City Seeks Landmark Status For Portage Theater
By Chris Bentley in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 4, 2012 5:20PM
The Portage Theater, that 92-year-old anchor of the Six Corners district in northwest Portage Park, saw an outpouring of support for its bid to stop an Albany Park church from converting the historic movie house into a place of worship. Now the Portage crowd seeks acknowledgment from the city, in the form of official landmark status for the 1920 cinema.
The commission on Chicago landmarks will hear arguments for a preliminary landmark recommendation on the building at their regular meeting Thursday in City Hall.
Chicago Tabernacle placed a bid to buy the Portage last month. Among the concerns of those opposed to the acquisition are changes to the building’s architecture, including its classic marquee and façade facing N. Milwaukee Ave.
The Rev. Al Toledo, pastor of Chicago Tabernacle, told the Tribune’s Nina Metz his church would restore the theater’s glory and continue its legacy as an economic engine for the area. But 45th Ward Ald. John Arena said the economic plan for the Six Corners Business District “was built around having this attraction [The Portage Theater].”
Major renovations planned by a new owner can be grounds for fast-tracking landmark status, as was the case for the Wrigley Building on N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago Tabernacle applied for a special use zoning permit to operate in the theater. The city’s zoning commission will meet April 20 to consider the permit.