Uptown Theatre
4816 N. Broadway,
Chicago,
IL
60640
4816 N. Broadway,
Chicago,
IL
60640
88 people
favorited this theater
Showing 176 - 200 of 511 comments
Hi David,
The theatre on Sheridan Road, north of Irving Park Road is/was called the SHERIDAN and you’ll find lots of information about the cinema under that name at Cinema Treasures. The X-rated theatre south of Irving Park Road was my personal childhood favourite during the early 60’s, when it was still called by its original name – MODÈ. If you are interested in that one too, you’ll find plenty of information on it! If the Cinema Treasure site didn’t exist, one would have to invent it! Thanks very much to whoever is responsible for creating it!!!!
Greetings. I’m posting this inquiry on the Uptown page, because it seems to have a large numer of posters familiar with various theatres on the North Side of Chicago.
Does anyone remember any of the following three theatres, and their original names or exact addresses?
I’ve searched Cinema Treasures but have been unable to locate the pages because I’m unsure of the names. The locations I am sure of though.
1)Palacio Theatre?.
This place was located on Sheridan Road just North of Irving Park Road, on the West side of Sheridan. Where Cuyler or something dead ends into Sheridan.
North of the Holiday Club.
It was long closed and torn down in the late 70’s, or early `80’s. It was much bigger than the old X-Rated Festival Theatre that was South of Irving on Sheridan as well.
The Palacio had a huge auditorium whose rear was visible from the “L” trains after it made the Northbound turn from the Sheridan stop. I may be wrong about the name.
2)The Alameda?
This theatre was on Division a half block West of Damen on the North side of Division. It had a gigantic marquee that spanned the entire facade and overhung all the way to the curb. It was torn down in the early `90’s. The marquee had to have temporary poles to hold it up before it was razed. There is an open courtyard mini-mall with condos above I believe in it’s place now.
3)Lincolnwood Drive-In?
This place was on McCormick Blvd. between Howard & Devon near Touhy. Either North or South of Klein Tools.
It may be where Lincolnwood Towne Mall is now, where Bell & Howell used to be or something.
It may have also used a Chicago address. It was still open in the late `70’s, as I drove to & saw “The Enforcer” there. Clint got everyone amped up. Lot’s of gravel flying when everyone left.
These three theatres may already be listed on Cinema Treasures, I just don’t know the correct way to search them. Thanks!
I just wanted to share how proud of you Fellow “Theater nuts,” in Chi-town I'am. I’ve been watching your site for the Uptown with a lot of interest over the years and it seems as if a new chapter in this great theater’s life is about to be written. The passion you’ve all shown helped keep the Uptown’s fate in question allowing for time and reflection.I hope the new owners will allow your input and be able to channel the love you all have for it into something as great as the Great Theater its self.I look forward to the day I come to visit your city and the Palace that is the UPTOWN!!
I would hope that they would consider that. CATOE might be able to help with that. (The Chicago Theatre Organ Enthusiasts) There was an organ taken out of a theatre and put into a restaurant near the Nortown that is now closed. I wonder what became of that one? They took the lift out of the Nortown to make it work. I was at the Nortown when they did it.
Sigh. The problem with the destruction of theatres is that neither love nor logic seem to help very much, and love and/or logic are powerful driving emotions. I think that’s why it makes people so virulent.
Does anyone know if JAM would be open to the idea of having an organ put back into the Uptown? It seems that the Uptown would almost be incomplete without one.
I think it’s safe to say everyone on this site would like the best possible outcome for the Uptown. And I completly understand your curiosity in knowing every detail of the renovation process.
I will do my best to get everyone all the inside Information as soon as it become’s available. Please understand that there are item's
that cant be disclosed until event’s warrent. As far as the many
wonderful story’s I have of growing up in this great venue, they are
being compiled along with those of other big player’s in the theaters great history for an upcoming book. The title of the book is still up in the air,( The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway And Larwence?)Just kidding, however look for it to be realesed soon.
I have gathered backstage pass’s drum stick’s, set list’s, ect,
I gathered some great concert pictures, from friend’s and family.
