Dick Jurgens at the Aragon Ballroom

For those of you who still collect vinyl like I do, you might be interested in this auction currently running on eBay for Dick Jurgens at the Aragon Ballroom. Jurgens was a staple at the Aragon and Trianon ballrooms in the 1950s. Oldies.com has a mini biography.

Chicago Real Estate Daily announced yesterday that the current owner of the Aragon Ballroom is partnering to open a movie theatre in Uptown, which will be a welcome addition to Uptown's entertainment district.

Essanay Founder's Kid Sister

I recently received this e-mail from a reader:

"Thought you'd be interested in the story below about George Spoor's sister, Mary Louise Spoor:

http://seesaw.typepad.com/blog/2007/12/from-hickory-di.html

By the way, great work on the Uptown History Blog. It is a tremendous contribution to the community. I check it out several times a week."

George Spoor was a co-founder of Essanay; Mary Louise was his kid sister, and an illustrator. She designed the famous film studio's Indian Head logo.

Gar Wood Runabout Boat, Edgewater Taxi Service

I recently received this e-mail from a reader and said I would post it with the hope that someone can help him out. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos with this boat in it.

I found your site CRCC and your blog posts on the Edgewater Beach Hotel. I am trying to do some research on the Hotel but need some help. I don't know where to start but perhaps you can help.

I have acquired a very old wooden boat called a runabout. This boat was made by Gar Wood and was delivered to Navy Pier in 1931. I believe this boat was bought by the Edgewater Hotel for a taxi and ride boat. It is 28' long and held about 10 people. Records say Edgewater Taxi Service, July 1931

While on a trip to the 1933-34 Chicago Worlds Fair a family from Tulsa, Oklahoma rode in the boat and decided to purchase it. They brought it back to OK and it has been here ever since. I was able to track the history all the way back to the daughter of the gentleman who purchased it from the hotel. The boat was named after her. Rosemary (the daughter) described it as being right there at the hotel docks to take people for rides etc.

I'm hoping that there is some kind of archive for pictures of the hotel and perhaps there might be something with this boat in it. In 1931 this would have been a very big purchase as Gar Wood boats were considered the Duisenberg of boating. It sold for $6,000 in 1931, which was a ton of money especially during the Depression.

Ring's the Thing

I know this isn't a post about Uptown's history per se, but I wanted to give a shout out that Ric Addy's been mentioned in the Sun-Times in an article about boxing.. Ric owns one of the coolest bookstores in the City, right next to the Uptown Theatre. Shake, Rattle, and Read is a neighborhood landmark.

Ric Addy, the beloved owner of Shake, Rattle and Read bookstore in Uptown, spins loud music between bouts. The master of ceremonies is Lupe Contreras, the dapper internationally recognized voice of Latino boxing. Addy likes to play Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" as "round card girls" in tight bikinis prance around the ring... (Complete article at Sun-Times.)

For a tour with Ric of Uptown's underground tunnels, check out our past post.

Uptown (Plymouth) Uptown Hotel, Broadway at Leland, Built in 1912

Uptown Hotel
Fireproof
4700 Broadway at Leland
Chicago Illinois
The Uptown Hotel's Location is Perfect Winter or Summer
Theatres, Beaches, Shops, Chicago's Best Transportation
Elevated Express, Street Cars, and Buses at Door. Metropolitan Bus Station in Hotel.
Weekly Rates $7.00 to $12.00
Courteous Service. 150 Large Rooms. Telphone LONgbeach 6400

The Plymouth Hotel, built in 1912, was one of the oldest buildings in Uptown when it was torn down in 2003 as part of a development project. Preservation groups tried to get the developer to incorporate the building into its plan, as it was structurally sound and, according to Landmarks Illinios, capable of being adaptively reused. Unfortunately the developer felt otherwise.

The Plymouth was designed by George Kingsley, best known for his Reebie Warehouse on North Clark. It was the favorite hotel of Essanay's silent film stars. In the lobby of the condo portion, visible from the western side on Racine, is a rather large fragment of the original terra cotta ornamentation. For photos of the Plymouth and its destruction, go to Landmarks Illinois.

Uptown Theatre. So near, yet...

It seems the Uptown is on everyone's mind this week. For a lively neighborhood discussion on the theatre (and other Uptown happenings) go to Uptown Update. Chris Jones also wrote about the recent gossip surrounding the Uptown in today's Chicago Tribune. Go directly to the Trib site to see a video clip of the theatre filmed last year.

