By DIMITRIOS KALANTZIS
Contributing Writer
Nearly one year after long-time Chicago music promoter Jerry Mickelson, along with UTA II, purchased the abandoned Uptown Theatre, with much fanfare and assurances of good intentions, the future of the 46,000-square-foot movie palace turned rock venue, remains as elusive as the Target Corporation’s commitment to open a store in Wilson Yard.
PHOTO/TOM MANNIS
After all, the film’s vintage shots and first-hand exploration of its remaining majesty were worth the trip downtown to the Chicago Architecture Foundation in the Sante Fe building located at 224 S. Michigan Ave.
Co-hosted by Jerry Mickelson and Friends of the Uptown’s Andy Pierce, who is ever-present in the film, the noon-screening, part of a lunchtime-lecture series, drew a heavy crowd of Uptown natives, cultural enthusiasts, tourists and journalists, who occupied each of the nearly 120 chairs and lined the walls in the back.
Speaking to the crowd afterwards, Mickelson credited Friends of the Uptown and Ald. Mary Ann Smith (48th) for ensuring that the 84-year-old theater, almost entirely abandoned since December 19, 1981, remains standing today.
“The city’s been very helpful in trying to work with us,” Mickelson said. “Hopefully we could save it.” If the theater does re-open it will showcase music concerts, “as we did in the mid-70s,” Mickelson said.
Still to be resolved is $1.7 million in receiver liens held against the property by the city. The Uptown Theatre is due in housing court later this month. Mickelson said he has not kept up with the court issues involving the city.
“The city was cautious and for good reason,” Mickelson added.
Recalling the last Jam-produced show, a J. Geils Band concert, on that sad, mid-December night, which passed with no heat and bathrooms that “were barely working,” Mickelson said UTA II has commissioned a study to determine the cost of renovation, a number which has ranged from $40 to $80 million.
But if the Uptown’s grand lobby should ever again beguile a paying crowd, that number had better near the former estimation: “If it’s $80 million,” Mickelson said of the overall cost to reopen the Uptown, “it can’t be saved.”
Mickelson expected the report to have been completed by March or April and could not say when in fact it will be released. Only after the final estimations are made will Mickelson and UTA II seek funding, both private and public.
Asked if he and Smith discussed tapping into the Lawrence/Broadway TIF fund, established in 2001 and garnering more than $3.5 million in revenue in 2007, Mickelson said the city appears eager to preserve the theater.
“There is a cooperative spirit,” he said.
For now, the question of renovation involves two separate tracts: complete restoration and the less expensive option of renovation to simply “open the doors.”
Despite which option proves most economically viable, however, the project will take at least two to three years to complete, said Mickelson, a fact that will keep the “acre of seats” empty for the foreseeable future.
And despite the broken promises of the past, a community of supporters remains hopeful. Or, as one Uptown resident and Friend of the Uptown, Ted Calhoun said, “cautiously optimistic.”
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Please tear down this obsolete, expensive, and energy-wasting behemoth. It has no relevance to the way people will be living and socializing 10 or 20 years from now.
Behemoth? Yes but she’s also a beauty and should be saved because beauty matters, because we need to preserve venues that can hold a community instead of just a club, and because—the most pragmatic reason of all—there’s no better use for that real estate. Think about it, do we need more condos? No. Many sit empty, either unsold or in foreclosure. Do we need more commercial storefronts? No. We can’t fill the ones we have.
After the number crunching, nostalgia should count for something. For me it’s Bruce Springsteen at the Uptown Theater. I think it was 1979 or 1980, I can’t remember exactly. It was that good. ;-)
“Please tear down this obsolete, expensive, and energy-wasting behemoth. It has no relevance to the way people will be living and socializing 10 or 20 years from now.”
And replace it with what, exactly? Condos? Owners can’t move the ones in the area that are already built. New stores? Not in this economy. A big hole in the ground surrounded by a fence? The last thing the area needs is another Wilson Yard.
There’s not a lot of good choice for this thing right now. I say board it up, keep the facade reasonably presentable, and turn it into something useful when developers have the money to do it right.
Well once again billyjoe strikes again…so “billy” since your written crap comments don’t go down that well on Uptown Update you have to come here and spew more B.S.
