Chicago Area Local News

CHICAGO (CBS) ― It's been nearly 30 years, but neon lights may soon be on at the Uptown Theatre. On Tuesday, local promoters bought the former movie palace and they said they plan to bring live rock concerts back. But it may take tens of millions of dollars in state and city tax dollars to get it done.

When the Uptown Theatre opened in 1925, it was touted as "an acre of seats in a magic city." Jam Productions paid a little more than $3 million at a court-ordered auction Tuesday to re-create the magic. The theater at 4814 N. Broadway had been boarded up since 1981.

Residents rejoiced at the news.

Anuja Mehta said, "The uptown community has some artistic venues around here and to have another, one especially with such a long history, is fantastic."

Jam Productions owner Jerry Michaelson said he would seek tens of millions of dollars in subsidies from the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois to complete the 4,300-seat theater's renovation.

CBS 2 Theater Critic Chris Jones said the Uptown Theatre deserves public money, like theaters in the Loop, but the weak economy is a concern.

"It's not a viable proposition for private entities to fully fund one of those renovations. All of those Loop renovations took place at a different economic time," Jones said.

Two other old-time theaters are located within blocks of the Uptown Theatre. Boxing helps the Aragon stay afloat, but the Riviera is all but a neon sign.

"Without that theater renovated, there's a big ugly elephant on the corner. Nothing can be done in that area until that theater is renovated and at least now it looks like its one step closer," Jones said.

Jam Productions has some big-time lobbying ahead of them though. Late Tuesday, the governor's office said, "Jams' estimation of state support for renovating the Uptown Theatre seems unrealistically high."

A forced judicial sale was held because of confusion about who actually owns the theater. While Standard Bank and Trust is the legal title holder, the beneficiary is the now-dissolved corporation Cercore Properties, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Liens have been placed against the property several times, and some of those, in turn, have been picked up by other companies. Jam Productions indirectly bought one of the liens in an attempt to secure action, and ultimately, a judgment of foreclosure forced the sale, the Tribune reported.

The Uptown originally showed movies and held stage shows by entertainers including Bing Crosby, Charlie Chaplin, and Judy Garland when she still went by the name Frances Ethel Gumm, among others. It also boasted the second largest Wurlizter theater pipe organ in the world, Friends of the Uptown reported.


But the theater went into decline in the 1960s. It found some success as a concert venue in the 1970s – hosting A-list artists including the Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Marley.

But in early 1981, the theater closed its doors following a sale and serious problems with deferred maintenance, Friends of the Uptown reported. Since then, the building has been used as a site for the filming of a few movies, and its lobby hosted the Hearts Party HIV/AIDS benefit. But otherwise it has been shuttered.

Numerous other former movie palaces across the city have been demolished in the past two decades, but the Uptown is protected by landmark status.

In the time since the theater closed, the Uptown neighborhood has gradually become more fashionable. The area near Lawrence Avenue and Broadway is already home to three entertainment venues – the Aragon Ballroom, the Riviera Theatre, and most recently, the Kinetic Playground.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Editor's Picks

• Gay Celebrities
• Did You Know? Stars From Chicago!
• Celebs Who Lean To The Right
• Real Or Fake?