Across the street was the Rex Theatre at 51 South Main Street which I’ve submitted several times to New Theatres here but have been unable to get it listed. For years it’s been a Sherwin-Williams paint store. I’ll post an original photo once the listing is accepted.
As Congress Theater Crumbles, Developer Wants $27 Million From City To Revive Logan Square Gem
(Credit: Block Club Chicago - By Mina Bloom, February 8, 2023)
The price tag on the long-stalled project keeps going up, and the delays are getting longer — but developers say they’re still committed to overhauling and reopening the beloved venue.
LOGAN SQUARE — Closed for a decade, the Congress Theater is a shell of the gleaming movie palace and music venue it once was. Water is seeping into the 1920s venue, badly damaging the original structure and its ornate details. The plaster walls are crumbling, and parts of the ceiling have collapsed, scattering debris.
The theater’s worsening condition, combined with sky-high construction prices and other mounting costs, is complicating a local developer’s ambitious — and much-anticipated — plans to revive the Logan Square gem.
Baum Revision, a developer with a reputation for restoring historical buildings, was winding its way through the city approval process last year, but the Congress rehab project stalled as costs increased and negotiations around labor and other issues persisted, said David Baum, one of the managing principals.
“It’s been a bit of a game of whack-a-mole. Every time we think we’ve figured it out, pricing goes up,” Baum said. “Construction pricing has not been going in the right direction, interest rates continue to go up, getting loans is more difficult and general costs — energy or anything else — has been going up. … Pricing continues to go up while the condition of the building is not getting better.”
The project itself hasn’t changed: Baum still plans to fully restore the 2,900-seat music venue at 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave. and surrounding retail shops and apartments.
But the renovation is now estimated to cost $88 million, up from $70.4 million last year, Baum said. The development company is seeking $27 million in tax-increment finance dollars to cover a gap in funding. That’s $7 million more than developers asked for last year and $17 million more than the previous developer secured for a similar project. Baum’s team is working closely with city officials to nail down a redevelopment agreement and secure financing as theater operator AEG Presents and local labor union UNITE HERE Local 1 battle over a “good jobs commitment.”
If everything goes according to plan, the redevelopment project could be introduced in City Council next month, setting the stage for subsequent approval, said Baum and other players, including Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st), whose ward includes the Congress. “Trying to get this thing to work is a Rubik’s Cube,” Baum said. “We feel like we’re there, we hope that the powers that be will want to get this thing passed.”
The project is delicate, partly because there’s a lot at stake. A restored Congress will transform the abandoned Milwaukee Avenue stretch and give the broader neighborhood an economic and cultural jolt, neighbors and local leaders said.
Even though Baum is inching toward construction, some are worried the project is doomed after a series of setbacks. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned like everyone else is,” Baum said.
Baum’s project includes a rehabbed theater, roughly 5,400 square feet of retail and restaurant space along Milwaukee Avenue and Rockwell Street, 16 apartments and affordable offices and work space on the second and third floors. Fourteen of the apartments will be reserved as affordable housing.
The city’s Community Development Commission approved allocating $20 million in tax-increment financing toward the project last year, but the proposal never advanced to City Council.
After some adjustments, it seemed the revised proposal was finally headed for City Council in January with the support of Mayor Lori Lightfoot. But city officials pulled the proposal off the agenda at the last minute, La Spata said.
It also was yanked from the agenda of February’s council meeting, La Spata said.
One key issue holding up the project is the labor agreement between AEG, the theater operator, and UNITE HERE Local 1, La Spata said. Hospitality workers with the labor union are pushing AEG and the city to put a “good jobs commitment” in writing.
“UNITE HERE Local 1 opposes the use of TIF or any public subsidy for the Congress Theater redevelopment because there is no commitment from AEG that all hospitality jobs created by the redevelopment will be good jobs,” union spokesperson Elliott Mallen said in an email.
AEG didn’t respond to requests for comment. Baum said his company is not involved in labor negotiations.
La Spata, who’s involved in negotiations, said the two sides are “very, very close” to striking a deal. If the agreement is finalized, the redevelopment proposal — and the $27 million tax-increment financing allocation — will be introduced into City Council, then voted on by the finance committee and all 50 alderpeople.
La Spata and Baum hope the project will finally hit City Council in March. “We’re working on something that’s going to have a generational impact in Logan Square, and if that means it takes a few more months to get it right, I think that’s worthwhile,” La Spata said.
In Chicago, using tax-increment financing to support large projects is often controversial. Tax-increment financing districts capture all growth in the property tax base in a designated area for a set period of time, usually 20 years or more, and divert it into a special fund for projects designed to spur economic development and eradicate blight. City Council’s approval of $2 billion in tax-increment financing for megadevelopments Lincoln Yards and The 78 sparked protests and lawsuits.
Proponents of Baum’s Congress proposal said the $27 million the company wants is justifiable given the project’s large scale, the poor condition of the theater and rising development costs during the pandemic.
Aside from the lobby, which is in reasonably good shape, the entire theater is a “gut job,” Baum said. It needs a new roof, new electrical and plumbing systems and extensive preservation work, he said. “We’re talking about a project that is practically a city block long, multiple buildings, a 3,000-person theater. It does not surprise me that we’re facing a really substantial rehab,” La Spata said. “I 100 percent would not be supporting this [redevelopment] process if I didn’t feel like it came with robust and generous benefits for our community and that it was going to also have a truly catalytic effect in terms of activating some of the spaces around the Congress that we want to see get going.”
La Spata has represented the 1st Ward since 2019 and is running for reelection against three challengers, including former 1st Ward Ald. Proco Joe Moreno. .
The Congress Theater was built in 1926 by Fridstein & Co. as an ornate movie palace. One of the last remaining theaters associated with famous “moving picture theater” operators Lubliner & Trinz, the venue hosted vaudeville acts and “first-run photoplays” for years, then screened movies through the ’80s. The Congress later was refashioned into a music venue, drawing famous musicians and performers such as Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. It was designated a city landmark in 2002.
The city ordered the theater closed in 2013 following a string of code violations and years of negligence from embattled former owner Eddie Carranza.
The move also came after a series of crimes that occurred in and around the theater during shows, including the rape of a 14-year-old girl.
The city banned electronic dance music — the theater’s former music genre of choice — for all current and future owners.
Developer Michael Moyer stepped in to reopen the Congress in 2015. After years of community meetings and a multi-layered city approval process, Los Angeles-based lender and promoter AEG sued Moyer in 2020, alleging the developer defaulted on $14 million in loans. The legal trouble left the theater in the control of a court-appointed receiver.
Baum took the reins of the project in 2021. The development firm is known for restoring the Green Exchange and Margies Candies buildings, among other historical buildings.
The Congress has “been a hole in the community for a long time, but it used to be the center of the community for a long time. That’s what we enjoy doing — reimagining and bringing back things from the dead,” Baum said.
The price tag on the long-stalled project keeps going up, and the delays are getting longer — but developers say they’re still committed to overhauling and reopening the beloved venue. (Block Club Chicago)
Request For Board Action
REFERRED TO BOARD: April 27, 2022 AGENDA ITEM NO: 3
ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT: Community Development
SUBJECT: Consideration of resolution to finance the purchase of the Antioch Theatre by a private
investor in the amount of $350,000.00.
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
The Staff has been working with the owner of the Antioch Theatre related to his wish to proceed
with a sale of the movie theatre. Mr. Downey has negotiated an agreement with the prospective
purchaser, Linda Monty, who wishes to purchase the theater for $400,000.00, Ms. Monty has been
before the Village Board several times and has outlined her business plan to continue to operate the
theatre as a first run movie theatre. Based on the purchaser’s inability to obtain a private bank loan
for the purchase, the applicant is requesting assistance from the Village to finance this purchase.
Staff has explored the possibility of obtaining a $350,000 bank loan, with a $50,000 down payment
from the purchaser.
The owner of the theatre has identified that prior to Covid, approximately 20,000 tickets per year
were sold. If the Village reimposed a $1.00 tax per ticket, the ticket tax would generate approximately
$20,000.00 per year. This does not include any revenue generated from a special event tax which is
being proposed at $2..00 per ticket.
Based on the proposed outline of the loan, the loan would be paid back over a 10-year period and a
ticket tax would be reimposed to assist the purchaser to pay back the loan during the 10-year loan
period.
