Uptown Theatre
4816 N. Broadway,
Chicago,
IL
60640
4816 N. Broadway,
Chicago,
IL
60640
88 people
favorited this theater
Showing 401 - 425 of 511 comments
I will reply as to a reason that this beautiful palace has “sat for some 24 years unused.” It is difficult enough these days to successfully program a 200-seat theatre, much less one with some 4000 seats! It was bought at one point by a “land banker” to use a polite euphemism for a slum lord, who stoped paying the utilities and just let winter/summer heat and thaw take its toll on the building, such that there are now many hundreds of thousands of dollars needed for just interior repairs alone, and therefore the space is a long way from being safe or desireable to open to the public, sad to say.
Dear Uptown Theatre fans.
Im new to this group. although Ive had
my eyes on this wonderful palace for quite
sometime now. Just wondering a few things?
1. Are there any real proposals for its renovation?
2. Does anyone know what the cost of such a project would run?
3. Why has this historic landmark sat for some 24 years unused?
4. Are there any non for profit groups taking donations for its rehab?
As stated above, the collection is not currently available for public access, as it is being stabilized and archived.
May I suggest you drop us a friendly note for more information:
David Balaban President
Balaban and Katz Historical Foundation
PO BOX 1962
Bloomfield NJ 07003
thanks for your continued interest
David Balaban
Balaban and Katz Historical Foundation
How can we learn more about the Balaban and Katz Foundation? Which state is the foundation registered in, how may we access its archives for the purpose of research for nonprofit Chicago-area tours, and how should we contact its leadership?
Dear Uptown adviser and the Cinema Treasures community
our email system is working fine. The list of performances at the Chicago Balaban and Katz theaters is in almost perfect shape.
We have received 30 inquires to our email address today alone.
Perhaps the problem is at your computer. We are a little old fashioned If you continue to have trouble with your email , may I suggest you drop us a friendly note to
Balaban and Katz Historical Foundation
PO BOX 1962
Bloomfield NJ 07003
stay tuned
David Balaban
David:
Thank you for your kind reply.
Is my understanding correct that the 1930s performance list you mentioned above is no longer available and there is not more information that we should contact you about?
How can we learn more about the Balaban and Katz Foundation? Which state is the foundation registered in, how may we access its archives for the purpose of research for nonprofit Chicago-area tours, and how should we contact its leadership?
The book, the TV documentary and the foundation all sound very exciting. Generations of entertainment-seeking Chicagoans are now unfamiliar with the Balaban & Katz name, although they may be enjoying some of the surviving venues under successor owners and operators!
Again, your familial interest and active support in any aspect of the Friends of the Uptown promotional and advocacy work would be appreciated. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you toward some common goals soon.
(Note: You may want to check your email account. All emails to have been bounced back.)
Uptown Adviser via http://www.uptowntheatre.com
email: (preferred)
voicemail: (773) 250-7665
the material mentioned is part of a huge donation of long lost documents that the Balaban and Katz foundation received earlier this year. It is in the process of being organized and will be released in part as part of the Balaban and Katz television Documentary that is under way.
I will keep you posted.
David Balaban
Balaban and katz Historical Foundation
Hi David Balaban!
Volunteers in Uptown, Chicago read your most recent posting on Cinema Treasures with great interest.
How wonderful it is that you found a list of 1930s performances at the “Balaban & Katz” Uptown Theatre, Chicago! That is the era in which people claim Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington performed here. Maybe your findings will help fill in the gaps!
Is the list something we could share on tours of the neighborhood and with Theatre Historical Society of America archives? We could also add it to the “history” section of the Friends Web site, if you like.
Your familial interest and active support in any aspect of our promotional and advocacy work would be appreciated. There are many opportunities here if you would like to follow up.
