You really need to do a reality check…but then you have been living in fantasy land for years heading up the group that destroyed the DuPage. You must feel so proud…hold your head up proud. Do you plan to march in black in mourning during the best Lilac Parade in years? Will the Friends really have the audicity to walk down Main Street? Maybe you should march holding up signs telling parade goers how much your group has cost Lombard taxpayers over the years! The celebration at Lilac time this year and for years to come will mean even more now that the theatre is really gone.
Really? Can’t wait to read your next round on nonsense in the local paper…the one that broadcast your sorry cause for years on end. You spread lies, mistruths, and more week after week for years. Your group was beyond passionate, you were rude, disrespectful, and outright nasty for your failed crusade. It was your theatre cause or nothing. Lombard has lost what could have been a treasure but even sadder is two new board members got elected on this sorry cause. One can only hope the uncontested one resigns as she brings absolutely nothing to the board….other than a vindictive and spiteful attitude. Lombard loses when people like that get elected.
Scott: Did you know the Friends themselves advocated the 2006 demolition of the auditorium? They are the only ones to blame for the demise of this once historic theatre. All that came down this week was the lobby and shoppes….all which has been literally abandoned for nearly 20 years. Community support was there in the beginning but then waned as costs escalated and the building continued to rot…..it was an eyesore and its demolition is a victory for the residents of Lombard.
Oh Rita…your spite is so childish. Glad to see amateur hour is back on track with your restoration agenda…too bad there is no theatre left to restore as the historic theatre was taken down last year and all that went down this week was the lobby and shoppes. What would the black box plan had been other than a “generic cookie cutter million-plex” tucked under 120 condos? Face it Rita, the plan simply stunk. The kids will win in the long run…and can perform at the area high schools and many other venues in the immediate area. A generic black box was all this plan was…face it!
Lombard will still support the arts….just watch! You will see a mixed use (4 stories, not 10 like you wish) building that encompasses retail, an arts center, community use, Metra parking, and even the 89,000 square foot library. All good use of this gift to the entire community and not just to the “friends”.
It will be such a welcome relief to see Lombard move forward.
Lombard PRIDE has never shined brighter than at 3:00 on May 10th…the end of the theatre nonsense and the beginning of a new era for downtown Lombard. If only the support that was shown for the demolition that day had been support for it’s restoration years ago then maybe Lombard indeed could have saved this long past its prime cinema treasure.
The once mighty Dupe has been in disrepair for over twenty years and had become an embarrassment to our community. The crumbling terra cotta, the boarded up windows, the fence, the garbage bags blowing in the wind….all for Lombard to see for all these years. The clearing of this site is a welcome addition.
As for poster Krefft’s comments about this theatre being the only redeeming quality of what he calls an otherwise bland downtown, we can only be grateful that with that type of attitude that you continue on the train past Lombard everyday. Our downtown is quite vibrant…and a new energy has indeed come to life despite the now forever extinquished efforts of the Friends of the (demolished) Dupage Theatre. Maybe you can take these Friends with you to the Wheaton Metra stop…where this group can be paraded around as the example of how not to save a cinema treasure.
“They can talk about "healing” all they want but we will make certain that the good people in this community know what they are all about. Their charade is over. The gloves are off.“
posted by New Lombard on Mar 11, 2007 at 5:29am
Is that a threat from the puppeteer himself? Sorry to hear your strings are all tangled up in knots with no place to go now that the 10 day countdown has begun. Time to untangle your puppets and let them go run on their own merits.
Glad to see Lombard Pride shine this day….and why is it that the www.dupagetheatre.net site is not up today? Could it really be game over once and for all or are they simply updating their site with even more vindictive spite that Mr. Fitzpatrick is cooking up this day?
Wow Dude….such strong words of sentiment yet they still failed you and let you down. And if this sentiment is so strong where is your support other than hiding in the trenches? Why did you leave and let the others take charge? Where’s the outrage with letters to the editor, websites, and campaigns of truth? These same friends are now trying to get on the village board….where are your candidates to stop these vermin from crawling into the villlage chambers with not one but two votes? Your Lombard Pride needs to shine Dude….find write in candidates to stop the vermin and her friend.