Staff is taking this opportunity to enclose an amortization table which shows the repayment
schedule. In addition, Staff is enclosing a copy of the Profit/Loss Statement from the current owner
prior to the Covid-breakout.
1) Village Board Staff Report
2) Resolution
3) Amortization schedule
4) Profit/Loss Statement
Based on the foregoing analysis, Staff would make the following motion:
We move that the Village Board approve a resolution to direct the Village Attorney to draft a loan
agreement with the prospective purchaser, Linda Monty for the sum of $350,000.00 for the
purchase of the Antioch Theatre.
Or
We move that the Village Board deny the request of the purchaser request for Village financing to
purchase the Antioch Theatre.
Old movies direct film lover into business (KENOSHA NEWS, April 1, 1984, by Dave Engels)
Henry C. Landa leads a double life. By day he teaches industrial management and engineering at the Kenosha and Racine campuses of Gateway Technical Institute. At night and during weekends the film lover is emcee owner and manager of the Gallery of the Audio Visual and Graphic Arts and Sciences, a respectable little theater on Milwaukee’s southeast side. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a family moviehouse: Dad runs the projector, Mom sells popcorn, and the kids lend a hand. too. But the unique nature of the theater doesn’t end there. To thousands of Milwaukee area cinema patrons it’s the place to go to see the greatest movies of all time - the “classics”, if you will. Landa, 49, calls it his “avocation" - a weak description, when you consider it took him eight years to build the theater and a sizeable capital investment to get the business up and running. “It’s an opportunity for people to see movies they normally wouldn’t get a chance to see,” said Landa. “A good movie endures. It can entertain and fascinate years after its release.”
Landa’s passion first produced results in the 1950s when he ran a film society at University of Wisconsin-Madison. “True film lovers are few and far between. Few people go to movies on a regular basis. Even before TV, a significant number never went to the theater.” From his college days Landa recalls a negative critic from the student-run Daily Cardinal newspaper who said “The movies coming out today are garbage.” Says Landa, “People were saying that in the ‘50s and they are still saying it today. Back then it may have been more true because some studios were putting out 50, 60, 70 films a year. "What is a classic? I don’t know. If we could define a classic, we’d probably make a lot more money. 'To Be or Not to Be’ starring Jack Benny is probably not a classic. It’s not a classic like ‘Casablanca’ because that movie-is certainly more well-known” Landa doesn’t have a list of all-time favorites and contends he could never sit and watch the same movie over and over again. Some of his personal opinions might irritate others. “'Gone with the Wind'“ wouldn’t be on my list. It’s a great sweeping story but technically not a great film. I like movies that offer insights; movies that provide some intellectual stimulation.”
Stimulation isn’t high on the list with fans of this theater. “Horror films stand head and shoulders above the rest in popularity. The original ‘Dracula’ holds our box-office record; ‘Frankenstein’ provided us with the first turn-away crowd. We’ve also had big crowds for the original ‘King Kong’, ‘The Wolfman’ and the ‘Invisible Man’ movies.” Landa’s opinion notwithstanding, “Gone with the Wind” drew a large crowd. So do Alfred Hitchcock films. Landa likes to talk about Hitchcock. “He used to spend a year planning his films. He would plan them shot-by-shot, scene-by-scene. He was bored with them by the time filming began because he had it in his head already.”
Landa began constructing the theater in 1973. It took eight years to complete the 123-seat building in less than 2000 square feet. A couple of minutes before the projector rolls, Landa takes on the role of Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, telling his audience what the film is about and maybe a little of its history. He then takes a minute-long stroll to the rear of the theater where he turns on the sound system and operates the l6mm and 35mm projectors. “At first we were not going to bother with concessions, but later we found they are a necessity. Some people wouldn’t come to see the greatest of films if there were no concessions.”
Building the theater is a monumental task Landa wishes he could repeat with some changes. “I probably overbuilt. It’s almost too hefty, too durable; it has a double layer of fire-resistant masonry walls. I would work on it six or seven days a week during summers. During the school year, I would work on weekends and at night. A few friends helped here and there, and of course I had to hire contractors for the electrical and plumbing work.” Inside the theater is a tiny lobby. The auditorium has a flat level floor with upholstered seats mounted on steel platforms. Landa does not subscribe to the theory that back theater seats have to be at a higher level than those in front. “If you position the screen and seats the right way, everyone has a good view. You just have to use a little common sense.” Landa purchased used projectors from the empty Granada Theater on Mitchell Street on Milwaukee’s south-side. He once had an eerie experience across the street from his theater at a one-time moviehouse called the Bay Theater “A friend of mine had started a graphic arts busi-ness in the theater building and he told me the old projectors were still upstairs. When we got up there it was like a time capsule. A full reel was still in the projector. The Sunday paper was spread out on the table. There were old cigarette butts in the ashtray. It was as if the theater owner called on a Sunday night and told his crew not to open the next day. The projection room was left untouched for more than 30 years”
“Even though it’s a hobby, it has to be profitable for us to continue,” Landa said. "Right now we are breaking even out of pocket. We are losing on salaries and depreciation. But whether I have a theater or not, I’ll always go to see the great films of the past” (Kenosha News, 1 Apr. 1984, Sun, Page 11.
“YOURS TO ENJOY - A beautiful new building designed in the sumptuous architecture of the Spanish Renaissance period; a spacious foyer brilliantly lighted and decorated; an interior gay with color and breathing an air of comfort and refinement - that is the Tivoli Theatre. The realization of a long dream - a de luxe metropolitan theatre right in the heart of Chicago’s Western Suburbs.
Planned and executed with the utmost care and thought for your comfort and enjoyment, it brings to your very door the latest sensation in Cinema entertainment - Sound and Talking Pictures. Not only will the feature pictures be the same as at the largest Chicago theatres - synchronized with music played by large Symphony Orchestras, and containing actual sound effects and in many cases Spoken Dialogue by your favorite screen stars, but the surrounding program will contain the latest Vitaphone and Movietone Singing and Talking Acts. These will bring you the greatest stars of vaudeville and musical comedy. Also the Movie-events of the world both visually and in sound. Pres. Elect Hoover, King George, of England, King Alfonso of Spain, Premier Mussolino (sic), and many others will speak to you from our screen. Amazing in its scope, it puts you in direct touch with events and people the world over.
We feel therefore that the Tivoli can rightfully be called ‘The Wonder Theatre of Suburban Chicago’."
(Advertisement: Downers Grove Reporter; Friday, December 21, 1928)
Plan New Theater At Soldiers Grove
SOLDIERS GROVE, Wis. (Special) Some time early in July Soldiers Grove will have a new and modernistic theater with a seating capacity of 400. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Larson have signed the contracts for a 40 by 100 foot building to be erected on the lot recently purchased next to the village pumping station. The Larsons, owners and operators of the Electric theater, have contracted for a quonset steel building, manufactured by the Great Lake Steel corporation, through the distributor, A. Grams and sons, La Crosse, and Lester Wiley, local representative. The fire-resistant building will be completely insulated and finished in a modern style carried out with glass bricks. A Milwaukee architect, who designed the new theater in Middleton, has drawn the plans and will be here this month to complete his work. June 15 is the date on which construction is expected to start. The foundations will be built before this date. (La Crosse Tribune, May 16, 1947)
Soldiers Grove Theater Reopened By Retired GI -
The doors will be open, the popcorn popping and the projectors whirring again at the Electric Theater in Soldiers Grove. A Bell Center couple, Helen and Ben Henderson, have announced that they will open the theater starting Friday, Oct. 4. The first movie will be the James Bond thriller “Live and Let Die.” Henderson, 44, is a retired Army sergeant first class. He spent 25 years in the service, including one year as a theater manager for the Army in Korea. Helen’s uncle managed a movie house in Kansas. The couple moved to Bell Center a year ago, making their home only a couple of miles from Petersburg, where Ben was born. The Hendersons plan to keep the theater open year-round if enough people attend the shows to keep the operation going. They plan showings at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and matinees for younger audiences on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. One of their first goals, Henderson said, is to attract enough moviegoers so the theater can be open during the week. Admission to the movies will be 50 cents for children under 12 and $1.25 for adults. Ben is the son of Mrs. Jerusha Henderson of Bell Center. (Boscobel Dial - Sept. 26, 1974)
LOVES PARK MUSIC STORE DESTROYED BY EARLY MORNING FIRE
North 2nd Street was closed from Grand Avenue to Riverside Boulevard while firefighters battled the blaze.
