Uptown letter from new owner

posted by Michael Zoldessy on August 5, 2008 at 3:55 pm

CHICAGO, IL — With the deal on the Uptown all but done, one of the new owners, Jerry Mickelson of UTA II and JAM Productions speaks out to the Uptown family.

It’s only been one day (now going on two) since the foreclosure sale occurred. You should know there was only one bidder who showed up on July 29 to purchase the Uptown Theatre and that was UTA II, a company whose members include but are not limited to Arny Granat and myself. While initially being surprised that we were the lone bidders, we fully understand why others did not show up. The fact of the matter is that the Uptown Theatre is a daunting project that faces many challenges for it to re-open. Not only will this be a very expensive project, it will take an incredible amount of time and effort to put the pieces of this intricate puzzle together in order to ensure the Uptown Theatre’s future.

We don’t have all the answers today about how all of this will come together but we do know a couple of things; (1) the Uptown Theatre now has owners who truly care about saving and preserving this architectural gem; and (2) we will reach out to all of you at the proper time to have you hopefully join with us in our effort. The Uptown Theatre would not still be here today if it wasn’t for you and Alderman Smith and probably won’t be here in the future without you and the Alderman.

Read the full letter at Uptown Chicago History.

Theaters in this post

• Uptown Theatre