The idea of establishing a theater in Three Lakes started in October of 1947.  Money was raised by the sale of stock (a la the Green Bay Packers) sold to the community.  Architect, Builder, and Baseball sports hero, Cy Williams designed the theater, which opened in an “elephant” Quonset hut that came to Three Lakes after WWII. The theater building is one of only six Quonset hut theaters still operating. It is also the only Quonset theater to have been restored after going dark for 20 years.   
 
The theater opened on 6/12/1949. The first movie shown was Red River with John Wayne and Montgomery Clift. The theater featured movies until the mid-1950s but closed due to competition from the “new” technology, television. In 1958, Steven Conway, a theater owner in Crandon, restarted the Three Lakes Theater. The Conway family operated the theater during summers until 1972.
 
In 1974, the property was purchased by the LaPlatte’s, who updated the façade and added a 2nd floor with 4 apartments. Plans to develop the ground floor never moved forward. In 1992, the building was sold again, and the downstairs was remodeled into a retail space called the Hodge Podge Lodge, which operated until 2005.
 
In 2007, an anonymous donor gifted TLCFA with money to purchase the old theater.  During the reconstruction, it was found that the original décor of the theater was still intact. This allowed the remodel to preserve original Art Deco elements such as the proscenium arch over the stage, the original color scheme, and other design elements. The old Quonset hut came alive again on July 1, 2008 with a performance by the Restoration Jazz Band. With its focus on Film, Art, and Music, a new era opened in the original building. In 2015, the gallery space was updated to comply with ADA and state codes. More bathroom space and gallery display space were added to enhance the guest experience at the TLCFA. 
 
The TLCFA remains a hub for arts and entertainment in our town, just as it was in 1946 when the theater building was built. Supporting community groups, hosting community events, and providing a haven for the arts are all ways that TLCFA makes a lasting positive impact in the community. With its rich historic past, the TLCFA expertly balances the demands of a current entertainment venue with the warm memories from the 1940s of a different era, celebrating the gifts from the arts along the way.