Patio Theater To Close, For Good, At End Of Month
By Chuck Sudo in News on Apr 11, 2014 7:00PM
Some sad news for fans of Chicago’s classic movie palaces. Patio Theater owner Demetri Kouvalis announced the Northwest side film house would close at the end of April. Kouvalis has long dealt with crumbling infrastructure in the building. The Patio’s boiler, which dates back to the theater’s opening, broke down last November, cost $17,000-$18,000 to repair and forced the Northwest Chicago Film Society to move its screenings to the Gene Siskel Film Center downtown. The repaired boiler wasn't enough to make customers feel comfortable attending screenings during the city's worst winter in over a century.
The Patio’s air conditioning unit, meanwhile, remains broken and Kouvalis says he cannot afford the $50,000 needed to bring it back up to speed, which is the determining factor in his decision to turn out the lights. Kouvalis told the Tribune:
”I'm one man. I'm 25 years old. I have no partners. I can't get a loan with the bank."So really my only option is to close the theater for the summer and find an angel investor or a partner."
Kouvalis hopes to find an investor who will help him transform the Patio into a theater capable of hosting live events in addition to films but it’s unknown if he’s even looking. He could also turn to crowdfunding to raise the money needed for repairing the A/C unit, but he did that a couple years back when he successfully funded a Kickstarter campaign to purchase a digital projection system.
Another option Kouvalis had at his disposal to fix the Patio’s A/C unit was a Small Business Improvement Fund grant, but he never filed the paperwork. Kouvalis told DNAInfo Chicago he was discouraged by the filing process. "There are too many rules and regulations,” he said.
Neighborhood business and civic leaders pointed to the Patio as a foundation for growth in the business district of Irving Park Road and Austin Avenue. Ald. Tim Cullerton (38th) was particularly displeased with Kouvalis’ announcement and had some choice words for him.
“He left the grant sitting there,” Cullerton said. “It would have paid for the whole heating and air conditioning system.”Cullerton called Kouvalis a “wet noodle” who did nothing to “market the theater or work with the community.”
Those comments may seem harsh to some, coming from an alderman to a 25-year-old kid who at times seemed in over his head trying to resurrect a theater that has been in his family for years. Kouvalis’ father previously owned and operated the Patio and the theater sat dark for a decade before he decided to re-open it. We sincerely hope Kouvalis can either find an investor or be able to work with Cullerton and other businesses to bring the Patio back up to speed. As it stands, the Patio now will gather dust along with the Portage Theater, which padlocked its doors last May.