The Gray Old Lady is Ready--An Article on the Uptown Theatre

Uptown Theatre image courtesy Compass Rose Cultural Crossroads.

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Ted Calhoun, a director at Compass Rose Cultural Crossroads (the host of this history blog) and a Friend of the Uptown (he appeared in the documentary "Uptown: Portrait of a Palace") was recently interviewed by Lorraine Swanson for this article on the Uptown Theatre.

The gray old lady is ready
Is a makeover for the Uptown Theatre waiting in the wings?

By LORRAINE SWANSON
Editor


For decades, the Uptown Theatre's loudest champions have watched a succession of owners mishandle the once "palace of enchantment" as if it were a shabby clown painting on velvet. They remember the bad times, when sheens of ice covered the winding staircases in the Grand Lobby, of burst water pipes and investors that raised their hopes for building's restoration, only to walk away broke and defeated.

Since the announced sale of the Uptown Theatre to Jerry Mickelson of Jam Productions, the Uptown's champions are cautiously optimistic that the architectural landmark will finally get the makeover they've been waiting and fighting for. Mickelson's limited liability company, UTAII, purchased the theater in a court auction for $3.2 million last month...

For complete article, go here.

Speculation on the Uptown Theatre from Time Out Chicago

Uptown Theatre, a history of rock

You may know by now that the Uptown Theatre will be rehabbed by Jam Productions to serve as a live music venue. You might even know that the Balaban & Katz-era theatre was once home to a giant Wurlitzer pipe organ. But, if you weren’t living in Chicago in the ’70s you might not be aware that the venue has rocked before—and rocked (and funked) heartily...

For complete article and comentary, go to Time Out Chicago.