i’d be interested to hear what people thnk after going to a show there.
from where i am, it seems to be another example of preserving a building by keeping perspective on what is realistic in today’s society. while we would all love to see our movie houses from the past preserved as the movie houses they have been in yesteryear, i’d say this is an example of good creative reuse.
i was at a screening of this in evanston last night. the theatre was packed. i also heard that all the other screenings in the city of chicago sold out.
TAL is brilliant every episode, and last night’s screening in theatres across the country was no exception.
again, the font on the front of the marquee greatly resembled that of the riviera here in uptown chicago. i always recognize this because of the modern “sharply cut” lettering. must have been a b&k thing. i would bet the riv and the crocker’s marquees were replaced during the same era.
probably until we know WHO and WHAT they are planning exactly to do with the uptown, these questions will remain unanswered. my guess is if jam gets it, they will not be constantly overlapping with shows at the riv. if live nation gets it, it would probably be more “head-to-head” competition. still, as i said earlier, who knows?
bwchicago, as always, you make some great points. i understand that 500 spaces isn’t much. i didn’t mean to imply that that would solve the parking issue.
as far as parking, anything helps…i did say parking wouldn’t be “as big” of a problem. 500 spaces is a great start, since i think the el would be a serious mode of transportation for an uptown crowd.
and, for what it’s worth, obviously neither live nation nor jam seem too concerned about that. surely if they are going to invest the kind of money it will take to reopen the place, they have already thought about the parking issue.
*one more thing: i don’t want to come across as painting jam to be bad. i hope if anyone does anything with the uptown, it will be local. jam has done a great job with a lot of other venues in the city…i just hope they can do the same with the uptown!
let’s hope jam isn’t trying to be greedy, and, in the meantime, draw away any other interest to the theater.
i will keep optimistic as ever…it’s the only way to be. today, when my fiance and i came to the broadway/lawrence intersection, we were so entranced by its beauty (again!)that we missed our opportunity to walk! even in her current state, she sure is lovely! a week ago, we saw a theatre caretaker out front. the ugly boards that cover the entry doors were open, and we got a look inside. while it was dark (so nothing inside could be seen from where we stood) the facade hiding just underneath is lovely, just waiting for the outside world to marvel in her beauty again someday!
The arrival of Chicago newcomers MSG Entertainment and C3 led the longtime Chicago-based promoter Jam to move to hold the mortgage to the troubled Uptown Theatre, 4814 N. Broadway, if only as a defensive position. But if the City of Chicago were to acquire the Uptown under eminent domain â€" as many of the theater’s boosters desire â€" that could open the way for a different entity to take over the venue, possibly the concert promoter Live Nation, which could use its own mid-size indoor venue. According to sources familiar with the current rearrangement of the Chicago live-entertainment business, a restored and reopened Uptown is looking more likely now than in recent history.
According to a recent report in Billboard, midsize venues such as the Chicago, Congress and Uptown have been showing particular strength of late. Billboard said that Radio City Music Hall rung up $87.6 million in concert grosses during 2007.
New venues in choice spots such as downtown Chicago are very difficult to find and massively expensive to build from the ground up.
the theatre was purchased in summer of ‘07 by two darling guys who are quite witty. they blog daily about their restoration effort…they plan on restoring the theatre to accommodate live shows and a permanent theatre company. very cool.
i went to college in huntington and frequented the theatre quite a lot in the late 90’s. i went to first-run movies there (i was there opening night of their last new movie…star wars episode one…there was not an empty seat in the house! they even installed temporary modern speakers to accommodate the sound!) and then went even more when they turned to classic movies. a town as small as huntington, with a new cineplex outside of town, couldn’t keep it going. i was really sad to see it go, but i am really excited to see it being lovingly restored. guys, from one theatre lover to another, great work! i plan on getting back to see your progress soon!
this from the latest on the theatre’s fate from the uptown chicago commission, as reported on uptownupdate.com (a great community information website!)last week:
Alderman Smith reports that two parties remain interested in purchasing and renovating the Uptown Theatre for use as a concert venue. A related court case is proceeding – as many parties (including the City) have liens on the property related to prior repairs. She remains optimistic that good things are to come.
the lettering and color combo on the berwyn marquee in later shots looks just like remaining lettering on the uptown theatre in chicago. perhaps the balaban and katz connection?
also, here’s a recent interview from chicagoist, a chicago-related blog, with bob balaban, son of one of the balaban and katz founders. B & K, of course, were the original owners/operators of the uptown and many other chicago theatres, including the recently-closed esquire and uptown’s nearby neighbor, the riviera.
thanks for the link, but i am personally confused as to what their involvement is with this theatre.
i meant think. sorry.
i’d be interested to hear what people thnk after going to a show there.
from where i am, it seems to be another example of preserving a building by keeping perspective on what is realistic in today’s society. while we would all love to see our movie houses from the past preserved as the movie houses they have been in yesteryear, i’d say this is an example of good creative reuse.
congrats to all involved.
i was at a screening of this in evanston last night. the theatre was packed. i also heard that all the other screenings in the city of chicago sold out.
