Genesee Theatre
203 N. Genesee Street,
Waukegan,
IL
60085
203 N. Genesee Street,
Waukegan,
IL
60085
12 people
favorited this theater
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Genesee Theatre (Official)
Additional Info
Previously operated by: ABC Great States Inc., Balaban & Katz Corp., Plitt Theatres, Publix Great States Theatres Corp
Architects: Edward P. Steinberg
Functions: Concerts, Live Performances, Movies (Classic), Performing Arts
Styles: Neo-Classical
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
847.782.2366
Manager:
847.782.2366
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Jun 18, 2010 — "Jaws"... Happy 35th!
- May 14, 2010 — Please Post Today, May 14 --- "Jaws," Happy 35th
- Sep 29, 2004 — Waukegan Scales Back Plans For Genesee Theatre
The Genesee Theatre was opened by Publix Great States Theatres Corp. on December 25, 1927 with Milton Sills in “The Valley of the Giants” & Madge Bellamy in “Silk Legs” plus vaudeville on the stage. It was designed by architect Edward Steinberg, with the building originally housing the theatre, 11 retail spaces and 44 apartments. It was equipped with a Barton 3 manual, 10 ranks organ. It closed as a movie theatre in 1989.
Work began on the restoration project in 2001, and the theatre was reopened for live performances and concerts in early-December 2004. The original Barton organ had been removed from the building prior to its closing and a replacement identical Barton organ was installed which originally had been installed in the Tower Theatre, Milwaulkee, WI.
Contributed by
Ross Melnick
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Recent comments (view all 56 comments)
Anything current on this theatre?
I just heard from a friend that the Genesee management is looking for an organist to play before shows. Does anyone know if they restored the barton and it must be in working order? I see where they resumed the movie series and you can buy tickets for events in person at the box office as well as the Chicago Theater in Chicago which means MSG is the new managment I imagine.
June 25, 1939 photo added. Jack Benny brings his radio show and premiere’s the film Man About Town at the Genesee Theatre. Link to radio broadcast below. Photo & description credit Genesee Theatre Facebook page.
https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com/comedy/jack-benny-program/from-waukegan-illinois-1939-06-25?fbclid=IwAR14pim4fqrSfbjE617alquucSSqD8WHF9dX8-HgoC4FDJsnEAuVetQpJ3A
If you scroll right from this Facebook photo, there are 500+ various renovation photos on the Waukegan Revsisted page. Pipe organ etc. All credit Dan Paul.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205196405946669&set=g.890999334370887&type=1&theater&ifg=1
July 1952 photo credit Genesee Theatre added to gallery, via their official Facebook page link below.
https://www.facebook.com/GeneseeTheatre
The photo added on 5/25/24 is not from May 25, 1977. The photo is from Waukegan’s Scoop The Loop car cruise, the night that footage was shot for a teaser trailer for the film “5-25-77” per the film’s writer and director Patrick Read Johnson. That marquee pictured was replaced for it’s 2004 reopening, and the Mustang pictured is an `89. “Star Wars” did not open there on that date either. It opened at the Genesee Theatre on June 15, 1977. It is also a crisper version of the below duplicate 2017 posting which should be removed.
https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/299/photos/196617
December 3rd, 2024 marks 20 years since the Genesee Theatre reopened to the public after a 15-year closure. The 5-year $23 million renovation included a Broadway-sized stage and rigging system, the addition of 600 seats (1,799 to 2,403), a reproduction of the 1927 marquee with over 2,000 lights, new lighting and sound systems, and more. https://www.geneseetheatre.com
The Genesee Theatre Facebook page has a recent post with 10 photos from prior to the renovation.
https://www.facebook.com/@GeneseeTheatre
Aug 03, 2001, Chicago Tribune- Duplicate organ sold to theater
The Genesee Theatre Restoration Project has bought a duplicate of the theater’s original Barton organ to be used in the restoration of the 1927 movie palace in downtown Waukegan.
The organ was originally installed in the former Tower Theater in Milwaukee and has been owned by a Downstate Aledo couple since it was removed, said James Neal, executive director of the restoration project.
The couple, now in their 90s, had the large multitiered organ installed in their house so it could be played.
They sold it to the Waukegan group for $35,000, said to be less than its value, because they wanted it in a theater where they feel it belongs, Neal said.
“This is the culmination of a dream for them.” Neal said. “This is part of their legacy.”
The organ is the same model as the Genesee’s original Barton organ, installed in 1927 before the theater opened.
Restorers discovered earlier this year that many of the organ’s internal parts had suffered irreversible water damage, sparking the search for a replacement.
The old organ’s working parts may be sold to other organizations doing restoration projects, offsetting some of the cost of buying the replacement, Neal said.
The $15.5 million Genesee Theatre restoration is envisioned as the centerpiece of plans to revitalize downtown Waukegan.
Once operated by ABC Great States Inc, and later Plitt Theatres.