Riviera Theatre Acquistion Approved

posted by Patrick Crowley on December 11, 2002 at 9:38 am

CHICAGO, IL — According to a Chicago Tribune article, the City of Chicago’s Community and Development Commission voted on Tuesday to approve the purchase of the ailing Riviera Theatre.

The city plans to renovate the 1917 theater using private funds and then hand over operational control of the theater to a private group.

“We are very much interested in improving the Uptown entertainment district,” said Alicia Berg, the commissioner of planning and development. “This is a historic building and an incredibly important one.”

In fact, the Riviera was one of first movie palaces in Chicago that was built specifically for movies, instead of more traditional theatrical purposes.

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(Thanks to Bryan Krefft for telling us about this.)