TAL is brilliant every episode, and last night’s screening in theatres across the country was no exception.
just found this, on a related note:
View link
just found this photo here:
View link
again, the font on the front of the marquee greatly resembled that of the riviera here in uptown chicago. i always recognize this because of the modern “sharply cut” lettering. must have been a b&k thing. i would bet the riv and the crocker’s marquees were replaced during the same era.
congrats for all those involved in the remodeling and reopening!
it’s nice to know that there are still investors who see value in keeping some of these great old movie houses going.
probably until we know WHO and WHAT they are planning exactly to do with the uptown, these questions will remain unanswered. my guess is if jam gets it, they will not be constantly overlapping with shows at the riv. if live nation gets it, it would probably be more “head-to-head” competition. still, as i said earlier, who knows?
bwchicago, as always, you make some great points. i understand that 500 spaces isn’t much. i didn’t mean to imply that that would solve the parking issue.
as far as parking, anything helps…i did say parking wouldn’t be “as big” of a problem. 500 spaces is a great start, since i think the el would be a serious mode of transportation for an uptown crowd.
and, for what it’s worth, obviously neither live nation nor jam seem too concerned about that. surely if they are going to invest the kind of money it will take to reopen the place, they have already thought about the parking issue.
but, who knows?
G. Feret, if what is in the plans really happens, parking won’t be as big of a problem…
View link
this building has just been listed as one of the ten most endangered buildings in illinois.
a description with some pictures can be found here:
http://www.landmarks.org/ten_most_2008_5.htm
that photo is recent?!
the theatre doesn’t look open…but i could be wrong.
what an absolutely beautiful theatre, both inside and out! the marquee and rest of the exterior are especially amazing.
cool. thanks for posting those little tidbits.
jayne, we’d love to “hear” any stories that you have from your uncle if you have a chance to type them up.
this is awesome for the city and all people who love beautiful movie palaces.
it also gives me hope for the uptown. if the city forgave the debts for that structure, perhaps it can do the same on our north side gem.
*one more thing: i don’t want to come across as painting jam to be bad. i hope if anyone does anything with the uptown, it will be local. jam has done a great job with a lot of other venues in the city…i just hope they can do the same with the uptown!
carry on…
let’s hope jam isn’t trying to be greedy, and, in the meantime, draw away any other interest to the theater.
i will keep optimistic as ever…it’s the only way to be. today, when my fiance and i came to the broadway/lawrence intersection, we were so entranced by its beauty (again!)that we missed our opportunity to walk! even in her current state, she sure is lovely! a week ago, we saw a theatre caretaker out front. the ugly boards that cover the entry doors were open, and we got a look inside. while it was dark (so nothing inside could be seen from where we stood) the facade hiding just underneath is lovely, just waiting for the outside world to marvel in her beauty again someday!
this showed up today online concerning the uptown’s fate:
View link
here’s an excerpt:
The arrival of Chicago newcomers MSG Entertainment and C3 led the longtime Chicago-based promoter Jam to move to hold the mortgage to the troubled Uptown Theatre, 4814 N. Broadway, if only as a defensive position. But if the City of Chicago were to acquire the Uptown under eminent domain â€" as many of the theater’s boosters desire â€" that could open the way for a different entity to take over the venue, possibly the concert promoter Live Nation, which could use its own mid-size indoor venue. According to sources familiar with the current rearrangement of the Chicago live-entertainment business, a restored and reopened Uptown is looking more likely now than in recent history.
According to a recent report in Billboard, midsize venues such as the Chicago, Congress and Uptown have been showing particular strength of late. Billboard said that Radio City Music Hall rung up $87.6 million in concert grosses during 2007.
New venues in choice spots such as downtown Chicago are very difficult to find and massively expensive to build from the ground up.
http://www.countdowntocurtainup.com/
the theatre was purchased in summer of ‘07 by two darling guys who are quite witty. they blog daily about their restoration effort…they plan on restoring the theatre to accommodate live shows and a permanent theatre company. very cool.
i went to college in huntington and frequented the theatre quite a lot in the late 90’s. i went to first-run movies there (i was there opening night of their last new movie…star wars episode one…there was not an empty seat in the house! they even installed temporary modern speakers to accommodate the sound!) and then went even more when they turned to classic movies. a town as small as huntington, with a new cineplex outside of town, couldn’t keep it going. i was really sad to see it go, but i am really excited to see it being lovingly restored. guys, from one theatre lover to another, great work! i plan on getting back to see your progress soon!
this from the latest on the theatre’s fate from the uptown chicago commission, as reported on uptownupdate.com (a great community information website!)last week:
Alderman Smith reports that two parties remain interested in purchasing and renovating the Uptown Theatre for use as a concert venue. A related court case is proceeding – as many parties (including the City) have liens on the property related to prior repairs. She remains optimistic that good things are to come.
what a beautiful marquee. let’s hope that the ‘ol girl will eventually see a reawakening.
the lettering and color combo on the berwyn marquee in later shots looks just like remaining lettering on the uptown theatre in chicago. perhaps the balaban and katz connection?
also, here’s a recent interview from chicagoist, a chicago-related blog, with bob balaban, son of one of the balaban and katz founders. B & K, of course, were the original owners/operators of the uptown and many other chicago theatres, including the recently-closed esquire and uptown’s nearby neighbor, the riviera.
View link
speaking of my favorite theatre, here’s some pictures that i just came across. sorry if they have been mentioned earlier in previous posts:
View link