The building is a total loss and will be demolished, Evans said.
The 3,500-square-foot structure was built in 1947 and is one of Loves Park’s oldest buildings, according to Evans. The building was originally a movie house called Park Theater.
CD Source sells used compact discs, records, stereo equipment, video games and gaming systems. The business relocated from Rockford to Loves Park about four years ago.
Calls and messages to the business were not returned Tuesday morning.
(See photos.)
Coling’s Parkway Theater Is Opened at Union Grove -
Several Write Essays in Which New Playhouse Is Given Praise.
First nights hold a fascination never found before. Whether they be in Roxy’s world’s largest theater in New York or in Floyd Coling’s beautiful Parkway theater, Union Grove. Impressions of the gala opening of the Parkway theater at Union Grove Thursday night have been written by many persons who attended the celebration. They are by A. F. Ruzicka. principal of the Union Grove high school; Pearl Hart, Norway; Gladys Wendt, Raymond; Elaine Berg and Frances Healy, West Allis, and Estelle Bertke of Union Grove, all of the Racine and Kenosha Rural Normal school.
Prizes to Be Awarded.
Five dollars in prizes will be awarded to the authors of the three best “First Night Impressions at the Opening of the Parkway Theater, Union Grove.” For first prize $2.50 will be given; for second prize, $1.50, and for third place, $1. Edward Zahn Sr., Racine merchant; J. S. Blakey, “Union Grove’s grand old man,” and others spoke at the opening celebration Thursday night and Floyd Coling’s new theater was banked with flowers from business houses and individuals. A program of songs and dances was presented by Arthur Hocking, assisted by Florence Petersen Hocking and Regnia Garvey.
To Become Community Center.
The new Parkway theater will fill an important place in village activities and is expected to become a community center. The theater contains a large stage, 36 rows of seats, 22 in a row, and a splendid dance floor. A library, council and fire department are part of the building. In a fashion show, the opening night fall and winter garments from Zahn’s were modeled and the display of 1928 fashions was applauded by hundreds of women in the audience. The entire program was arranged by Arthur Hocking. The Arcadian orchestra provided the music and little Buddy Hanson gave song and dance numbers.
Theater Is Packed.
One of the largest crowds to attend a fall social event in Union Grove was present at the Parkway theater Thursday night. Early in the evening people began crowding into the building and the curtain rose to a burst of applause. (Racine Journal Times, Thursday, October 1, 1927)
(October 25, 1927: Kenosha Evening News) New Gateway Theater Near Opening Date - Saxe Amusement House Enclosed Plans for Opening Early in December
With construction work rapidly nearing a completed stage, opening of the new Gateway theater as the splendid new Saxe Amusement company enterprise which is now rising on the site of the old Rhode theater on Fifty-sixth street traversing the block from Fifty-sixth to Fifty-fifth has been set for early December and means the addition of another beautiful and modern playhouse to the list of fine amusement places in Kenosha. While the building is not finished there is every evidence that the competed project will fill the owners and interested citizens with pride for unique appeal and excellent entertainment service which will be rendered.
Construction work has reached the point where nearly eighty men are employed in the various crews of craftsmen. The plasterers are rushing their work, much of which is a very difficult type with its panelling and staff molding.
Building Is Enclosed - The building is fully enclosed and any amount of inclement weather will offer no obstacle to rapid completion. It is expected by Manager J. L. Morrissey of the Saxe Amusement company’s local enterprises that the last days of November will find the building complete except some of the small items which cannot be done until occupancy begins. Manager Morrissey stated today that nothing is being overlooked and no expense spared to make the theater the last word in construction convenience and service. He said: We have employed Rapp and Rapp as architects because they have to their credit such notable theaters as the Oriental, McYicker’s, Roosevelt, Uptown and Norshore in Chicago. The $16,000,000 theater marvel of this generation which is the Paramount in New York City was constructed by them. “The architects are specialists in ventilation, a much desired feature for any building where thousands of patrons are handled in relatively short periods.
Name Gateway Appropriate
“The Gatewav, so named because of the location of Kenosha in relation to the rest of Wisconsin, is being equipped with a $50,000 refrigerating plant which will keep the temperature at any desired degree regardless of the prevailing weather outside. If necessary the plant could make ice. “A special ventilating engineer will be in constant charge of the equipment which will insure a pure fresh air to every patron of the house.” Manager Morrissey says the stage will be the largest in the state with the exception of the Milwaukee Auditorium. Its dimensions are 36x110 feet which will permit the house to cue for any type of attraction. All seats with the exception of a small number in the mezzanine balcony are on the lower floor. Manager Morrissey said that the experience of the Saxe Amusement company and the forty-two houses it controls in the state of Wisconsin indicates that the vast majority of theater-goers want to sit on the lower floor. For that reason over fifteen hundred may be accommodated in this manner in the new Gateway and about two hundred in the balcony.
Acoustics Planned With Care
The theater is compact and cozy with every seat so arranged that all may see and hear. The acoustics are further enhanced by the small balcony and arched ceiling. The seats are to be of latest design, well cushioned and very comfortable. The entire theater is planned to be soundless and considerable pains have been taken to work out this arrangement. A $50,000 Barton organ is to be installed which will be an exact duplicate of the Wisconsin theater organ in Milwaukee. The two organs are the largest in the state. Though Manager Morrissev could not announce the policy of the Gateway until later, he assures Kenosha theater goers that there will only be pictures of greatest merit, saying “By the control of many theaters, the Saxe Amusement company has the pick of pictures and the best will be shown at the Gateway.”
Staff Now in Training
The entire staff of the new theater is now in training at the Wisconsin theater in Milwaukee. It is the desire and intention of the company to duplicate the service of the Milwaukee house in every particular. The same form of presentation in practice there will be used in Kenosha. Besides the theater itself, entrance of which is on 56th street, there are two stores, both of which are about completed and will soon be leased. The theater covers an area in the middle of the block bounded by 6th and 5th avenues and 56th and 55th streets. It runs the entire length of the block and neither the store building on 6th avenue nor that on 56th street are connected by entrance to the theater.
(Burlington WI Free Press, October 5, 1939) - Funeral services for Louis Plate, 78, owner of the Climax Theater, Fond du Lac Avenue, Milwaukee, were held there last Saturday, with interment in Valhalla cemetery. He died Thursday at his home, 939 N. Twentieth Street. Mr. Plate was born in this city August 12, 1861. He attended the University of Chicago, then moved to Rock Valley, Iowa, where he lived for 17 years. He returned to Wisconsin, living in Oshkosh for several years. He moved to Milwaukee 53 years ago, and purchased the Climax Theater 30 years ago. For a number of years he was vice-president of the Motion Picture association of Milwaukee; and was a close friend of the late Carl Laemmle, president of Universal Pictures, Inc. He retired 10 years ago. He is survived by his wife, Freda, whom he married July 31, 1884; three daughters, Mrs. Marie Potter, and Misses Lunetta and Florence Plate; three sons, Louis, Lorence and Harry; a brother, Henry of San Diego, Calif.; and a sister, Mrs. Henry J. Vos of Burlington, Wis.; fourteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Repairs are inching forward on the long-closed Portage Theatre, part of an ambitious, multi-million-dollar plan from its newest owner to revive the iconic venue. Owner Manuel Gliksberg said he has invested $1 million and navigated financial and legal difficulties, and he needs support from the city if he’s going to reopen the landmarked theatre. The extensive renovation will cost at least $10 million, he estimated. The theatre closed in 2018. Gliksberg, an investor who owns a real estate company, bought it later that year.
Gliksberg said he wants “to make this a forever space for the community,” but the building needs costly upgrades so it’ll have more bathrooms, be up to code and to be ADA-compliant, among other things. Gliksberg applied for a city grant to finance some exterior work with help from local officials, but it wasn’t approved. He’s also had to fix a taxing dispute and resolve building code violations, all of which have slowed his progress, particularly during the pandemic, he said.
Neighbors have long waited for the theatre to reopen. Gliksberg said he wants to inject life into the Six Corners shopping district to spur economic development and reawaken the community anchor, but said there’s only so much he can do with private financing. He said he’s willing to put a significant amount of his own money into repairs, but city funds are also needed for the project to make financial sense.
