arena with the Radisson Hotel Star Plaza. It is truly the birthplace of our company,” said Dave Sibley, president and CEO of the hospitality management division of White Lodging.