All talk and no action their Dude…just like the friends for the past eight years. And just when they pull their biggest coup yet in slating two vermin to crawl onto the village board, the building they are trying to save meets its maker once and for all.
Here’s a few questions for you Dude…..
Will the Friends still have an entry in the Lilac Parade this year even if their theatre dream is stacked on pallets in Union? Will the theatre trustees march behind their friends flag or instead avoid the parade entirely?
Will the Friends still have meetings once the building is really gone?
Will the Friends still have two candidates once the building is gone Dude? Do they have any other agenda Dude?
Will Lombard Pride ever shine again or are we forever tarnished Dude?
So much for the tenets of Lombard Pride their New Lombard….but then it shines proud with the hateful remarks of the likes of the officers of the Friends of the DuPage Theatre. One need only read their weekly column or their website to see that their Lombard Pride has gone the way of their “deconstructed” theatre….to the dump! And to think that mission of hate is coming to the village board in two uncontested races where they have slated two puppets. Lombard has not seen the worst of this battle yet….true ugliness will be on the board itself with two votes of spite for the next four years.
The only ones that have played unfairly in this game are the friends themselves…with their ongoing mission of dishonesty and deceit. Their own failures are now being blamed on everyone but themselves. The village has been cursed with this theatre since 1999 and finally in 2007 it is coming to a bitter end (at least one hopes).
And with hateful postings such as New Lombard and the ongoing personal attacks put forth by the likes of Friends leaders Kevin & Laura Fitzpatrick, Barb Alvarado, and Deb Dynako, it is likely that this village will never work together on a common goal for the soon to be cleared parcel. The likes of Kevin tried to endorse a village board candidate and wthin hours of the article being published, the candidate himself issued a statement of support for the demolition and for the curse of the friends to stay away from his campaign.
Once this dreadful eyesore is demolished in the coming weeks, the Friends can take their forever unfunded love and affection for the marquee and facade to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union….for that is where the remnants of their decontructed grand dame are headed in the next few weeks, piece by piece, via flatbed trucks.
And one can only hope that this hatred goes away with it…….
A voice of reason there Melders…thank you. No conspiracy at all but simply an example of failed dreams and financial games. The theatre was not well cared for and sank to disrepair under numerous owners over the course of many years. A saving grace was when Big Idea purchased the theatre and adjoining properties with a grand plan that later fell flat on its face…with dozens of so called reasons but it simply came down to the almighty dollar (imagine that). The theatre…in even worse shape than it was really…was gifted to the village with the hopes that it be restored with a facility that would benefit the community as a whole. Nearly ten years later and after literally dozens of ideas on what to do with the property it still sits…at least what’s left of it after the village finally tore down the crumbling auditorium. Costs have risen and still the shell of what’s left sits after lawsuits and threats and community forums ripping the village apart have led to nothing. No white knight with millions to save the day and now they want to rebuild it….all on the taxpayers dime. You win some and you lose some and these theatre supporters refuse to admit defeat and move on with their lives. A real tragedy and makes one wish the village had simply torn the place down the day after they were given the deed as no one in their right mind would have ever dreamed that this nightmare would still be unresolved in 2007.
The only thing you are saving now is the name of that single issue candidate for trustee…what a sad platform she is running on (unopposed unfortunately). Guess she could be the “demolitionist party” given that her group ultimately destroyed the theatre. Comedy will indeed be back on the airwaves every other Thursday night come May….but then what happens come May when the theatre is no longer an agenda item as the cause has come to an end? Will she really take office?
And what historical elements are left? A few light fixtures in your garage or basement? A crumbling terra cotta facade? A marquee that is heading for the scrap heap? What else is worth saving now that the theatre is gone? Will historic theatre lovers travel near and far to see a lobby? Doubt that….and Cinema Treasures is for the appreciation of historic THEATRES, not hallways that once led to historic theatres that have been destroyed by the greed of a group that was appointed to save it.