The Portage Theater closed as a cinema in 2001 after operating almost continuously since its debut in 1920. Gliksberg is the third person to take over the space in the past two decades. Soon after, Gliksberg was told he owed thousands in back taxes from the past three years. Those charges have since been taken care of and paid, according to Gliksberg and Cook County property tax portal.
In 2021, the city sued Gliksberg for building code violations involving exterior wall repairs, gutters and downspouts. City records show those violations are pending, but Gliksberg said a city inspector came to the theatre to sign off on the repairs. In the meantime, Gliksberg said he’s invested about $1 million in fixes to the building, including repairs to the exterior roof and rear façade, city records show. He also has done tuckpointing work on all of the exterior walls of the lobby and auditorium, replaced the roof membrane of the auditorium and put in new gutters and downspouts, he said.
Hoping to help Gliksberg push forward with more renovations, the Six Corners Chamber of Commerce applied for an Adopt-A-Landmark grant for the exterior façade last summer. The group sought $242,300 from the city as part of a five-phase revitalization project to fix and replace terra cotta on the nameplate and monumental arch of the theater. Funds were also requested to repair brick issues that have been safety concerns along Milwaukee Avenue.
The city’s Department of Planning and Development, which oversees the grant program, denied funding in January. City officials said Gliksberg did not yet have a comprehensive exterior and interior rehabilitation plan for making the theatre ready for occupancy, and he still owed taxes on the building. Andy Pierce, the theatre historian and chamber member who helped compile the grant application, said the chamber is on board to help Gliksberg apply for more government funding to complete needed repairs.
Gliksberg also wants to apply to use Portage Park Tax Increment Financing district funds for the project. Funds from the tax pool could be used to fix the signs, arch, interior plaster walls, ceilings and HVAC systems. The Portage Park TIF has about $6.5 million for 2022, according to the department’s financial overview. But that money expires at the end of the year. Planning department spokesperson Peter Strazzabosco said there is a lengthy approval process and it might be too late to process an application that hasn’t been submitted. Any uncommitted funds in the TIF will be returned to the appropriate taxing bodies when it expires, Strazzabosco said. “While TIF can provide some flexibility for certain eligible costs, either as a grant or a loan, the district will expire before the proposed terms could be reviewed, approved, closed and the costs incurred. The city is not aware of a formal plan or project for the building, and there’s not enough time for TIF to be used for a proposed project that wasn’t substantially moving forward by now.”
Gliksberg said he hesitated to apply for TIF funds during the height of the pandemic, when the future of live music wasn’t clear and when it was difficult to contract construction workers, architects and inspectors to determine the work needed on the theater. Even with limited time, he said he’s willing to put in money to draft a comprehensive site plan, hire consultants and architects to help carry out his vision. “I will take this gamble and spend the $600,000-$700,000 to bring in all the consultants and get the TIF money with the hope that the city sees how important this project is for the community, but now we’re up against the clock,” he said.
The chamber is hopeful TIF funding for the Six Corners area, even if the theatre doesn’t receive any, can be hurried through the finish line before it’s too late. Chamber President Michael DiMeo said Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) and planning officials support using the money as soon as possible. “We have to push now. We, as business owners that have paid in, this is that rebate coming back to you that we want to see reinvested.”
Gliksberg also plans to apply for a grant from the Chicago Recovery Plan, which gives small grants up to $250,000 and large grants up to $5 million to developers, property owners and entrepreneurs. Strazzabosco said Gliksberg could also apply for property tax incentives that reduce the tax rate for 12 years and Pace financing for certain energy efficiencies to expand his chances of getting governmental assistance. Pace is a program by The Illinois Energy Conservation Authority that enables commercial property owners to obtain long-term, fixed-rate financing for energy efficiency, renewable energy, water use and more.
In its heyday, the Portage Park Theatre was a place for live music, theater shows and cinema events and a community anchor for school ceremonies, events and graduations.
Dennis Wolkowicz, a Northwest Side native and owner of The Silent Film Society of Chicago, and a co-owner took it over in 2005 and renovated the auditorium and lobbies, and he removed drywall that had divided the auditorium into two rooms.
The theater became known as a premier screening room for independent filmmakers who could not afford to book their shows at other theaters, Wolkowicz said. “We’d have up to 1,000 people for the silent film events,” Wolkowicz said. “That was pretty incredible.”
Eddie Carranza took over the theater in 2012 but sold it to an investment firm in 2016 after plans to revive it never materialized. The theater held shows until it closed in 2018.
Wolkowicz is hopeful the building can be preserved and it can again offer artistic opportunities for people looking to grow and uplift the community. “Once it’s gone, it’s gone,” he said. “This was a unique theater — it was a transitional theater before [artists] went into the big-scale movie palaces … .”
Becky Mocarski, a teacher and manager at Wildlight Yoga Studio in the Portage Lofts across from the theater, wants to see it reopen as a community space to offer cross-business partnerships for events. Its attraction would help small businesses along the corridor and increase the area’s economic stability, she said.
“If it’s drawing people to the community. … it would give that opportunity to see other businesses in the area,” Mocarski said. “Community-based, up-and-coming shows — if that could come back on a small level, the community and neighborhood would fully support that.”
Gliksberg envisions national music shows in the main auditorium that could draw 250,000 people a year, like the Aragon Ballroom in Uptown. Upstairs, he wants to provide a stage for those up-and-coming local musicians, with a similar vibe to Double Door in Uptown and Gallery Cabaret in Wicker Park.
He hopes the space can be a gathering hub for neighborhood events such as movie nights, farmers and artisan markets, holiday events and arts workshops.
“This is a passion project and something I want to do for the community,” he said. “Success means being able to create what 15-year-old me always dreamt of and sharing that with a community.”
The city of Milwaukee and the Villard Avenue Business Improvement District issued a request for proposals (RFP) for developers interested in restoring the historic Villa/Ritz Theatre and returning it to its original use as an entertainment venue.
“It is our hope that the movie theatre will be a catalytic development such as the open-air theatre rendering that was re-envisioned in our historic virtual charrette during the summer of 2020,” said Villard BID director Angelique Sharpe today. “We would like to see it continue on with its long tradition of being able to house all kinds of entertainment such as cinema and film, performance, comedy, music, and dance.”
Constructed in 1926 by Michael Brumm to be an independent theatre, the 840-seat Spanish Colonial-style theater was used primarily as a movie theatre through a variety of owners, up until 1986 when Marcus Theatres closed it. Tanya and Herman Lewis bought it in 1988 and ran it as both a first and second-run theatre and community playhouse for several years before ceasing operation in 1995. Since then, the building has been used as a salon, a church, a bookstore, and a school. The city acquired the building through a tax foreclosure in 2015.
Restoration is projected at nearly $2 million, with the Department of City Development possibly incorporating alternative financing such as historic tax credits, tax incremental financing, and other sources.
Alderman Ashanti Hamilton who represents the Villard Avenue business district said that he was confident qualified developers would step up to help breathe new life back into the neighborhood landmark. “The impending redevelopment of the historic Villard Theatre is expected to be one of the most significant investments on Villard Avenue, but also for the far northwest side of Milwaukee, and the city as a whole. I can personally remember a time where this theatre was a destination that brought movie lovers from all parts of Milwaukee, both young and old, to visit Villard Avenue. This is a significant step for the commercial corridor, the neighborhood, and the entire city.”
To build excitement, the Villard Avenue BID will host a virtual developers' forum at 11 a.m. on March 25 with a panel discussion from industry experts including Lee Barczak, co-owner of the Neighborhood Theatre Group which operates the Avalon Theatre in Bay View, the Rosebud Theatre in Wauwatosa, and the Times Cinema on Vliet Street in Milwaukee. Immediately following the forum, developer teams will have the opportunity to partake in self-guided tours of the theatre. Proposals are due back to the city by noon on Friday, May 6.
A good, concise video history of the BADGER Theatre. https://www.facebook.com/stoughtonvillageplayers/videos/3994128964017197/
I saw its two-manual Wicks organ.
I always noticed the theatre as well in the opening segments of Bowery Boys pictures. I clipped the scene and posted it here today.
The picture was “Kingsman”.