Everyone from Alice Cooper, to Zappa, Played the Uptown. So there will be somthing for everyone music wise.
there’s a new, full-page editorial in the chicago reader this week concerning the sale of the uptown. it’s not up on the website just yet, but it is in the print edition which came out today. it discusses the reasons why the city should be happy that JAM purchased the theatre.
i’m sure their website will have the same article in the next day or so.
just wanted to keep everyone in the know about what’s being discussed in chicago about the theatre…
wow, rene! what cool stories you must have of your times at the uptown. just reading the summaries of those experiences makes me excited! (this doesn’t even count how cool i think it is that you must know about every nook in the uptown!)
Were Renee the guy who yelled at me when the line backed up so far when I was behind the concession counter at the Bay City Rollers concert? God, the munchies those people had!
{;-P
But I agree…there is much to be learned from past restoration experiences. We need to just sit tight a little bit longer, and see what kind of ride we’re going to be taken on, good or bad, exciting, or disappointing.
That wasn’t directed at you, Rene. Just everyone else who didn’t eat pizza with the Boss.
I hardly qualify as a armchair quaterback.
I dont think I am going out on a limb here when I say
that, I know this project like the back of my hand.
I have been to every concert, boxing match, movie,
at the Uptown from 1977-1981. I ate pizza with Bruce Springsteen
and company. shared popcorn with Peter Gabriel there, and cooked three turkey’s for Carlos Santana when he played there on thanksgiving day,
Please keep your comments focused on the subject at hand.
I want to also warn those of you who make unsubstantiated accusations about an organization that you are subject to our comments policy (which will be strictly enforced). Please remember as well that the relative anonymity of the Internet does not protect you from issues of libel.
As we note in our comments policy: “Unless you have court-documented proof of malice, bankruptcy, theft, vandalism, misappropriation of funds, drug use, violence, etc., do not submit any such accusations on this site. This site is not a venue for your private or public grievances against other people. If you wish to make such accusations, do it somewhere else. If you libel another user here, your account will be deleted.”
This will be enfored.
I guess I would simply ask that all of us armchair observers wait until there are some facts or there is a project proposal before getting into any flavor of lather. At this moment, nothing has changed. Everyone’s hopes, dreams and fears are simply on hold, awaiting further action and announcement. I cannot speak for any of the would-be owner/operators. However, I can speak for the volunteers who have a lot of experience and have studied and visited theatre restoration projects worldwide — good, bad and ugly. Yes, there is much to be learned from the past 30 years of theatre renovation and resue as we know it. No, conjecture, blame, accusations, threats of imprisonment and other nonsense are not helpful at this time. If this garbage continues on this page for the UPTOWN, I will ask that it be removed. Thanks.
I do not recommend libeling anyone on this or any other site. I think we can hold onto the thread by not responding inapropriately to inappropriate comments. Just let the trolls go back under the bridge. They don’t have to have any power here.
But to tackle another part of what’s come up…I really don’t think using other situations for a comparison as to how things will proceed with the Uptown is THAT far off topic. The whole point is to learn from the past. I’d rather have the Uptown restoration go more slowly and be done right than rushed and be done haphazardly.
If we’re looking at Chicago as a reference point, they certainly rushed to get the Iroquois open on time for the Christmas season, and it was open a month before it caught fire, killing hundreds of people. This has to been done as slowly as it needs to be, to be done safely and well.
This discussion has strayed so far from the Uptown, Chicago and any facts available at this time that I really wish it would cease.
My point was that historically theaters, as well as any complex building projects, are very, very frequently off-schedule. A lot of times now you’ll see theaters rushed to completion because they absolutely HAVE to open due to scheduling. But still things are pushed back very frequently. I know the last two big theater projects in Chicago, the Biograph and Bank of America (Lasalle Bank, Shubert, Majestic) Theater were both reopened significantly later than originally projected.
I would also point out that it is very normal for a theater to be closed long before restoration; for example, the Oriental was closed for 18 years and the Auditorium for nearly 30. The Genesee in Waukegan was closed for 15 years. I could go on. Continuous operation up to restoration is definitely the exception, not the rule.
What you’re saying is that the Uptown was off to a bad start, in other words, but over time it overcame this because the theater itself was so great. And that’s saying a great deal for the Uptown Theatre actually. I’d be curious to know what caused the delay, while trying to envision what things were like in Chicago in 1925 that might’ve caused it. I don’t know how hot the summers get up there in Chicago, but 1925 was before air-conditioning, was it not? So I’m thinking an extraordinary heatwave might’ve been a contributing factor. Also, the building of movie palaces at that time, as opposed to silent movie houses, was still in its experimental infancy, creating circumstances whereby the audiences would’ve been a bit more understanding than they would’ve been otherwise — an excuse that simply cannot be used in today’s world when it comes to reopening movie palaces.
