“I often wondered how your personalities Dupersupporter, dupage dude, the murph and restorationrita were able to switch back and forth so much. My son showed me how.” – True Class
I don’t think this is in fact possible; however, I can’t test it because I only have one identity! How do you explain this? Are YOU the one with multiple identities?
I’ll try to take a picture this week. In addition to the pediment removal, some of the terra cotta on the corners seems to have been covered in a cement or stucco to keep it from falling. Other sections are being bagged where damaged terra cotta is removed. It’s a very, very sad sight to see, although it’s perhaps better for the long term. I’m just concerned that it might be following the Sutton and other such new york theatres that have lost landmark status due to facade alterations. The recent uptown advisor emails have included the following footnote.
The ABCs of ‘What is going on with the UPTOWN’
Reportedly, the current status of the UPTOWN THEATRE is, in brief:
A. The work, fences, scaffolding and barricades that you see today are part of the continuing exterior stabilization effort. In order to begin remedying the building’s deferred maintenance, many bricks and pieces of ornamental terra cotta must be removed and stored for safekeeping. Where parts of the building’s facade are removed, the area is strapped and bagged to hold it in place — and covered to weatherproof it.
B. The work is being done by an engineering firm and a masonry contractor. The project is being overseen by local officials, a circuit court judge and the court-appointed receiver.
C. The privately owned UPTOWN THEATRE building remains closed, vacant, secure and in serious need of significant private investment for it to be renovated as an entertainment venue. No definitive plan or project for the building has been announced. The search for a viable entertainment prospect continues. Several state and local incentives are availableâ€"including city tax-increment financingâ€"for a feasible plan that meets civic criteria and expectations for the multi-venued Uptown Square National Register Historic District. Serious inquiries (only) should be directed to local officials, including the alderman, the city planning department, and UPCORP.
The current ‘stabilization’ efforts leave me very concerned about the future of the Uptown. In the name of removing terra cotta to preserve it and keep the building structurally stable, the entire pediment has now been removed. It really looks horribly disfigured, and although the city is involved, It could perhaps be grounds for losing its landmark status in the future. On the upside, the grafitti which has otherwise marred the building’s appearance for months has been removed, and shouldn’t return again since the stablization efforts will allow the scaffolds around the building to be removed, which had allowed the taggers access.
LD4, you said he was RobertR too and that was easily proven wrong. Your boyfriend didn’t know you can click on aliases and see where else people have posted? And what email addresses are linked to DupageDude and Dupersupporter on this site that were traced? I see none. Also, if these e-mails originate from free web accounts – you say he will never email under a paid account – where is the IP coming from? But all this alias nonsense is totally irrelevant anyway; just another ill attempt at spin.
Yeah, that was a real desperate attempt right there. One thing I don’t understand is why the diehards on this site who want to see the building sown are sticking around if they’re so sure demolition is coming. Can anyone explain that?
I REALLY doubt Davis Cone would want one of his paintings to be displayed in a cropped, artifacted grayscale format like that… it’s really quite a painting.
Well, certainly yes, that’s sort of my point (I guess I just stated it poorly at first, my apologies); if the discussion is kept to one spot then it can be more effective, as long as affected parties are linked to it; but spreading anything like this out over a number of pages only dissipates the effect and results in redundancy and confusion. I think that criticism is absolutely vital to preservation; however, it should not stoop to juvenile tactics (see the posting of correspondance on the disgusting Dupage listing; attackers there are hopelessly blind and closed-minded, and I still have no idea what they’re trying to accomplish besides making themselves look like idiots) or to allegations without presentation of evidence (slander).
I have to wonder what, exactly, was the point of using this building for their music hall. They’ve totally destroyed any trace of the old theater besides the ceiling. I don’t see how the brick walls of this theater are any different from any other building. At least the facade is left.
I think this might’ve been from Elmer Behrens, plans originally for an unbuilt Lombard cinema look relatively close to the Raue, although different (cheapened?) in a few ways. See the Chicago Tribune, “Cinema for Du Page County Suburb”, July 24, 1927. This was part of the Polka Brothers circuit in the 1930s.