Across the street was the Rex Theatre at 51 South Main Street which I’ve submitted several times to New Theatres here but have been unable to get it listed. For years it’s been a Sherwin-Williams paint store. I’ll post an original photo once the listing is accepted.
aint store
Opened on Monday, August 14, 1911.
May 7,1955.
May 7, 1955.
As Congress Theater Crumbles, Developer Wants $27 Million From City To Revive Logan Square Gem (Credit: Block Club Chicago - By Mina Bloom, February 8, 2023)
The price tag on the long-stalled project keeps going up, and the delays are getting longer — but developers say they’re still committed to overhauling and reopening the beloved venue.
LOGAN SQUARE — Closed for a decade, the Congress Theater is a shell of the gleaming movie palace and music venue it once was. Water is seeping into the 1920s venue, badly damaging the original structure and its ornate details. The plaster walls are crumbling, and parts of the ceiling have collapsed, scattering debris.
The theater’s worsening condition, combined with sky-high construction prices and other mounting costs, is complicating a local developer’s ambitious — and much-anticipated — plans to revive the Logan Square gem.
Baum Revision, a developer with a reputation for restoring historical buildings, was winding its way through the city approval process last year, but the Congress rehab project stalled as costs increased and negotiations around labor and other issues persisted, said David Baum, one of the managing principals. “It’s been a bit of a game of whack-a-mole. Every time we think we’ve figured it out, pricing goes up,” Baum said. “Construction pricing has not been going in the right direction, interest rates continue to go up, getting loans is more difficult and general costs — energy or anything else — has been going up. … Pricing continues to go up while the condition of the building is not getting better.”
The project itself hasn’t changed: Baum still plans to fully restore the 2,900-seat music venue at 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave. and surrounding retail shops and apartments.
But the renovation is now estimated to cost $88 million, up from $70.4 million last year, Baum said. The development company is seeking $27 million in tax-increment finance dollars to cover a gap in funding. That’s $7 million more than developers asked for last year and $17 million more than the previous developer secured for a similar project. Baum’s team is working closely with city officials to nail down a redevelopment agreement and secure financing as theater operator AEG Presents and local labor union UNITE HERE Local 1 battle over a “good jobs commitment.”
If everything goes according to plan, the redevelopment project could be introduced in City Council next month, setting the stage for subsequent approval, said Baum and other players, including Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st), whose ward includes the Congress. “Trying to get this thing to work is a Rubik’s Cube,” Baum said. “We feel like we’re there, we hope that the powers that be will want to get this thing passed.”
The project is delicate, partly because there’s a lot at stake. A restored Congress will transform the abandoned Milwaukee Avenue stretch and give the broader neighborhood an economic and cultural jolt, neighbors and local leaders said.
Even though Baum is inching toward construction, some are worried the project is doomed after a series of setbacks. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned like everyone else is,” Baum said.
Baum’s project includes a rehabbed theater, roughly 5,400 square feet of retail and restaurant space along Milwaukee Avenue and Rockwell Street, 16 apartments and affordable offices and work space on the second and third floors. Fourteen of the apartments will be reserved as affordable housing.
The city’s Community Development Commission approved allocating $20 million in tax-increment financing toward the project last year, but the proposal never advanced to City Council.
After some adjustments, it seemed the revised proposal was finally headed for City Council in January with the support of Mayor Lori Lightfoot. But city officials pulled the proposal off the agenda at the last minute, La Spata said.
It also was yanked from the agenda of February’s council meeting, La Spata said.
One key issue holding up the project is the labor agreement between AEG, the theater operator, and UNITE HERE Local 1, La Spata said. Hospitality workers with the labor union are pushing AEG and the city to put a “good jobs commitment” in writing.
“UNITE HERE Local 1 opposes the use of TIF or any public subsidy for the Congress Theater redevelopment because there is no commitment from AEG that all hospitality jobs created by the redevelopment will be good jobs,” union spokesperson Elliott Mallen said in an email.
AEG didn’t respond to requests for comment. Baum said his company is not involved in labor negotiations.
La Spata, who’s involved in negotiations, said the two sides are “very, very close” to striking a deal. If the agreement is finalized, the redevelopment proposal — and the $27 million tax-increment financing allocation — will be introduced into City Council, then voted on by the finance committee and all 50 alderpeople.
La Spata and Baum hope the project will finally hit City Council in March. “We’re working on something that’s going to have a generational impact in Logan Square, and if that means it takes a few more months to get it right, I think that’s worthwhile,” La Spata said. In Chicago, using tax-increment financing to support large projects is often controversial. Tax-increment financing districts capture all growth in the property tax base in a designated area for a set period of time, usually 20 years or more, and divert it into a special fund for projects designed to spur economic development and eradicate blight. City Council’s approval of $2 billion in tax-increment financing for megadevelopments Lincoln Yards and The 78 sparked protests and lawsuits.
Proponents of Baum’s Congress proposal said the $27 million the company wants is justifiable given the project’s large scale, the poor condition of the theater and rising development costs during the pandemic.
Aside from the lobby, which is in reasonably good shape, the entire theater is a “gut job,” Baum said. It needs a new roof, new electrical and plumbing systems and extensive preservation work, he said. “We’re talking about a project that is practically a city block long, multiple buildings, a 3,000-person theater. It does not surprise me that we’re facing a really substantial rehab,” La Spata said. “I 100 percent would not be supporting this [redevelopment] process if I didn’t feel like it came with robust and generous benefits for our community and that it was going to also have a truly catalytic effect in terms of activating some of the spaces around the Congress that we want to see get going.”
La Spata has represented the 1st Ward since 2019 and is running for reelection against three challengers, including former 1st Ward Ald. Proco Joe Moreno. . The Congress Theater was built in 1926 by Fridstein & Co. as an ornate movie palace. One of the last remaining theaters associated with famous “moving picture theater” operators Lubliner & Trinz, the venue hosted vaudeville acts and “first-run photoplays” for years, then screened movies through the ’80s. The Congress later was refashioned into a music venue, drawing famous musicians and performers such as Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. It was designated a city landmark in 2002. The city ordered the theater closed in 2013 following a string of code violations and years of negligence from embattled former owner Eddie Carranza.
The move also came after a series of crimes that occurred in and around the theater during shows, including the rape of a 14-year-old girl. The city banned electronic dance music — the theater’s former music genre of choice — for all current and future owners.
Developer Michael Moyer stepped in to reopen the Congress in 2015. After years of community meetings and a multi-layered city approval process, Los Angeles-based lender and promoter AEG sued Moyer in 2020, alleging the developer defaulted on $14 million in loans. The legal trouble left the theater in the control of a court-appointed receiver.
Baum took the reins of the project in 2021. The development firm is known for restoring the Green Exchange and Margies Candies buildings, among other historical buildings.
The Congress has “been a hole in the community for a long time, but it used to be the center of the community for a long time. That’s what we enjoy doing — reimagining and bringing back things from the dead,” Baum said.
The price tag on the long-stalled project keeps going up, and the delays are getting longer — but developers say they’re still committed to overhauling and reopening the beloved venue. (Block Club Chicago)
Request For Board Action REFERRED TO BOARD: April 27, 2022 AGENDA ITEM NO: 3 ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT: Community Development SUBJECT: Consideration of resolution to finance the purchase of the Antioch Theatre by a private investor in the amount of $350,000.00. SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER: The Staff has been working with the owner of the Antioch Theatre related to his wish to proceed with a sale of the movie theatre. Mr. Downey has negotiated an agreement with the prospective purchaser, Linda Monty, who wishes to purchase the theater for $400,000.00, Ms. Monty has been before the Village Board several times and has outlined her business plan to continue to operate the theatre as a first run movie theatre. Based on the purchaser’s inability to obtain a private bank loan for the purchase, the applicant is requesting assistance from the Village to finance this purchase. Staff has explored the possibility of obtaining a $350,000 bank loan, with a $50,000 down payment from the purchaser. The owner of the theatre has identified that prior to Covid, approximately 20,000 tickets per year were sold. If the Village reimposed a $1.00 tax per ticket, the ticket tax would generate approximately $20,000.00 per year. This does not include any revenue generated from a special event tax which is being proposed at $2..00 per ticket. Based on the proposed outline of the loan, the loan would be paid back over a 10-year period and a ticket tax would be reimposed to assist the purchaser to pay back the loan during the 10-year loan period. Staff is taking this opportunity to enclose an amortization table which shows the repayment schedule. In addition, Staff is enclosing a copy of the Profit/Loss Statement from the current owner prior to the Covid-breakout. 1) Village Board Staff Report 2) Resolution 3) Amortization schedule 4) Profit/Loss Statement Based on the foregoing analysis, Staff would make the following motion: We move that the Village Board approve a resolution to direct the Village Attorney to draft a loan agreement with the prospective purchaser, Linda Monty for the sum of $350,000.00 for the purchase of the Antioch Theatre. Or We move that the Village Board deny the request of the purchaser request for Village financing to purchase the Antioch Theatre.