800 viewers? That is still more support than the friends of the demolished dupe have ever had….despite free editorial week after week in the local rag to spout out mistruths and misinformation on the fate of the theatre. Face it folks..the Friends of the DuPage Theatre failed year after year after year with false hopes and promises and have now embraced a black box plan to rise from the pile of bricks that once was the historic theatre. Only problem is there is no support and yet another plan will lead to nothing…imagine that.
Now cry me river alright….tears of joy will indeed flow like a river amongst Lombardians village wide when the rest of the DuPage comes down this spring given that word on the street is this latest plan is falling apart fast and it is only a matter of weeks before the developer walks (or should one say gets washed away given storm water retention seems to be the latest stumbling block).
Dude figured it all out….the Friends are really to blame for the demise of the theatre as they failed time and time again to address the funding issues all the while claiming tax dollars would not be used. And here it is the historic auditorium is gone and the rest of the building now sits with the bulldozers waiting for the call to take the rest of her down. The only thing left of The Dupe will be memories and pictures…..not a bad thing really when one considers the disrepair the place had been in all these years.
What part of preservation was there in a plan that already demolished the theatre itself? Sort of like tearing down the historic house but keeping the garage. Heard it is close to 5-1 on total demolition sooner rather than later.
State and federal grants? Do tell….the state grant was tied up for years in the Illinois budget mess and never amounted to anything other than talk. And the federal grant was not enough to matter in the total scope and had too many strings attached to it. But no worries now that “Deb’s Dupe” is gone for good….thanks to their ongoing failures. No significant fundraising, no corporate sponsors, not one sensible funded plan in years….nothing except an unfunded plan that ultimately demolished the theatre….if only Lombard had “village fathers and mothers” then maybe your “kitchen table agenda” would have moved forward and you would not be facing 2007 as the “failed friends” that advocated demolition simply to save face.
Hey Theatre Buffoon….give it up as the place is rightfully GONE. And the uncultured masses gathered in glee from their double-wides and popped open cans of Old Style and bottles of Mad Dog….so far from the truth. Bottles of Dom were poured into Waterford flutes as a toast to the efforts of the Friends in achieving their goal…seeing the flywall take a fall.
You could only wish to live in a place like Lombard…stay in Philly and eat cheese steak sandwhiches….they will do your heart good.
She’s gone now….the last of the walls went down today. And the residents rejoiced as finally some progress as the long shuttered theatre was finally hauled away. Given that it has sat boarded up for nearly 10 years it was time for it to go as all attempts to restore had failed as there simply was not enough interest, support, and most importantly money to bring back the stars. And the ever futile attempt to rebuild a new theatre on the site at the taxpayers expense is losing steam fast as residents learn the costs associated with the project and neighbors fear the density of a 120+ condo development, a 299 seat theatre (with no parking believe it or not!), and loads of retail space in an area that simply does not warrant it. The only good news is that some of the artifacts were saved and can be incorporated into some future development…but hopefully not at the expense of local taxpayers.
If “location, location, location” is everything, why then did this project fail on so many fronts? This theatre has sat rotting away for well over 20 years…..and boarded up for nearly the last 10. Where was your financial contribution to save the day?
Talk is cheap….preservation takes perseverance and CASH. They tried and tried to save this place but the cash was not to be found. A couple thousand from a fundraiser here and there is not going to be enough to save a theatre…yet alone a light fixture. They needed some deep pocked benefactor to come forth but that did not happen. Even the owner of several other classic old cinemas in the Chicago area passed on this so called “gem” as it was in such disrepair.
And to say that the citizenry is “culturally depraved”…I laugh at your ignorance. Don’t forget that the group that so tried to save this place is the same group that embraced the demolition as a bittersweet victory as they think that adding twinkling stars and a few chunks of plaster will recreate the feel of a Rapp & Rapp showplace in their planned new performance space (funded by none other than the “culturally depraved” village in its entirety).
“Members of the Friends group saved bits of plaster work, original seats and lamps and some stars that lined the theater’s ceiling in the hope that the antique pieces will be used in the new state-of-the-art theater.”…..but the nearly $50,000 cost to save the plaster and other tidbits of the past from the long decaying theatere was paid not by the preservation group but instead by the village.