Uptown Adviser via http://www.uptowntheatre.com
email: (preferred)
voicemail: (773) 250-7665
That’s terrific! Is there any way you can fax them over, David? We’ll add them to the Uptown Theatre history pages of the Compass Rose site when we do our next update. There is a lot of speculation about who performed during that era; it would be great to see something concrete. Our fax is (773) 913-8047.
http://www.compassrose.org
Direct link to the theatre pages:
View link
Hello
I found a list of many of the live performances that occurred at the theater in the 1930’s email me for more information.
Thanks for the links on the Uptown’s organ, Brian. I hope the Friends are able to eventually reinstall an organ in the theater, seeing it wouldn’t be complete without one.
View link Here’s a CATOE article on the organ.
More at http://www.catoe.org/Uptown.html
Brian:
I know the light fixtures were removed some years ago to protect them from theft. Have they been maintained as a collection for future reinstallation? If they have been sold off, I imagine it will add millions to any restoration scenarios.
There was an organ discussion not long ago. I know that organ components were stored in the office building next door in the 90’s, with an eye toward eventual installation…although I think it was a church organ destined for the grand lobby.
I’ll try to take a picture this week. In addition to the pediment removal, some of the terra cotta on the corners seems to have been covered in a cement or stucco to keep it from falling. Other sections are being bagged where damaged terra cotta is removed. It’s a very, very sad sight to see, although it’s perhaps better for the long term. I’m just concerned that it might be following the Sutton and other such new york theatres that have lost landmark status due to facade alterations. The recent uptown advisor emails have included the following footnote.
The ABCs of ‘What is going on with the UPTOWN’
Reportedly, the current status of the UPTOWN THEATRE is, in brief:
A. The work, fences, scaffolding and barricades that you see today are part of the continuing exterior stabilization effort. In order to begin remedying the building’s deferred maintenance, many bricks and pieces of ornamental terra cotta must be removed and stored for safekeeping. Where parts of the building’s facade are removed, the area is strapped and bagged to hold it in place — and covered to weatherproof it.
B. The work is being done by an engineering firm and a masonry contractor. The project is being overseen by local officials, a circuit court judge and the court-appointed receiver.
C. The privately owned UPTOWN THEATRE building remains closed, vacant, secure and in serious need of significant private investment for it to be renovated as an entertainment venue. No definitive plan or project for the building has been announced. The search for a viable entertainment prospect continues. Several state and local incentives are availableâ€"including city tax-increment financingâ€"for a feasible plan that meets civic criteria and expectations for the multi-venued Uptown Square National Register Historic District. Serious inquiries (only) should be directed to local officials, including the alderman, the city planning department, and UPCORP.
The current ‘stabilization’ efforts leave me very concerned about the future of the Uptown. In the name of removing terra cotta to preserve it and keep the building structurally stable, the entire pediment has now been removed. It really looks horribly disfigured, and although the city is involved, It could perhaps be grounds for losing its landmark status in the future. On the upside, the grafitti which has otherwise marred the building’s appearance for months has been removed, and shouldn’t return again since the stablization efforts will allow the scaffolds around the building to be removed, which had allowed the taggers access.
Scott movies are not the future for the Uptown as a primary source of income. It would be a great showcase for concerts of various types with its huge seating capacity. Remember the Oriental and the Palace were not used as theatres for almost 20 years before they were restored. The Chicago had its problems due to the size of its stage for broadway productions. The Chicago has been doing much better since the City sold it to a private group. I think the success of the Loop as an entertainment district will spill over into the Uptown district in the next decade. If the Loew’s Paradise in the Bronx and Loew’s Jersey can be brought back there is no reason the Uptown can’t be brought back. The City of Chicago needs to take the lead in getting this theatre restored. The Uptown stands as the largest unrestored theatre in the Country. The Uptown has struggled to be with us this long it would be a crime for this theatre to be gutted it would be a black eye for the City of Chicago.brucec
Does anyone seriously believe at this point that the Uptown will ever be restored or renovated? I don’t see it happening. I’ll wager that 5 years from now it will still be shuttered and waiting for someone to save it. Or, if the miraculous does occur and it gets renovated, it will fail. How can a 4300 seat movie palace survive in a neighborhood 10 miles from the Loop? Consider how the Chicago Theatre has struggled at times since it reopened in 1986.