Sure lets tear down that “behemoth” and once again as a lot of Americans do is tear down history or historic places like the Uptown Theater. Who cares what goes there, no one will care in the next 10 to 20 years since you know on what goes on and what will happen in the future. You’re funny!
You live in Evanston not Uptown. 65% of our property taxes have been going to the Wilson Yard, a place that will not make money for the community. I would much rather have our tax dollars go to a place that could possibly generate a hell of a lot of money if the restoration is done right. This theater is big enough for not just music, but real theater as well. Why the hell should downtown only have theaters for big budget plays? Bring some of it north. Make the place multi-use, it has the space!
Kudos to Lorraine Swanson for not censoring billyjoe. Uptown Update is operated by a bunch of easily offended swishes who suppress any opinion they don’t agree with.
Edward: I may live in Evanston, but you would need me and others from outside Uptown to patronize the “real theater” you envision for Uptown. And with places in the burbs like Lincolshire Theater and Centre East that provide free parking and easy access, which do you think we’re going to choose?
I lived through the similar hot air that supported refurbishing another useless behemoth, the now long-gone (and totally forgotten!) Granada Theater at Sheridan Rd. and Devon avenues. That neighborhood and intersection now looks and functions much better as a result of the Granada’s demolition.
“Swishes” Oh that’s nice, a rather archaic term don’t you think? But you can name call and then complain about “suppressing opinion”. How nice and grown-up of you. Maybe it’s not the suppressing of opinions but your immature way of writing your comments.
I do understand what you’re talking about, but tearing more and more buildings like these down you end up losing local history. Not everyone has forgotten the Granada Theater. It just might be forgotten by you. And do you really think that most people would go all the way to Lincolnshire? It’s a great theater (yes, I’ve been there), but a lot would say it’s too far, especially for visitors that come into Chicago.
“Swishes” Unbelievable. How old are you?
Edward: Im assuming this sentence isn’t “immature”: ” . . . so “billy” since your written crap comments don’t go down that well on Uptown Update you have to come here and spew more B.S.”
Just sayin’ . . . .
Ed and BJ, take your little girl fighting outside. Nobody cares what you think. Neither one of you has a clue what you’re talking about, you just want to fight.
Your IQs are showing
As someone who lives a thousand miles away I can honestly say that I would travel to Chicago just for the chance to see a show at the Uptown, and that I have not forgotten the Granada.
I live in California and would definitely travel to Chicago to see a show (even a film) at the restored Uptown. And I know about the destruction of the wonderful Granada Theatre and many other irreplaceable Chicago movie palaces that have been destroyed. People all over the world are watching Chicago to see if the business community, politicians and the public can get it together the restore the Uptown, the largest and finest movie palace still intact. Here in California, recently restored movie palaces like the Fox Oakland, Alameda Theatre and Fox Pomona are now popular venues and sources of civic pride. I second other comments that the Uptown would do well as a mixed-used venue – stage productions, music concerts (not just rock music), and film presentations and film festivals.
I’ve been following the Uptown’s story for years from Australia – I’m in the tourist business and these kind of attractions if marketed well could be a gem for Chicago! Don’t loose your history. There was a developer over here caught trying to burn down a historic 3000 seat theatre over here so he could build a shopping centre on the land. Some dodgy things go on sometimes – I hope Jam are able to pull together a successful business model to bring the theatre back to life.
I’ve lived within blocks of the Uptown theater for about 8 years, and while I can certainly understand the “landmark” argument for restoration, I believe the best course of action would be to demolish the theater portion of the building (keeping the lobby).
Let’s face it, the parking situation in this neighborhood is pretty bad already when the Riveria and Aragon have shows. If the Uptown started having concerts again, where would the thousands of patrons park their cars?? I would like to see the lobby preserved & restored but the theater has done nothing but take up space for the last 30 years.
Tear it down and use the lot for Aragon/Riveria parking, please!
As a business owner on same block as the Uptown, I think it is time for it to be tore down. It’s a blight. It takes up space that could otherwise go toward storefronts, restaurants, parking, or a myriad of other beneficial purposes. It’s a target for graffiti, prevents cable and other communication services from reaching some of the buildings around it and at this point there isn’t anyone who is going to restore it.
I’m a tremendous fan of architecture and I I’d love to see such history preserved. But to what end? We have this useless monstrosity providing no services, no jobs and certainly no revenue. It’s time to move on.