From an article in the local paper this past week….
Meanwhile, the village has to find a way to pay for the $40 million redevelopment project — one of the largest in the village’s history, said Deborah Dynako, president of Friends of the DuPage Theatre.
“The theater is going to be owned by the village,” Dynako said. “And the taxes collected by the village from the condos will go to pay for the redevelopment.”
The 78-year-old theater at Main Street and Parkside Avenue is within the boundaries of a tax increment financing district, which the village will extend for another 12 years to pay for the project.
The start of the teardown was a bittersweet day for Dynako and members of her organization. They filed a lawsuit last year in DuPage County Circuit Court to save the old movie house.
“While we are very sorry for the loss of the auditorium, we feel very optimistic about our new theater,” said Dynako, who lives three blocks from the theater. “I’ve been watching it all day. … It’s unfortunate. But this was expected.”
Members of the Friends group saved bits of plaster work, original seats and lamps and some stars that lined the theater’s ceiling in the hope that the antique pieces will be used in the new state-of-the-art theater.
“We’re hoping to put stars back into the theater,” she said.
Hey Rita…you tell us where gas is only 1.46 a gallon today and I will join the friends and never post against your pet project again. And what good does the TIF extension do when the only date your theatre has is a date with the wrecking ball? Maybe the TIF extension can help pay for the new parking garage.
True Class…better read up on TIF because you are wrong. TIF does not impact sales tax at all….only property tax. The Business District sales tax is what you are thinking of.
One only needs to look at the Lincoln Square development to see that new retail space is NOT in demand….all that new space is still empty nearly a year later. And you know “supporter” you are grasping at straws at this point. The redevelopment of the park land and allocation of TIF for the new shared park district maintenance facility was correct. It took prime downtown property and put it back on the tax rolls..and got rid of the unsighly maintenance garage in the heart of town.
Find private funding for your theatre project and go for it….heck you can even have $1.5 million in TIF and not upset us so called “theatre haters”. But again when there is no private investment in the theatre, the project is full of taxpayer intervention.
Take the tax credits, take the Save The Treasure grants, take some more TIF but then find PRIVATE dollars for the rest. Nearly one hundred percent of the project was being financed via some sort of “tax intervention” and not with private donations or private equity.
TAX INCREMENT FINANCING….TAX DOLLAR DIVERSION. A taxpayer that would have (key word: WOULD HAVE) paid propery taxes in that once was condo development would have seen the majority of their real estate tax bill diverted to the TIF to fund the theatre for 23 years. Funding that could have gone to the schools, the library, etc…..
Are sales tax, income tax, transfer tax, and gasolines tax not taxes either since they don’t appear on your real estate tax bill? Are tax credits not reallocation of tax dollars? Is a “save the trash…oops I mean treasure” grant not coming from federal TAX dollars? Does that answer your question?
A project with minimal taxpayer intervention is acceptable but when next to no funding is coming from private funds, it simply fails the village residents. As has been said time and time again, if this theatre project is so lucrative you “Friends” should finance it yourselves and bask in all its glory (and profits if the demand is so strong and the project is so easily fully funded). Take out the “public funds” and you have not even enough to restore the old rusted out marquee.
I have to laugh out loud at the latest comment by “dude”….the biggest offender and he lashes out again at the so called “anti-theatre group”. Just goes to show the “friends” never learn. It is not that the opposition was anti-theatre, it was against the proposed plan. As was always said from day one, bring a plan without “taxpayer intervention” and all will support the plan. That has not happened. Dude and others seem to forget the wide scope that taxpayer intervention was taking on their so called “fully funded plan”. Show the “naysayers” where there was private equity (and not “handouts” by the village, state, or federal government via tax credits, TIF, proceeds from village owned land sales) and the support for your now defunct plan will come back.
And kudos to the friends for yet another damning commentary of our village government in the local paper. That is the way to really win support of your long defunct project and admiration from the village board, village staff, and most importantly, the taxpaying residents of our town. One would have thought you learned that lessone by now.
