Letter from a Former Uptown Resident

I get a lot of readers, but I don't always hear a lot of feedback on this little ol' history blog, so e-mails like this just make my day:

I really love the website that you have created, I’m a product of uptown, I lived there from the late 1950’s until 1970 and the moved back for 2 years in 1975. Your website has brought back many memories, I went to school at Stewart, then transferred to Brenamen on Clarendon & Montrose and from there I was sent to Catholic school at St. Thomas of Canterbury on Kenmore and Lawrence. I had my first paper route delivering the American on Winthrop from Lawrence to Argyle in 1962. We use to go to the Lakeside theater on Saturdays and see three movies for a quarter, and the Uptown theater was the coolest, you get lost in that place and it was so fabulous inside, I remember a section that was hard to find that was all enclosed in glass and was located in between the upper balcony and the lower balcony all the seats were blue velour with polished brass it was definitely made for the elite. I spent many days at the Robert R. McCormick Boys Club on Sheridan and Gunnison what a great place for a boy to stay out of trouble. I can’t think of many places in uptown that I didn’t see as me and my brother wandered the streets all summer. Well I could go on forever about the great life I had there, so keep up the good work and if you ever have any questions about uptown I would love to share. -- R.C.

Thanks for reading, R.C.!

And what's your favorite memory of Uptown? Write me at blog(a)compassrose.com and I'll feature it here!

Jam and Live Nation Fight Over Uptown Theatre

From today's Sun Times

Concert promoters in tug-of-war over 'jewel'

Legal battle between Jam, Live Nation drags on as Uptown Theatre crumbles

A redeveloped Uptown Theatre is seen by many, including 48th Ward Ald. Mary Ann Smith, as the key that finally could turn Uptown from a "war zone" into a thriving entertainment district -- the only one in the city where live music is the main attraction.

Now the theater itself has become what may be the bloodiest battleground yet in Chicago's long-raging war between two powerful concert promoters: national giant Live Nation and Chicago-based Jam Productions. And the fight is just heating up.

For rest of article, go to Sun-Times

Granada Theatre, Sheridan at the Loyola Stop, 1990

If you've hung around this blog a while, you'll know I'm a strong supporter of restoring the Uptown Theatre. I would hate to see it go the way of the Granada, which was nearly as big and just as magnificent--and probably in better condition than the Uptown when it was torn down.

Here's a photo I found on Flickr by user Genial23:

The photographer describes the demolition as: "one of the more heinous acts of vandalism committed by local real estate developers in the last 20 years."

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.

Uptown Theatre Clock Up For Auction

The preauction estimate of this wonderful clock is set at $35,000. It would be great if someone local can purchase it.

It's hard to imagine just how ornate the decorations of the theatre were--this is but one item of hundreds that graced the theatre.

From FRIENDS OF THE UPTOWN:

New owner sought for UPTOWN clock set

Friends of the late Joseph R. DuciBella, the noted designer and theatre historian from Chicago who died earlier this year, have related that his antique bronze clock and candelabra pair from the UPTOWN THEATRE, Chicago, will be auctioned from his estate on Sunday, Nov. 25, by Bunte Auction in Elgin, Illinois.

The large, heavy and now highly valuable ensemble decorated the UPTOWN's interior atop a large chunk of antique furniture in the Magnolia lobby near the first-floor ladies lounge, which has a French Renaissance theme.

Joe loved to tell the story of how different managers allowed him to take things of historical interest home during his tenure there and how they were amused that anyone would want them. (He worked for Balaban & Katz during his youth.) However, a reliable source says that Joe obtained the clock set after it had been bought from the theatre and moved along with UPTOWN WurliTzer theatre organ to the HOOSIER THEATRE, in Whiting, Ind.

The clock, Joe said, was missing pieces and did not work when he got it --nevermind that the three pieces were black as coal. Think of the accumulated tarnish and dirt of the theatre and the thousands of curious fingers that had touched it!

Joe also recalled how his mother shrieked when she walked into the bathroom and found all of the blackened putti that adorn the pieces soaking in the clean, white bathtub. Of course Joe cleaned the clock meticulously and had it restored to working order.