The Uptown Theatre. So near, yet ...

by Chris Jones

I've written a lot over the years about the Uptown Theatre at 4814 N. Broadway. I stare at it from the "L" on a regular basis. As its many passionate supporters well know, the venue almost has been renovated on a number of occasions; it's been in the sights of everyone from charlatans to poorly funded enthusiasts to civic-minded business folks who've tried to make it happen but became worn down by the size and difficulty of the job.

Its challenges are well known — terrible state of disrepair, a location outside of downtown, parking issues, massive size, and so on. But its assets — most notably an interior that stirs the soul — are just as worthy of attention...

For complete story and video, go to Chicago Tribune

Uptown Theatre Update

Today's Uptown Advisor further clarifies today's Sun Times article. The Uptown Advisor is a volunteer service of Friends of the Uptown, an outreach activity of Landmark Uptown Theatre Corp., an Illinois not-for-profit corporation. Visit http://www.uptowntheatre.com
for more information and to sign up for their newsletter.

Uptown Update January 9, 2008

Editor's note: Chicago-based JAM Productions, which made some of its first fortunes booking rock shows onto the UPTOWN's long-forgotten stage from 1977 to 1981 (?), has long been named as one of the recent and active contenders for ownership or control of the UPTOWN THEATRE, Chicago.

The second prominent contender, Live Nation, which is a major entertainment corporation, was not too public until today.

Sources have suggested that each company is interested in renovating and reusing the UPTOWN for entertainment. At this time, that's good news for the landmark and its large community of fans, supporters, neighbors and volunteers.

Here's the David Roeder business column:

Live Nation has eyes on Uptown
Northerly Island promoter seeks to restore theater's glory

Related links

JAM Productions
http://jamusa.com/

Live Nation, Inc.
http://www.livenation.com/

Northerly Island Pavilion (at the former Meigs Field)
http://www.livenation.com/venue/getVenue/venueId/2889

Paul Natkin, who photographed many of the JAM shows
http://www.natkin.net/

Live Nation Has Eyes on Uptown

From today's Sun Times:

Northerly Island promoter seeks to restore theater's glory

January 9, 2008

BY DAVID ROEDER Sun-Times Columnist

Live Nation Inc., the concert promoter that manages the outdoor performance stage at Northerly Island, is negotiating with city officials to take over the landmark Uptown Theatre, 4816 N. Broadway.

The 1925 building has been mostly unused for 25 years. But Live Nation is said to be interested in restoring it to its former glory and using its 4,300-seat auditorium for concerts and other events.

It's been about a quarter of a century since the Uptown Theatre has been used regularly. If it can deal with all the potential roadblocks, Live Nation Inc. would like to change that.

(Al Podgorski/Sun-Times file)

Possible hitches -- and there are many -- include a city subsidy for what could be a $40 million restoration. Also, the city has a lien of at least $1 million on the property because of emergency repairs it had to order on the building. The City Council has given Mayor Daley's administration authority to acquire the Uptown via condemnation.

City Hall and Live Nation had no immediate comment. Ownership of the Uptown is a matter of litigation.

A first mortgage on the property is under the control of David Husman, chairman of Equibase Capital Group LLC. Husman has been sued by Jam Productions Inc. and Joseph Freed & Associates LLC, who acquired a second mortgage and claim Husman has unlawfully refused their offers to pay off $1.3 million due on the first mortgage.

The Last Northern Frontier

I stumbled across this today, an article in an online magazine called Jargon Chicago about the Uptown neighborhood:

Idiot Soldier at the Last Northern Frontier

by Andrew Reilly

When Thadeus Wong bought the Uptown Broadway Building for a cool $1.1 million in 2003, he probably wasn't thinking about the perpetual mystery he was about to foist onto a part of town that for so long has wondered when it was going to get a taste of that sweet, sweet municipal facelift going on everywhere else. He probably wasn't anticipating the legends that would eventually spring forth from the bookstore set to open across the street, nor was it likely he was licking his chops over the $4 million the city would later hand over to cover the cost of the seemingly endless renovation of that hulk at 4707 N. Broadway...

Read the rest at Jargon Chicago.

Miracle Solution?

We spotted this old-fashioned, hand-painted wooden sign on New Year's Eve while walking down Broadway, between Ainslie and Argyle.