Old movies direct film lover into business (KENOSHA NEWS, April 1, 1984, by Dave Engels)
Henry C. Landa leads a double life. By day he teaches industrial management and engineering at the Kenosha and Racine campuses of Gateway Technical Institute. At night and during weekends the film lover is emcee owner and manager of the Gallery of the Audio Visual and Graphic Arts and Sciences, a respectable little theater on Milwaukee’s southeast side. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a family moviehouse: Dad runs the projector, Mom sells popcorn, and the kids lend a hand. too. But the unique nature of the theater doesn’t end there. To thousands of Milwaukee area cinema patrons it’s the place to go to see the greatest movies of all time - the “classics”, if you will. Landa, 49, calls it his “avocation" - a weak description, when you consider it took him eight years to build the theater and a sizeable capital investment to get the business up and running. “It’s an opportunity for people to see movies they normally wouldn’t get a chance to see,” said Landa. “A good movie endures. It can entertain and fascinate years after its release.”
Landa’s passion first produced results in the 1950s when he ran a film society at University of Wisconsin-Madison. “True film lovers are few and far between. Few people go to movies on a regular basis. Even before TV, a significant number never went to the theater.” From his college days Landa recalls a negative critic from the student-run Daily Cardinal newspaper who said “The movies coming out today are garbage.” Says Landa, “People were saying that in the ‘50s and they are still saying it today. Back then it may have been more true because some studios were putting out 50, 60, 70 films a year. "What is a classic? I don’t know. If we could define a classic, we’d probably make a lot more money. 'To Be or Not to Be’ starring Jack Benny is probably not a classic. It’s not a classic like ‘Casablanca’ because that movie-is certainly more well-known” Landa doesn’t have a list of all-time favorites and contends he could never sit and watch the same movie over and over again. Some of his personal opinions might irritate others. “'Gone with the Wind'“ wouldn’t be on my list. It’s a great sweeping story but technically not a great film. I like movies that offer insights; movies that provide some intellectual stimulation.”
Stimulation isn’t high on the list with fans of this theater. “Horror films stand head and shoulders above the rest in popularity. The original ‘Dracula’ holds our box-office record; ‘Frankenstein’ provided us with the first turn-away crowd. We’ve also had big crowds for the original ‘King Kong’, ‘The Wolfman’ and the ‘Invisible Man’ movies.” Landa’s opinion notwithstanding, “Gone with the Wind” drew a large crowd. So do Alfred Hitchcock films. Landa likes to talk about Hitchcock. “He used to spend a year planning his films. He would plan them shot-by-shot, scene-by-scene. He was bored with them by the time filming began because he had it in his head already.”
Landa began constructing the theater in 1973. It took eight years to complete the 123-seat building in less than 2000 square feet. A couple of minutes before the projector rolls, Landa takes on the role of Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, telling his audience what the film is about and maybe a little of its history. He then takes a minute-long stroll to the rear of the theater where he turns on the sound system and operates the l6mm and 35mm projectors. “At first we were not going to bother with concessions, but later we found they are a necessity. Some people wouldn’t come to see the greatest of films if there were no concessions.”
Building the theater is a monumental task Landa wishes he could repeat with some changes. “I probably overbuilt. It’s almost too hefty, too durable; it has a double layer of fire-resistant masonry walls. I would work on it six or seven days a week during summers. During the school year, I would work on weekends and at night. A few friends helped here and there, and of course I had to hire contractors for the electrical and plumbing work.” Inside the theater is a tiny lobby. The auditorium has a flat level floor with upholstered seats mounted on steel platforms. Landa does not subscribe to the theory that back theater seats have to be at a higher level than those in front. “If you position the screen and seats the right way, everyone has a good view. You just have to use a little common sense.” Landa purchased used projectors from the empty Granada Theater on Mitchell Street on Milwaukee’s south-side. He once had an eerie experience across the street from his theater at a one-time moviehouse called the Bay Theater “A friend of mine had started a graphic arts busi-ness in the theater building and he told me the old projectors were still upstairs. When we got up there it was like a time capsule. A full reel was still in the projector. The Sunday paper was spread out on the table. There were old cigarette butts in the ashtray. It was as if the theater owner called on a Sunday night and told his crew not to open the next day. The projection room was left untouched for more than 30 years”
“Even though it’s a hobby, it has to be profitable for us to continue,” Landa said. "Right now we are breaking even out of pocket. We are losing on salaries and depreciation. But whether I have a theater or not, I’ll always go to see the great films of the past” (Kenosha News, 1 Apr. 1984, Sun, Page 11.
“YOURS TO ENJOY - A beautiful new building designed in the sumptuous architecture of the Spanish Renaissance period; a spacious foyer brilliantly lighted and decorated; an interior gay with color and breathing an air of comfort and refinement - that is the Tivoli Theatre. The realization of a long dream - a de luxe metropolitan theatre right in the heart of Chicago’s Western Suburbs.
Planned and executed with the utmost care and thought for your comfort and enjoyment, it brings to your very door the latest sensation in Cinema entertainment - Sound and Talking Pictures. Not only will the feature pictures be the same as at the largest Chicago theatres - synchronized with music played by large Symphony Orchestras, and containing actual sound effects and in many cases Spoken Dialogue by your favorite screen stars, but the surrounding program will contain the latest Vitaphone and Movietone Singing and Talking Acts. These will bring you the greatest stars of vaudeville and musical comedy. Also the Movie-events of the world both visually and in sound. Pres. Elect Hoover, King George, of England, King Alfonso of Spain, Premier Mussolino (sic), and many others will speak to you from our screen. Amazing in its scope, it puts you in direct touch with events and people the world over.
We feel therefore that the Tivoli can rightfully be called ‘The Wonder Theatre of Suburban Chicago’."
(Advertisement: Downers Grove Reporter; Friday, December 21, 1928)
“DON’T EVER MARRY” was released in 1920.
Plan New Theater At Soldiers Grove SOLDIERS GROVE, Wis. (Special) Some time early in July Soldiers Grove will have a new and modernistic theater with a seating capacity of 400. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Larson have signed the contracts for a 40 by 100 foot building to be erected on the lot recently purchased next to the village pumping station. The Larsons, owners and operators of the Electric theater, have contracted for a quonset steel building, manufactured by the Great Lake Steel corporation, through the distributor, A. Grams and sons, La Crosse, and Lester Wiley, local representative. The fire-resistant building will be completely insulated and finished in a modern style carried out with glass bricks. A Milwaukee architect, who designed the new theater in Middleton, has drawn the plans and will be here this month to complete his work. June 15 is the date on which construction is expected to start. The foundations will be built before this date. (La Crosse Tribune, May 16, 1947)
Soldiers Grove Theater Reopened By Retired GI - The doors will be open, the popcorn popping and the projectors whirring again at the Electric Theater in Soldiers Grove. A Bell Center couple, Helen and Ben Henderson, have announced that they will open the theater starting Friday, Oct. 4. The first movie will be the James Bond thriller “Live and Let Die.” Henderson, 44, is a retired Army sergeant first class. He spent 25 years in the service, including one year as a theater manager for the Army in Korea. Helen’s uncle managed a movie house in Kansas. The couple moved to Bell Center a year ago, making their home only a couple of miles from Petersburg, where Ben was born. The Hendersons plan to keep the theater open year-round if enough people attend the shows to keep the operation going. They plan showings at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and matinees for younger audiences on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. One of their first goals, Henderson said, is to attract enough moviegoers so the theater can be open during the week. Admission to the movies will be 50 cents for children under 12 and $1.25 for adults. Ben is the son of Mrs. Jerusha Henderson of Bell Center. (Boscobel Dial - Sept. 26, 1974)
LOVES PARK MUSIC STORE DESTROYED BY EARLY MORNING FIRE North 2nd Street was closed from Grand Avenue to Riverside Boulevard while firefighters battled the blaze. The building is a total loss and will be demolished, Evans said. The 3,500-square-foot structure was built in 1947 and is one of Loves Park’s oldest buildings, according to Evans. The building was originally a movie house called Park Theater. CD Source sells used compact discs, records, stereo equipment, video games and gaming systems. The business relocated from Rockford to Loves Park about four years ago. Calls and messages to the business were not returned Tuesday morning. (See photos.)
