Hopes For The Uptown
By Lizz Kannenberg in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 31, 2008 3:23PM
The dicey fate of the historic Uptown Theatre was finally decided Tuesday, when local entertainment promoter Jam Productions purchased the vacant landmark for $3.2 million at court-ordered foreclosure sale. The Chicago-based event promoter has promised to restore the 1925 movie palace to its former glory.
“We’ve been trying to nail this down for nine or 10 years,” said Jam principle and co-founder Jerry Mickelson. “It’s a national landmark and we have to figure out how to get it opened because it’s one of the most beautiful theaters in America.”
Mickelson told the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday that Jam will require assistance from the city of Chicago to restore the stately theater, with current estimates for the work carrying a price tag of $30 - $45 million.
“We have to sit down with the city, the state and federal governments,” Mickelson continued. “But we wouldn’t have been [at the auction Tuesday] if we hadn’t been optimistic about getting it done.”
The city has already spent $1.4 million over the past decade on emergency repairs just to keep the building standing, according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times.
Some of the crumbling building’s human neighbors hope that these past expenditures indicate the city’s willingness to recreate the Uptown’s past as an entertainment destination.
“You would think that with all of the taxes we’re paying, the city could squeeze a few of those dollars towards the theater,” said 27-year-old Uptown resident Kirt Johnson. “It would be great to see a community gathering place created there.”
Forty-year-old Beth Gonder, who now lives in Rogers Park, agreed with Johnson. “I lived in Uptown almost 10 years ago, when it was truly scary,” she said. “The area has developed a lot since then, but restoring the theater would be a huge push towards cleaning things up.”
Mickelson hopes that Jam’s commitment to the Uptown neighborhood – the company also owns the Riviera Theatre and presents all non-Latin music events at the Aragon Ballroom, both less than a block from the Uptown – will be an attractive reason for the city to invest in the restoration of the Uptown Theatre.
“[Controlling the Riviera and Aragon] makes it easier when we sit down with the city,” he said. “We can present a cohesive plan for the area, including a parking component, transportation, and working with the police department. It will all be under one umbrella.”
The last show at the old Uptown was a 1981 performance by the J. Geils Band, which Jam produced. As for a fitting first show at the restored theater, Mickelson isn’t being picky. “I have a dream that there will be a first show,” he said. “That’s the goal for now.”
Photo by Comtesse DeSpair