The only way I see it surviving is through a radical renovation. The lobby and most of the foyers can be saved and restored. Then, gut the auditorium and make 6 or 8 smaller auditoriums (or is it auditoria?) The only significant problem remaining would be parking, which I assume could be built to the west. Even then, this would be an incredibly risky and expensive venture. No developer wants to touch a mammoth project like the Uptown, with its doubtful business prospects, and be forced to adhere to strick preservation guidelines. I just don’t see it making money with a single auditorium. Not in Uptown.
The vast UPTOWN is equated to the vast KINGS in Brooklyn in this rare showing, sent to those who signed the CompassRose petition on the UPTOWN:
“The following news blurbs come from the Uptown Adviser, the Friends of the Uptown newsletter (visit their Web site at www.uptowntheatre.com)::)
For your cinematic pleasureâ€"One Night Only!
Memoirs of a Movie Palace and Uptown Community Portrait 2005
to be screened at Friends/Truman College event
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, 2005, Truman College
“Memoirs of a Movie Palace” will be screened at Truman College, 1134 W. Wilson Ave., in Uptown. The venue is Novar Hall, where seating is limited. This is a very special screening of a very difficult to find movie. “Uptown Community Portrait 2005,” a short cinema verite documentary, will precede the feature film.
“Memoirs,” a 1979 independent film, tells the story of a theatre very similar to the Uptown: The LOEW’S KINGS THEATRE, in Brooklyn, N.Y., which also remains closed without a plan for reuse. The film was shot on location as the KINGS was being closed in the late 1970s. If someone had the foresight to shoot a movie in the UPTOWN (minus the Brooklyn accents!), we would have a very similar document, with the same kinds of memories recalled and sentiments expressed.
Your attendance as a “Friend” of the Uptown is important to our efforts and goals. As major stabilization work is ongoing at the theatre building, it is a good time for us to network and get to know each other!
Donations will be accepted in lieu of a fixed admission ticket price. Truman officials said that we may park in any of the adjacent Truman parking lots (driveway located on Broadway through the McJunkin Building). Entrance to the Truman building itself will be through the easternmost doors located on the Wilson Avenue side (north elevation). Staff will direct you from there.
*** "
A 1927 photo depicting the Uptown Theatre organ console can be found here:
View link
Ken’s post offers more info about the organ than the Uptown Theatre site does. All they state is that in 1928 a Wurlitzer “Grande” (?) organ was installed. It was removed in 1962. No details are offered as to the disposal of the instrument; whether it went into private hands, another theatre, or if it was broken up for parts.
Thanks for the info, Ken.
The Uptown was equipped with a Wurlitzer 4Manuals/28Ranks ‘Special’ organ. The console, which was decorated and coloured red and gold, was positioned in the right hand corner(when facing the stage) of the orchestra pit. It has been removed from the theatre. That is all I know, so further details would be appreciated if someone knows more….
Does anyone know if this theater had an organ in it, and whether or not it still exists? Are there any plans to reinstall one?
Here is a recent view (September 2005) showing the facade scaffolded with some remedial work in progress (we hope!)
View link
You still at it? Life and Prowler? You do not know what you are talking about. Surely you must have more important things to do than “Discuss Warshauer”. You pull and distort your “assumptions” and the truth for your own agenda. Move on… I am so glad people are watching me. Did you see the Murder Mysteries I did in Wheaton and Naperville (sold out closing night)? Did you see my work at local libraries with kids and parents? Did you see my work at an inner city school when I directed Oklahoma to sold out crowds? Did you see my pirate camp? My work with Cub Scouts? I do not have to tell you or justify all the good things I do but I do cop to those where I can make a difference. This is the UPTOWN Theatre site. Let’s discuss the THEATRE! Let the next comments be forward looking. Yes I stand by by assertion that it is nearly impossible to tear the Uptown down; protected on Federal state and local level. on everybody;s radar! Let’s discuss that set of facts…