The clock set was one of the highlights of the dining room in his National Register home in Wicker Park on Caton Street that also included Mikado-styled light fixtures that were said to be from the Marshall Field Mansion. Joe was certainly proud of the clock and included it in all tours of his home and in the typewritten tour guide!

It would be a wonderful gesture if a deep-pocketed admirer of Chicago history and Joe's collection would find a way to keep it in Chicago and/or on display in some appropriate setting.

I recall listening to an 1990s taped interview of Joe at his
home wherein the clock's chime could be heard. It is both beautiful and haunting. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I felt it contained something of the soul of the building. The sound on the tape chilled and confused me until I figured out what it was.

The UPTOWN clock's ethereal chime is a gentle but articulate voice from an age that has long since passed, leaving few traces or memories.

Bunte Auction, Elgin, Illinois
www.bunteauction.com

Putti, defined.
http://arthistory.about.com/cs/glossaries/g/p_putti.htm

Frank Zappa, Uptown Theatre, 1980 Concert Tour T-Shirt

Happy Halloween, Uptown!

Opening Day Advertisement, Uptown Theatre

Uptown Theatre opening day advertisment from the Chicago Herald Examiner, August 18th, 1925. Image courtesy CRCC collection.

Today at High Noon, at 12 o'clock sharp, the Uptown Theatre OPENS ITS DOORS. Drop everything and come! The Uptown Theatre's opening is too magnificent a moment to miss. Come for the most awe-inspiring sight of your life. There's An Acre of Seats. Balaban & Katz Uptown Theatre Broadway and Lawrence Avenue.

Come for the most enjoyment you ever had in a theatre. A stage show of enough splenor to match the startling grandeur of the theatre itself—floods of gypsies, habanera dancers, court processional, love-lorn serenaders out of Old Spain—the Edgewater Beach Hotel Oriole Orchestra—and the world premiere of First National's "The Lady Who Lied" with Lewis Stone and Virginia Valli.

Drop Everything and Be There!


*The Lady Who Lied is presumed lost, as no remaining copies have surfaced, according to SilentEra.Com

News from Friends of the Uptown 10/24/2007

Important art photographs include UPTOWN

The art of photographer Jan Theun van Rees, of Amsterdam, is featured in a new book and two current exhibits. You can see his installation of recent work in Chicago at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, 600 S. Michigan Ave., and in the office of Metropolitan Capital Bank, 9 E. Ontario St., in the remodeled space of what was the historic Judge Lambert Tree Studios building.

Jan Theun van Rees will sign books and discuss his works on view, which offer a privileged view of the often unseen structural components of some of Chicago's grand buildings from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007 at the Museum of Contemporary Photography. The book was produced by and for U.S. Equities. There are limited number of copies available for the public.

The UPTOWN THEATRE, Chicago, is featured in the MetCap exhibit and in one photo in the book. The theatre is not featured in the Museum of Contemporary Photography show.

The museum's opening reception begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25, and the curator's tour will be at noon Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Museum of Contemporary Photography
http://www.mocp.org/

Metropolitan Capital Bank
http://www.metcapbank.com/site/about_location.html

Jan Theun van Rees
http://www.onewallaway.com

UPTOWN ADVISER is a volunteer service of
Friends of the Uptown, all rights reserved.
Friends of the Uptown is an outreach activity
of Landmark Uptown Theatre Corp., an Illinois
not-for-profit corporation.

Uptown Adviser: uptownadviser@yahoogroups.com
View: http://www.uptowntheatre.com
Email: uptown1925@hotmail.com

###

Additional resources:

CoSo Art Current Sales
http://www.cosoart.com/sale_art_detail.php?pid=4

Photos of the Uptown
http://onewallaway.com/loc_upt.html#wat

Whatever Happened to the Uptown's Organ?

There are a few vintage photos of the interior of the Uptown Theatre at the Chicago Area Theatre Organ Enthusiasts site, along with a brief history of what happened to the organ's original console—including its installation in a California pizza parlor.