If my assumptions are correct regarding how it was in 1925, apparently things were much better along three years later, because the Boyd movie palace here in Philadelphia, PA was scheduled to open on Christmas Day, 1928, and by golly it did! Maybe it did so based on a hard lesson learned from what happened regarding the Uptown’s delayed opening three years earlier, who knows? Any info on what the public’s reaction was when the Uptown’s grand opening was delayed by 17 days? It would be a sad statement about the Uptown, at least at the onset, if there wasn’t any.
BWChicago, can I please compliment you for that post? I loved it. I almost spit peach tea all over my keyboard, but I mean that in a good way.
When the Uptown was announced in the Chicago Tribune on February 3, 1924, it was stated that the planned opening date was April 1, 1925. It opened August 18th.
Using a retroactive approach, there has to be a resolve what we want the end result to be, when we want this to be, and then we have to fill in how we got from Point A — where the Uptown is now — to Point B — where we want it to be, and when.
In my saying this, a good example that comes to mind is the Olympics. Imagine if on the day the Olympics is scheduled to begin we get told, “Er, it’s not ready yet, folks, please give us another year or so before it finally will be.” When it comes to the Olympics such an occurrence is unthinkable. It’s quite clear the show must go on when it’s scheduled to go on, no ifs, and or buts. And to the best of my knowledge no hosting city ever dropped the ball when it came to this. And while I understand that when the Uptown is fully restored it’s to be a thing of permanence and not merely temporary, why should they make a difference really? When the first Disneyland in Anaheim was scheduled to open on such and such a date, it opened on that date, and that was (and remains) a thing of permanence. And it’s really the only way to get things done in my opinion.
And in the Uptown’s case so much that needs to be done to make the dream real has already been done. It’s passed the two massive barriers of finding the best location for it and the best architects to design it. It’s already located in one of the greatest cities in the U.S., and believe me, theater architects don’t come better than Rapp & Rapp! And that much is all fully squared away now. So now comes the big question when will it be reopened, and all the rest is just fill in the pieces — the same as it is when it comes to the Olympics, or building Disneyland. People do it, you know. Why should it be any different here?
I believe the Uptown will be gorgeously restored and reopened! I just doubt the items mentioned in the Crain’s article.
Remember the old Chicago motto: I WILL! Despite rampant negativism, the city has always achieved what it sets out to do – despite all odds.
I have a very positive feeling, that this is really going to work out for the best of the Uptown Theatre and all those dedicated advocates, who have never given up hope – after all these years. We are most certain to see this architectural jewel restored to its former glory! YES WE WILL! YES WE CAN!
Well my hope, of course, is that the Uptown’s restoration will show a totally different variation on the word “realistic,” as opposed to what we saw in the Boyd Theatre’s case in Philadelphia, PA, and that the Uptown’s restoration will demonstrate that what those in Philly insist can’t be done CAN be done. I see no reason why the Uptown’s restoration can’t work, and within the time frame presented, if it’s strictly adhered to.
And my hope is that those involved with the Boyd will be able to humbly watch and learn from what they observe, and apply the lessons learned to restoring the Boyd.
One can dream, can’t he?
The ADA often will require elevators, accessible seating, etc. but fundamentally is consistent with a restoration.
As to this above post:
According to a Crain’s article the Jam/Freed partnership is required by court order to place $5M in an escrow account 30 days after being awarded title and have a renovation financing plan in place 90 days after that. Renovation is required to be complete in about 2 and a half years.
The Crain’s article quotes somebody as stating that, but it seems unrealistic that $5 mil will be put in escow, that a renovation financing plan will be in place within 90 days, and iffy as to the 2.5 year timetable. Substantial public funding takes time to obtain.
Scott: I heard the deadline was monday, in Berlin?
I think we would all like it to look as it did in August of 1925.
But we all know that’s just not going to happen.
The American’s With Disability’s Act,alone is one thing that will
stop this from being a restoration as oppossed to a renovation.
City code’s. All go into more detail later.
www.chicagosuptowntheater.com