You really need to do a reality check…but then you have been living in fantasy land for years heading up the group that destroyed the DuPage. You must feel so proud…hold your head up proud. Do you plan to march in black in mourning during the best Lilac Parade in years? Will the Friends really have the audicity to walk down Main Street? Maybe you should march holding up signs telling parade goers how much your group has cost Lombard taxpayers over the years! The celebration at Lilac time this year and for years to come will mean even more now that the theatre is really gone.
Really? Can’t wait to read your next round on nonsense in the local paper…the one that broadcast your sorry cause for years on end. You spread lies, mistruths, and more week after week for years. Your group was beyond passionate, you were rude, disrespectful, and outright nasty for your failed crusade. It was your theatre cause or nothing. Lombard has lost what could have been a treasure but even sadder is two new board members got elected on this sorry cause. One can only hope the uncontested one resigns as she brings absolutely nothing to the board….other than a vindictive and spiteful attitude. Lombard loses when people like that get elected.
Scott: Did you know the Friends themselves advocated the 2006 demolition of the auditorium? They are the only ones to blame for the demise of this once historic theatre. All that came down this week was the lobby and shoppes….all which has been literally abandoned for nearly 20 years. Community support was there in the beginning but then waned as costs escalated and the building continued to rot…..it was an eyesore and its demolition is a victory for the residents of Lombard.
Oh Rita…your spite is so childish. Glad to see amateur hour is back on track with your restoration agenda…too bad there is no theatre left to restore as the historic theatre was taken down last year and all that went down this week was the lobby and shoppes. What would the black box plan had been other than a “generic cookie cutter million-plex” tucked under 120 condos? Face it Rita, the plan simply stunk. The kids will win in the long run…and can perform at the area high schools and many other venues in the immediate area. A generic black box was all this plan was…face it!
Lombard will still support the arts….just watch! You will see a mixed use (4 stories, not 10 like you wish) building that encompasses retail, an arts center, community use, Metra parking, and even the 89,000 square foot library. All good use of this gift to the entire community and not just to the “friends”.
It will be such a welcome relief to see Lombard move forward.
Lombard PRIDE has never shined brighter than at 3:00 on May 10th…the end of the theatre nonsense and the beginning of a new era for downtown Lombard. If only the support that was shown for the demolition that day had been support for it’s restoration years ago then maybe Lombard indeed could have saved this long past its prime cinema treasure.
The once mighty Dupe has been in disrepair for over twenty years and had become an embarrassment to our community. The crumbling terra cotta, the boarded up windows, the fence, the garbage bags blowing in the wind….all for Lombard to see for all these years. The clearing of this site is a welcome addition.
As for poster Krefft’s comments about this theatre being the only redeeming quality of what he calls an otherwise bland downtown, we can only be grateful that with that type of attitude that you continue on the train past Lombard everyday. Our downtown is quite vibrant…and a new energy has indeed come to life despite the now forever extinquished efforts of the Friends of the (demolished) Dupage Theatre. Maybe you can take these Friends with you to the Wheaton Metra stop…where this group can be paraded around as the example of how not to save a cinema treasure.
“They can talk about "healing” all they want but we will make certain that the good people in this community know what they are all about. Their charade is over. The gloves are off.“
posted by New Lombard on Mar 11, 2007 at 5:29am
Is that a threat from the puppeteer himself? Sorry to hear your strings are all tangled up in knots with no place to go now that the 10 day countdown has begun. Time to untangle your puppets and let them go run on their own merits.
Glad to see Lombard Pride shine this day….and why is it that the www.dupagetheatre.net site is not up today? Could it really be game over once and for all or are they simply updating their site with even more vindictive spite that Mr. Fitzpatrick is cooking up this day?
Wow Dude….such strong words of sentiment yet they still failed you and let you down. And if this sentiment is so strong where is your support other than hiding in the trenches? Why did you leave and let the others take charge? Where’s the outrage with letters to the editor, websites, and campaigns of truth? These same friends are now trying to get on the village board….where are your candidates to stop these vermin from crawling into the villlage chambers with not one but two votes? Your Lombard Pride needs to shine Dude….find write in candidates to stop the vermin and her friend.