While they didn’t ultimately change the name, I would not be surprised if they did. The banners came down shortly after I made that post, and have been replaced by banners advertising an upcoming event. I wish I had gotten a closer look. So, either it was for an ad shoot or something, or they were doing testing of some sort. I would not be at all surprised if it does become a Nokia Theatre- AEG has projects in LA, Dallas, and NYC, and nothing in Chicago yet. The Congress now often hosts shows from House of blues- maybe they will switch affiliations.
Architect was apparently JEO Pridmore. The September 25, 1912 Tribune article lists seating as 1800, but the description of the theatre seems consistent.
The theatre seems to have been known as the Clermont for most of its life, although a few early ads refer to it as Clearmont. The Claremont name only appears once. It seems to disappear from listings around 1927, and was a cabinet shop by the fifties.
In fairness, Shepardson does have a reputation for doing beautiful, fabulous work, but also for having inflated budgets that get broken.
Also, from what i’ve gathered, the Annoyance fiasco was related to the Uptown-Broadway Building, not the Uptown theatre, although Mr. Warshauer was removed from there as well.
In any event, i’m pretty sure Mr. Shepardson has a better reputation, especially since he is willing to discuss his past projects, successful or not.
Ron, are you using Firefox? I do and I frequently have this problem. I’ve mentioned it to Brian Krefft in the past but it’s been doing this as long as i’ve used FF. I’m not sure exactly what causes it.
The Loew’s State. /theaters/1938_0_2_0_C/
“I often wondered how your personalities Dupersupporter, dupage dude, the murph and restorationrita were able to switch back and forth so much. My son showed me how.” – True Class
I don’t think this is in fact possible; however, I can’t test it because I only have one identity! How do you explain this? Are YOU the one with multiple identities?
I’ll try to take a picture this week. In addition to the pediment removal, some of the terra cotta on the corners seems to have been covered in a cement or stucco to keep it from falling. Other sections are being bagged where damaged terra cotta is removed. It’s a very, very sad sight to see, although it’s perhaps better for the long term. I’m just concerned that it might be following the Sutton and other such new york theatres that have lost landmark status due to facade alterations. The recent uptown advisor emails have included the following footnote.
The ABCs of ‘What is going on with the UPTOWN’
Reportedly, the current status of the UPTOWN THEATRE is, in brief:
A. The work, fences, scaffolding and barricades that you see today are part of the continuing exterior stabilization effort. In order to begin remedying the building’s deferred maintenance, many bricks and pieces of ornamental terra cotta must be removed and stored for safekeeping. Where parts of the building’s facade are removed, the area is strapped and bagged to hold it in place — and covered to weatherproof it.
B. The work is being done by an engineering firm and a masonry contractor. The project is being overseen by local officials, a circuit court judge and the court-appointed receiver.
C. The privately owned UPTOWN THEATRE building remains closed, vacant, secure and in serious need of significant private investment for it to be renovated as an entertainment venue. No definitive plan or project for the building has been announced. The search for a viable entertainment prospect continues. Several state and local incentives are availableâ€"including city tax-increment financingâ€"for a feasible plan that meets civic criteria and expectations for the multi-venued Uptown Square National Register Historic District. Serious inquiries (only) should be directed to local officials, including the alderman, the city planning department, and UPCORP.
The current ‘stabilization’ efforts leave me very concerned about the future of the Uptown. In the name of removing terra cotta to preserve it and keep the building structurally stable, the entire pediment has now been removed. It really looks horribly disfigured, and although the city is involved, It could perhaps be grounds for losing its landmark status in the future. On the upside, the grafitti which has otherwise marred the building’s appearance for months has been removed, and shouldn’t return again since the stablization efforts will allow the scaffolds around the building to be removed, which had allowed the taggers access.