CATOE is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of theatre pipe organs. Visit their Web site for a calendar of events and a list of Chicago-area venues that have working organ installations.

Green Mill Destroyed by Fire

From The Chicago Daily Tribune, April 27, 1933:

Acts to Rebuild Green Mill, Lost in $100,000 Fire
Six Firemen and Woman Spectator Injured

Plans were made yesterday to rebuild the Green Mill building, Broadway and Lawrence Avenue, which was destroyed in an early morning fire with an estimated damage of $100,000. Tom Chamales, owner of the two-story structure, announced that he planned to replace the building with one of similar proportions.

Six firemen were injured, one of them severely, and one woman was overcome with smoke in the blaze that started in a Walgreen Drug Store at 4800 Broadway. The fireman most seriously injured is Lt. James W. O'Malley of Engine 128, 5908 Leonard Street. His back was crushed and he suffered internal injuries.

Other Firemen Injured
The other firemen hurt are Oscar Stewart of Engine 128, 6124 Melrose Street; Fred Kinsler of Engine 128, 3007 Cullerton Street; Frank J. Kubik of Rescue Squad 4, 2508 North Menard Avenue, Lt. William Shay of Squad 4, 3230 Eastwood Avenue; Capt. Raymond J. Howe of Engine 70, 6419 North Albany Avenue.

Mrs. Ella Winters, 39 years old, 1001 Sunnyside Avenue, a spectator, was overcome by smoke and motor gas fumes and taken to the Lakeside Hospital for treatment.

Lt. O'Malley was injured when he went to the rescue of Fireman Kinsler, who was trapped beneath a pile of falling debris in the Green Mill Restaurant at 4806 Broadway. Lt. O'Malley was pinned to the floor as part of the roof gave way. Both men were carried to the street by rescue squads.

Half Dozen Shops Destroyed
The fire was discovered by workers in the drug store at 7 o'clock in the morning. It spread northward through the half block long structure, which extends to 4810 Broadway, and also damaged a Fannie May candy shop at 4812 Broadway. The Wolff Jewelry Shop, the Stop and Eat restaurant, the Excell Photo studio, and the Green Mill ballroom, all quartered in the building, were destroyed in the blaze. The fire was prevented from spreading to the Uptown Theatre, 4814 Broadway, firemen said, by the fire walls of the structure.

Graffiti Removal Begins on Historic Uptown

Removing graffiti from a building can be very expensive, in the tens of thousands for large buildings. That's why Chicago is lucky to have a program like Graffiti Blasters, which removes graffiti from private property at no cost to the property owner.

Unfortunately, the graffiti that was defacing the east facade of the Uptown Theatre was too high up for the city's Graffiti Blasters program to reach, and the fact that it is a historic building disqualifies it as well, as special techniques need to be used to ensure the integrity of the structure.

That's why it's so good to see that graffiti removal has begun this week on the Uptown. Thanks to those responsible!

Broadway Near the Uptown Theatre

This image was taken in August 2000, according to the Historic Architectural/Archaeological Resources Geographic Information System, although based on the cars, it looks a good decade or so older. My guess is it was taken in the late eighties or early nineties. The first Uptown Community Portrait, below, was taken in 2000, and the vertical marquee on the Uptown Theatre is missing. I'll have to double-check the date that was removed.

In any case, it's amazing how different this stretch of Broadway looks now with Annoyance, FatCat, Marigold, and other businesses opening up. Change always seems to happen slowly in Uptown, but when you compare what it looked like not too long ago, it's astounding.

Portrait image courtesy Friends of the Uptown.

Grateful Dead at the Uptown

The Uptown Theatre closed in 1981, making this show by The Grateful Dead one of the last to be held there. I was 12 at the time, too young to really know who The Dead were, let alone be allowed to go to a concert, but I bet it was an amazing show. (My first concert, I'm embarrassed to admit, was Corey Hart from his "Sunglasses at Night" phase. I was 15.)

I did find a link where there is streaming audio of their performance from the February 27, 1981.