All talk and no action their Dude…just like the friends for the past eight years. And just when they pull their biggest coup yet in slating two vermin to crawl onto the village board, the building they are trying to save meets its maker once and for all.
Here’s a few questions for you Dude…..
Will the Friends still have an entry in the Lilac Parade this year even if their theatre dream is stacked on pallets in Union? Will the theatre trustees march behind their friends flag or instead avoid the parade entirely?
Will the Friends still have meetings once the building is really gone?
Will the Friends still have two candidates once the building is gone Dude? Do they have any other agenda Dude?
Will Lombard Pride ever shine again or are we forever tarnished Dude?
So much for the tenets of Lombard Pride their New Lombard….but then it shines proud with the hateful remarks of the likes of the officers of the Friends of the DuPage Theatre. One need only read their weekly column or their website to see that their Lombard Pride has gone the way of their “deconstructed” theatre….to the dump! And to think that mission of hate is coming to the village board in two uncontested races where they have slated two puppets. Lombard has not seen the worst of this battle yet….true ugliness will be on the board itself with two votes of spite for the next four years.
The only ones that have played unfairly in this game are the friends themselves…with their ongoing mission of dishonesty and deceit. Their own failures are now being blamed on everyone but themselves. The village has been cursed with this theatre since 1999 and finally in 2007 it is coming to a bitter end (at least one hopes).
And with hateful postings such as New Lombard and the ongoing personal attacks put forth by the likes of Friends leaders Kevin & Laura Fitzpatrick, Barb Alvarado, and Deb Dynako, it is likely that this village will never work together on a common goal for the soon to be cleared parcel. The likes of Kevin tried to endorse a village board candidate and wthin hours of the article being published, the candidate himself issued a statement of support for the demolition and for the curse of the friends to stay away from his campaign.
Once this dreadful eyesore is demolished in the coming weeks, the Friends can take their forever unfunded love and affection for the marquee and facade to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union….for that is where the remnants of their decontructed grand dame are headed in the next few weeks, piece by piece, via flatbed trucks.
And one can only hope that this hatred goes away with it…….
A voice of reason there Melders…thank you. No conspiracy at all but simply an example of failed dreams and financial games. The theatre was not well cared for and sank to disrepair under numerous owners over the course of many years. A saving grace was when Big Idea purchased the theatre and adjoining properties with a grand plan that later fell flat on its face…with dozens of so called reasons but it simply came down to the almighty dollar (imagine that). The theatre…in even worse shape than it was really…was gifted to the village with the hopes that it be restored with a facility that would benefit the community as a whole. Nearly ten years later and after literally dozens of ideas on what to do with the property it still sits…at least what’s left of it after the village finally tore down the crumbling auditorium. Costs have risen and still the shell of what’s left sits after lawsuits and threats and community forums ripping the village apart have led to nothing. No white knight with millions to save the day and now they want to rebuild it….all on the taxpayers dime. You win some and you lose some and these theatre supporters refuse to admit defeat and move on with their lives. A real tragedy and makes one wish the village had simply torn the place down the day after they were given the deed as no one in their right mind would have ever dreamed that this nightmare would still be unresolved in 2007.
The only thing you are saving now is the name of that single issue candidate for trustee…what a sad platform she is running on (unopposed unfortunately). Guess she could be the “demolitionist party” given that her group ultimately destroyed the theatre. Comedy will indeed be back on the airwaves every other Thursday night come May….but then what happens come May when the theatre is no longer an agenda item as the cause has come to an end? Will she really take office?
And what historical elements are left? A few light fixtures in your garage or basement? A crumbling terra cotta facade? A marquee that is heading for the scrap heap? What else is worth saving now that the theatre is gone? Will historic theatre lovers travel near and far to see a lobby? Doubt that….and Cinema Treasures is for the appreciation of historic THEATRES, not hallways that once led to historic theatres that have been destroyed by the greed of a group that was appointed to save it.