This was an essaness theater as of the 80s
LD4, you said he was RobertR too and that was easily proven wrong. Your boyfriend didn’t know you can click on aliases and see where else people have posted? And what email addresses are linked to DupageDude and Dupersupporter on this site that were traced? I see none. Also, if these e-mails originate from free web accounts – you say he will never email under a paid account – where is the IP coming from? But all this alias nonsense is totally irrelevant anyway; just another ill attempt at spin.
Yeah, that was a real desperate attempt right there. One thing I don’t understand is why the diehards on this site who want to see the building sown are sticking around if they’re so sure demolition is coming. Can anyone explain that?
I REALLY doubt Davis Cone would want one of his paintings to be displayed in a cropped, artifacted grayscale format like that… it’s really quite a painting.
Well, certainly yes, that’s sort of my point (I guess I just stated it poorly at first, my apologies); if the discussion is kept to one spot then it can be more effective, as long as affected parties are linked to it; but spreading anything like this out over a number of pages only dissipates the effect and results in redundancy and confusion. I think that criticism is absolutely vital to preservation; however, it should not stoop to juvenile tactics (see the posting of correspondance on the disgusting Dupage listing; attackers there are hopelessly blind and closed-minded, and I still have no idea what they’re trying to accomplish besides making themselves look like idiots) or to allegations without presentation of evidence (slander).
Truly, an effort worthy of Junior High. I’d be ashamed to live in a town like this. Bravo.
Also the facade is terra cotta, not vitrolite. At least the lower part. View link I guess they’ll be replacing the marquee too at least
I have to wonder what, exactly, was the point of using this building for their music hall. They’ve totally destroyed any trace of the old theater besides the ceiling. I don’t see how the brick walls of this theater are any different from any other building. At least the facade is left.
Fitting, I suppose
I think this might’ve been from Elmer Behrens, plans originally for an unbuilt Lombard cinema look relatively close to the Raue, although different (cheapened?) in a few ways. See the Chicago Tribune, “Cinema for Du Page County Suburb”, July 24, 1927. This was part of the Polka Brothers circuit in the 1930s.
While they didn’t ultimately change the name, I would not be surprised if they did. The banners came down shortly after I made that post, and have been replaced by banners advertising an upcoming event. I wish I had gotten a closer look. So, either it was for an ad shoot or something, or they were doing testing of some sort. I would not be at all surprised if it does become a Nokia Theatre- AEG has projects in LA, Dallas, and NYC, and nothing in Chicago yet. The Congress now often hosts shows from House of blues- maybe they will switch affiliations.
An august 18, 1927 article says architect JEO Pridmore did an addition bringing this building to the sidewalk. Probably after this it was renamed.
The second Terminal was designed by JEO Pridmore for the Ascher Brothers. -Tribune, Feb 1, 1925
Architect was apparently JEO Pridmore. The September 25, 1912 Tribune article lists seating as 1800, but the description of the theatre seems consistent.
A Feb 26, 1911 Chicago Tribune article likewise lists Pridmore
Architect JEO Pridmore – Tribune, Feb 26, 1911
Architect was JEO Pridmore (Chicago Tribune, June 14, 1936)
Architect for the Stadium was JEO Pridmore (Chicago Tribune, June 14, 1936)
The theatre seems to have been known as the Clermont for most of its life, although a few early ads refer to it as Clearmont. The Claremont name only appears once. It seems to disappear from listings around 1927, and was a cabinet shop by the fifties.
In 1914, ads refer to the theater as ‘Fullerton’. Perhaps the Crest name came later.
In fairness, Shepardson does have a reputation for doing beautiful, fabulous work, but also for having inflated budgets that get broken.
Also, from what i’ve gathered, the Annoyance fiasco was related to the Uptown-Broadway Building, not the Uptown theatre, although Mr. Warshauer was removed from there as well.
In any event, i’m pretty sure Mr. Shepardson has a better reputation, especially since he is willing to discuss his past projects, successful or not.
Ron, are you using Firefox? I do and I frequently have this problem. I’ve mentioned it to Brian Krefft in the past but it’s been doing this as long as i’ve used FF. I’m not sure exactly what causes it.