The picture that ibelieveicanfly above was asking about is “Mr. Sardonicus” (1961).
Coling’s Parkway Theater Is Opened at Union Grove - Several Write Essays in Which New Playhouse Is Given Praise.
First nights hold a fascination never found before. Whether they be in Roxy’s world’s largest theater in New York or in Floyd Coling’s beautiful Parkway theater, Union Grove. Impressions of the gala opening of the Parkway theater at Union Grove Thursday night have been written by many persons who attended the celebration. They are by A. F. Ruzicka. principal of the Union Grove high school; Pearl Hart, Norway; Gladys Wendt, Raymond; Elaine Berg and Frances Healy, West Allis, and Estelle Bertke of Union Grove, all of the Racine and Kenosha Rural Normal school.
Prizes to Be Awarded.
Five dollars in prizes will be awarded to the authors of the three best “First Night Impressions at the Opening of the Parkway Theater, Union Grove.” For first prize $2.50 will be given; for second prize, $1.50, and for third place, $1. Edward Zahn Sr., Racine merchant; J. S. Blakey, “Union Grove’s grand old man,” and others spoke at the opening celebration Thursday night and Floyd Coling’s new theater was banked with flowers from business houses and individuals. A program of songs and dances was presented by Arthur Hocking, assisted by Florence Petersen Hocking and Regnia Garvey.
To Become Community Center.
The new Parkway theater will fill an important place in village activities and is expected to become a community center. The theater contains a large stage, 36 rows of seats, 22 in a row, and a splendid dance floor. A library, council and fire department are part of the building. In a fashion show, the opening night fall and winter garments from Zahn’s were modeled and the display of 1928 fashions was applauded by hundreds of women in the audience. The entire program was arranged by Arthur Hocking. The Arcadian orchestra provided the music and little Buddy Hanson gave song and dance numbers.
Theater Is Packed.
One of the largest crowds to attend a fall social event in Union Grove was present at the Parkway theater Thursday night. Early in the evening people began crowding into the building and the curtain rose to a burst of applause. (Racine Journal Times, Thursday, October 1, 1927)
Not to be confused with a much-earlier Aristo Theatre at 1139 North California.
Laharpe also had a theatre called the Airdome in 1915.
I visited the STATE Theatre in 1970 and was dismayed to see almost no original ornament.
(October 25, 1927: Kenosha Evening News) New Gateway Theater Near Opening Date - Saxe Amusement House Enclosed Plans for Opening Early in December
With construction work rapidly nearing a completed stage, opening of the new Gateway theater as the splendid new Saxe Amusement company enterprise which is now rising on the site of the old Rhode theater on Fifty-sixth street traversing the block from Fifty-sixth to Fifty-fifth has been set for early December and means the addition of another beautiful and modern playhouse to the list of fine amusement places in Kenosha. While the building is not finished there is every evidence that the competed project will fill the owners and interested citizens with pride for unique appeal and excellent entertainment service which will be rendered.
Construction work has reached the point where nearly eighty men are employed in the various crews of craftsmen. The plasterers are rushing their work, much of which is a very difficult type with its panelling and staff molding.
Building Is Enclosed - The building is fully enclosed and any amount of inclement weather will offer no obstacle to rapid completion. It is expected by Manager J. L. Morrissey of the Saxe Amusement company’s local enterprises that the last days of November will find the building complete except some of the small items which cannot be done until occupancy begins. Manager Morrissey stated today that nothing is being overlooked and no expense spared to make the theater the last word in construction convenience and service. He said: We have employed Rapp and Rapp as architects because they have to their credit such notable theaters as the Oriental, McYicker’s, Roosevelt, Uptown and Norshore in Chicago. The $16,000,000 theater marvel of this generation which is the Paramount in New York City was constructed by them. “The architects are specialists in ventilation, a much desired feature for any building where thousands of patrons are handled in relatively short periods.
Name Gateway Appropriate
“The Gatewav, so named because of the location of Kenosha in relation to the rest of Wisconsin, is being equipped with a $50,000 refrigerating plant which will keep the temperature at any desired degree regardless of the prevailing weather outside. If necessary the plant could make ice. “A special ventilating engineer will be in constant charge of the equipment which will insure a pure fresh air to every patron of the house.” Manager Morrissey says the stage will be the largest in the state with the exception of the Milwaukee Auditorium. Its dimensions are 36x110 feet which will permit the house to cue for any type of attraction. All seats with the exception of a small number in the mezzanine balcony are on the lower floor. Manager Morrissey said that the experience of the Saxe Amusement company and the forty-two houses it controls in the state of Wisconsin indicates that the vast majority of theater-goers want to sit on the lower floor. For that reason over fifteen hundred may be accommodated in this manner in the new Gateway and about two hundred in the balcony.
Acoustics Planned With Care
The theater is compact and cozy with every seat so arranged that all may see and hear. The acoustics are further enhanced by the small balcony and arched ceiling. The seats are to be of latest design, well cushioned and very comfortable. The entire theater is planned to be soundless and considerable pains have been taken to work out this arrangement. A $50,000 Barton organ is to be installed which will be an exact duplicate of the Wisconsin theater organ in Milwaukee. The two organs are the largest in the state. Though Manager Morrissev could not announce the policy of the Gateway until later, he assures Kenosha theater goers that there will only be pictures of greatest merit, saying “By the control of many theaters, the Saxe Amusement company has the pick of pictures and the best will be shown at the Gateway.”
Staff Now in Training
The entire staff of the new theater is now in training at the Wisconsin theater in Milwaukee. It is the desire and intention of the company to duplicate the service of the Milwaukee house in every particular. The same form of presentation in practice there will be used in Kenosha. Besides the theater itself, entrance of which is on 56th street, there are two stores, both of which are about completed and will soon be leased. The theater covers an area in the middle of the block bounded by 6th and 5th avenues and 56th and 55th streets. It runs the entire length of the block and neither the store building on 6th avenue nor that on 56th street are connected by entrance to the theater.
(Burlington WI Free Press, October 5, 1939) - Funeral services for Louis Plate, 78, owner of the Climax Theater, Fond du Lac Avenue, Milwaukee, were held there last Saturday, with interment in Valhalla cemetery. He died Thursday at his home, 939 N. Twentieth Street. Mr. Plate was born in this city August 12, 1861. He attended the University of Chicago, then moved to Rock Valley, Iowa, where he lived for 17 years. He returned to Wisconsin, living in Oshkosh for several years. He moved to Milwaukee 53 years ago, and purchased the Climax Theater 30 years ago. For a number of years he was vice-president of the Motion Picture association of Milwaukee; and was a close friend of the late Carl Laemmle, president of Universal Pictures, Inc. He retired 10 years ago. He is survived by his wife, Freda, whom he married July 31, 1884; three daughters, Mrs. Marie Potter, and Misses Lunetta and Florence Plate; three sons, Louis, Lorence and Harry; a brother, Henry of San Diego, Calif.; and a sister, Mrs. Henry J. Vos of Burlington, Wis.; fourteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Repairs are inching forward on the long-closed Portage Theatre, part of an ambitious, multi-million-dollar plan from its newest owner to revive the iconic venue. Owner Manuel Gliksberg said he has invested $1 million and navigated financial and legal difficulties, and he needs support from the city if he’s going to reopen the landmarked theatre. The extensive renovation will cost at least $10 million, he estimated. The theatre closed in 2018. Gliksberg, an investor who owns a real estate company, bought it later that year.
Gliksberg said he wants “to make this a forever space for the community,” but the building needs costly upgrades so it’ll have more bathrooms, be up to code and to be ADA-compliant, among other things. Gliksberg applied for a city grant to finance some exterior work with help from local officials, but it wasn’t approved. He’s also had to fix a taxing dispute and resolve building code violations, all of which have slowed his progress, particularly during the pandemic, he said.