800 viewers? That is still more support than the friends of the demolished dupe have ever had….despite free editorial week after week in the local rag to spout out mistruths and misinformation on the fate of the theatre. Face it folks..the Friends of the DuPage Theatre failed year after year after year with false hopes and promises and have now embraced a black box plan to rise from the pile of bricks that once was the historic theatre. Only problem is there is no support and yet another plan will lead to nothing…imagine that.
Now cry me river alright….tears of joy will indeed flow like a river amongst Lombardians village wide when the rest of the DuPage comes down this spring given that word on the street is this latest plan is falling apart fast and it is only a matter of weeks before the developer walks (or should one say gets washed away given storm water retention seems to be the latest stumbling block).
Dude figured it all out….the Friends are really to blame for the demise of the theatre as they failed time and time again to address the funding issues all the while claiming tax dollars would not be used. And here it is the historic auditorium is gone and the rest of the building now sits with the bulldozers waiting for the call to take the rest of her down. The only thing left of The Dupe will be memories and pictures…..not a bad thing really when one considers the disrepair the place had been in all these years.
What part of preservation was there in a plan that already demolished the theatre itself? Sort of like tearing down the historic house but keeping the garage. Heard it is close to 5-1 on total demolition sooner rather than later.
State and federal grants? Do tell….the state grant was tied up for years in the Illinois budget mess and never amounted to anything other than talk. And the federal grant was not enough to matter in the total scope and had too many strings attached to it. But no worries now that “Deb’s Dupe” is gone for good….thanks to their ongoing failures. No significant fundraising, no corporate sponsors, not one sensible funded plan in years….nothing except an unfunded plan that ultimately demolished the theatre….if only Lombard had “village fathers and mothers” then maybe your “kitchen table agenda” would have moved forward and you would not be facing 2007 as the “failed friends” that advocated demolition simply to save face.
Hey Theatre Buffoon….give it up as the place is rightfully GONE. And the uncultured masses gathered in glee from their double-wides and popped open cans of Old Style and bottles of Mad Dog….so far from the truth. Bottles of Dom were poured into Waterford flutes as a toast to the efforts of the Friends in achieving their goal…seeing the flywall take a fall.
You could only wish to live in a place like Lombard…stay in Philly and eat cheese steak sandwhiches….they will do your heart good.
She’s gone now….the last of the walls went down today. And the residents rejoiced as finally some progress as the long shuttered theatre was finally hauled away. Given that it has sat boarded up for nearly 10 years it was time for it to go as all attempts to restore had failed as there simply was not enough interest, support, and most importantly money to bring back the stars. And the ever futile attempt to rebuild a new theatre on the site at the taxpayers expense is losing steam fast as residents learn the costs associated with the project and neighbors fear the density of a 120+ condo development, a 299 seat theatre (with no parking believe it or not!), and loads of retail space in an area that simply does not warrant it. The only good news is that some of the artifacts were saved and can be incorporated into some future development…but hopefully not at the expense of local taxpayers.
If “location, location, location” is everything, why then did this project fail on so many fronts? This theatre has sat rotting away for well over 20 years…..and boarded up for nearly the last 10. Where was your financial contribution to save the day?
Talk is cheap….preservation takes perseverance and CASH. They tried and tried to save this place but the cash was not to be found. A couple thousand from a fundraiser here and there is not going to be enough to save a theatre…yet alone a light fixture. They needed some deep pocked benefactor to come forth but that did not happen. Even the owner of several other classic old cinemas in the Chicago area passed on this so called “gem” as it was in such disrepair.
And to say that the citizenry is “culturally depraved”…I laugh at your ignorance. Don’t forget that the group that so tried to save this place is the same group that embraced the demolition as a bittersweet victory as they think that adding twinkling stars and a few chunks of plaster will recreate the feel of a Rapp & Rapp showplace in their planned new performance space (funded by none other than the “culturally depraved” village in its entirety).
“Members of the Friends group saved bits of plaster work, original seats and lamps and some stars that lined the theater’s ceiling in the hope that the antique pieces will be used in the new state-of-the-art theater.”…..but the nearly $50,000 cost to save the plaster and other tidbits of the past from the long decaying theatere was paid not by the preservation group but instead by the village.
From an article in the local paper this past week….
Meanwhile, the village has to find a way to pay for the $40 million redevelopment project — one of the largest in the village’s history, said Deborah Dynako, president of Friends of the DuPage Theatre.
“The theater is going to be owned by the village,” Dynako said. “And the taxes collected by the village from the condos will go to pay for the redevelopment.”
The 78-year-old theater at Main Street and Parkside Avenue is within the boundaries of a tax increment financing district, which the village will extend for another 12 years to pay for the project.
The start of the teardown was a bittersweet day for Dynako and members of her organization. They filed a lawsuit last year in DuPage County Circuit Court to save the old movie house.
“While we are very sorry for the loss of the auditorium, we feel very optimistic about our new theater,” said Dynako, who lives three blocks from the theater. “I’ve been watching it all day. … It’s unfortunate. But this was expected.”
Members of the Friends group saved bits of plaster work, original seats and lamps and some stars that lined the theater’s ceiling in the hope that the antique pieces will be used in the new state-of-the-art theater.
“We’re hoping to put stars back into the theater,” she said.
Hey Rita…you tell us where gas is only 1.46 a gallon today and I will join the friends and never post against your pet project again. And what good does the TIF extension do when the only date your theatre has is a date with the wrecking ball? Maybe the TIF extension can help pay for the new parking garage.
True Class…better read up on TIF because you are wrong. TIF does not impact sales tax at all….only property tax. The Business District sales tax is what you are thinking of.
One only needs to look at the Lincoln Square development to see that new retail space is NOT in demand….all that new space is still empty nearly a year later. And you know “supporter” you are grasping at straws at this point. The redevelopment of the park land and allocation of TIF for the new shared park district maintenance facility was correct. It took prime downtown property and put it back on the tax rolls..and got rid of the unsighly maintenance garage in the heart of town.
Find private funding for your theatre project and go for it….heck you can even have $1.5 million in TIF and not upset us so called “theatre haters”. But again when there is no private investment in the theatre, the project is full of taxpayer intervention.
Take the tax credits, take the Save The Treasure grants, take some more TIF but then find PRIVATE dollars for the rest. Nearly one hundred percent of the project was being financed via some sort of “tax intervention” and not with private donations or private equity.
TAX INCREMENT FINANCING….TAX DOLLAR DIVERSION. A taxpayer that would have (key word: WOULD HAVE) paid propery taxes in that once was condo development would have seen the majority of their real estate tax bill diverted to the TIF to fund the theatre for 23 years. Funding that could have gone to the schools, the library, etc…..
Are sales tax, income tax, transfer tax, and gasolines tax not taxes either since they don’t appear on your real estate tax bill? Are tax credits not reallocation of tax dollars? Is a “save the trash…oops I mean treasure” grant not coming from federal TAX dollars? Does that answer your question?
A project with minimal taxpayer intervention is acceptable but when next to no funding is coming from private funds, it simply fails the village residents. As has been said time and time again, if this theatre project is so lucrative you “Friends” should finance it yourselves and bask in all its glory (and profits if the demand is so strong and the project is so easily fully funded). Take out the “public funds” and you have not even enough to restore the old rusted out marquee.
I have to laugh out loud at the latest comment by “dude”….the biggest offender and he lashes out again at the so called “anti-theatre group”. Just goes to show the “friends” never learn. It is not that the opposition was anti-theatre, it was against the proposed plan. As was always said from day one, bring a plan without “taxpayer intervention” and all will support the plan. That has not happened. Dude and others seem to forget the wide scope that taxpayer intervention was taking on their so called “fully funded plan”. Show the “naysayers” where there was private equity (and not “handouts” by the village, state, or federal government via tax credits, TIF, proceeds from village owned land sales) and the support for your now defunct plan will come back.
And kudos to the friends for yet another damning commentary of our village government in the local paper. That is the way to really win support of your long defunct project and admiration from the village board, village staff, and most importantly, the taxpaying residents of our town. One would have thought you learned that lessone by now.