Neighbors have long waited for the theatre to reopen. Gliksberg said he wants to inject life into the Six Corners shopping district to spur economic development and reawaken the community anchor, but said there’s only so much he can do with private financing. He said he’s willing to put a significant amount of his own money into repairs, but city funds are also needed for the project to make financial sense.
The Portage Theater closed as a cinema in 2001 after operating almost continuously since its debut in 1920. Gliksberg is the third person to take over the space in the past two decades. Soon after, Gliksberg was told he owed thousands in back taxes from the past three years. Those charges have since been taken care of and paid, according to Gliksberg and Cook County property tax portal.
In 2021, the city sued Gliksberg for building code violations involving exterior wall repairs, gutters and downspouts. City records show those violations are pending, but Gliksberg said a city inspector came to the theatre to sign off on the repairs. In the meantime, Gliksberg said he’s invested about $1 million in fixes to the building, including repairs to the exterior roof and rear façade, city records show. He also has done tuckpointing work on all of the exterior walls of the lobby and auditorium, replaced the roof membrane of the auditorium and put in new gutters and downspouts, he said.
Hoping to help Gliksberg push forward with more renovations, the Six Corners Chamber of Commerce applied for an Adopt-A-Landmark grant for the exterior façade last summer. The group sought $242,300 from the city as part of a five-phase revitalization project to fix and replace terra cotta on the nameplate and monumental arch of the theater. Funds were also requested to repair brick issues that have been safety concerns along Milwaukee Avenue.
The city’s Department of Planning and Development, which oversees the grant program, denied funding in January. City officials said Gliksberg did not yet have a comprehensive exterior and interior rehabilitation plan for making the theatre ready for occupancy, and he still owed taxes on the building. Andy Pierce, the theatre historian and chamber member who helped compile the grant application, said the chamber is on board to help Gliksberg apply for more government funding to complete needed repairs.
Gliksberg also wants to apply to use Portage Park Tax Increment Financing district funds for the project. Funds from the tax pool could be used to fix the signs, arch, interior plaster walls, ceilings and HVAC systems. The Portage Park TIF has about $6.5 million for 2022, according to the department’s financial overview. But that money expires at the end of the year. Planning department spokesperson Peter Strazzabosco said there is a lengthy approval process and it might be too late to process an application that hasn’t been submitted. Any uncommitted funds in the TIF will be returned to the appropriate taxing bodies when it expires, Strazzabosco said. “While TIF can provide some flexibility for certain eligible costs, either as a grant or a loan, the district will expire before the proposed terms could be reviewed, approved, closed and the costs incurred. The city is not aware of a formal plan or project for the building, and there’s not enough time for TIF to be used for a proposed project that wasn’t substantially moving forward by now.”
Gliksberg said he hesitated to apply for TIF funds during the height of the pandemic, when the future of live music wasn’t clear and when it was difficult to contract construction workers, architects and inspectors to determine the work needed on the theater. Even with limited time, he said he’s willing to put in money to draft a comprehensive site plan, hire consultants and architects to help carry out his vision. “I will take this gamble and spend the $600,000-$700,000 to bring in all the consultants and get the TIF money with the hope that the city sees how important this project is for the community, but now we’re up against the clock,” he said.
The chamber is hopeful TIF funding for the Six Corners area, even if the theatre doesn’t receive any, can be hurried through the finish line before it’s too late. Chamber President Michael DiMeo said Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) and planning officials support using the money as soon as possible. “We have to push now. We, as business owners that have paid in, this is that rebate coming back to you that we want to see reinvested.”
Gliksberg also plans to apply for a grant from the Chicago Recovery Plan, which gives small grants up to $250,000 and large grants up to $5 million to developers, property owners and entrepreneurs. Strazzabosco said Gliksberg could also apply for property tax incentives that reduce the tax rate for 12 years and Pace financing for certain energy efficiencies to expand his chances of getting governmental assistance. Pace is a program by The Illinois Energy Conservation Authority that enables commercial property owners to obtain long-term, fixed-rate financing for energy efficiency, renewable energy, water use and more.
In its heyday, the Portage Park Theatre was a place for live music, theater shows and cinema events and a community anchor for school ceremonies, events and graduations.
Dennis Wolkowicz, a Northwest Side native and owner of The Silent Film Society of Chicago, and a co-owner took it over in 2005 and renovated the auditorium and lobbies, and he removed drywall that had divided the auditorium into two rooms.
The theater became known as a premier screening room for independent filmmakers who could not afford to book their shows at other theaters, Wolkowicz said. “We’d have up to 1,000 people for the silent film events,” Wolkowicz said. “That was pretty incredible.”
Eddie Carranza took over the theater in 2012 but sold it to an investment firm in 2016 after plans to revive it never materialized. The theater held shows until it closed in 2018.
Wolkowicz is hopeful the building can be preserved and it can again offer artistic opportunities for people looking to grow and uplift the community. “Once it’s gone, it’s gone,” he said. “This was a unique theater — it was a transitional theater before [artists] went into the big-scale movie palaces … .”
Becky Mocarski, a teacher and manager at Wildlight Yoga Studio in the Portage Lofts across from the theater, wants to see it reopen as a community space to offer cross-business partnerships for events. Its attraction would help small businesses along the corridor and increase the area’s economic stability, she said.
“If it’s drawing people to the community. … it would give that opportunity to see other businesses in the area,” Mocarski said. “Community-based, up-and-coming shows — if that could come back on a small level, the community and neighborhood would fully support that.”
Gliksberg envisions national music shows in the main auditorium that could draw 250,000 people a year, like the Aragon Ballroom in Uptown. Upstairs, he wants to provide a stage for those up-and-coming local musicians, with a similar vibe to Double Door in Uptown and Gallery Cabaret in Wicker Park.
He hopes the space can be a gathering hub for neighborhood events such as movie nights, farmers and artisan markets, holiday events and arts workshops.
“This is a passion project and something I want to do for the community,” he said. “Success means being able to create what 15-year-old me always dreamt of and sharing that with a community.”
(Courtesy Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501©(3), journalist-run newsroom)
The city of Milwaukee and the Villard Avenue Business Improvement District issued a request for proposals (RFP) for developers interested in restoring the historic Villa/Ritz Theatre and returning it to its original use as an entertainment venue.
“It is our hope that the movie theatre will be a catalytic development such as the open-air theatre rendering that was re-envisioned in our historic virtual charrette during the summer of 2020,” said Villard BID director Angelique Sharpe today. “We would like to see it continue on with its long tradition of being able to house all kinds of entertainment such as cinema and film, performance, comedy, music, and dance.”
Constructed in 1926 by Michael Brumm to be an independent theatre, the 840-seat Spanish Colonial-style theater was used primarily as a movie theatre through a variety of owners, up until 1986 when Marcus Theatres closed it. Tanya and Herman Lewis bought it in 1988 and ran it as both a first and second-run theatre and community playhouse for several years before ceasing operation in 1995. Since then, the building has been used as a salon, a church, a bookstore, and a school. The city acquired the building through a tax foreclosure in 2015.
Restoration is projected at nearly $2 million, with the Department of City Development possibly incorporating alternative financing such as historic tax credits, tax incremental financing, and other sources.
Alderman Ashanti Hamilton who represents the Villard Avenue business district said that he was confident qualified developers would step up to help breathe new life back into the neighborhood landmark. “The impending redevelopment of the historic Villard Theatre is expected to be one of the most significant investments on Villard Avenue, but also for the far northwest side of Milwaukee, and the city as a whole. I can personally remember a time where this theatre was a destination that brought movie lovers from all parts of Milwaukee, both young and old, to visit Villard Avenue. This is a significant step for the commercial corridor, the neighborhood, and the entire city.”
To build excitement, the Villard Avenue BID will host a virtual developers' forum at 11 a.m. on March 25 with a panel discussion from industry experts including Lee Barczak, co-owner of the Neighborhood Theatre Group which operates the Avalon Theatre in Bay View, the Rosebud Theatre in Wauwatosa, and the Times Cinema on Vliet Street in Milwaukee. Immediately following the forum, developer teams will have the opportunity to partake in self-guided tours of the theatre. Proposals are due back to the city by noon on Friday, May 6.
A good, concise video history of the BADGER Theatre. https://www.facebook.com/stoughtonvillageplayers/videos/3994128964017197/ I saw its two-manual Wicks organ.