Uptown Theatre
4816 N. Broadway,
Chicago,
IL
60640
4816 N. Broadway,
Chicago,
IL
60640
88 people
favorited this theater
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Does anyone here have a connection to Compass Rose? I sent my check to them over a month ago for a copy of the “Uptown” DVD, but haven’t seen it yet. I also emailed the editor email on their website a week ago, but still haven’t heard back.
Maybe I’m just getting over anxious, but I’m looking forward to my copy and don’t seem to have any way of getting in touch with them.
Anyone out there have any suggestions? Thanks.
Here is an undated interior photo:
http://tinyurl.com/32nvug
Recent photos of this theatre are HERE
the uptown theatre is a chicago landmark. So the building has landmark status from the City.Of course politics would be involved. When the Chicago was restored Washington was Mayor. The Goodman theatre Daley was Mayor. There is even a space with his name on it.
Who knows who will be Mayor if and when the time comes for the Uptown?
It has become a very murky situation. There are so many issues to resolve. I think it is possible that the building will eventually be restored as part of an Uptown entertainment district. I also think it is possible that some sort of compromise project like the one you describe could come to pass. I just wish that something constructive would happen. It is desressing to watch the property decay year after year. Also, having a hulk of an unusable theater towering over the neighborhood certainly isn’t a positive force for development.
Have read the above links to ownership issues and interest by developers.
My guess is the usual scoundrels and villains are lining up to pick over the bones. And I wonder why the city has been so indifferent, seems like there would be a push to go one way or the other?
Wouldn’t it really stink to have a new owner save the lobby for historical value as an entrance to the new office tower where the theater “was”. Maybe a Starbucks and gift shoppes. Worse deals involving historical sites have been made. Well maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing compared to what is happening now. I would bet my last buck in the end local interests will be forgotten and the site will be used as leverage for a bigger non related real estate deal.
By the way. Who is paying the utilities, taxes, roof leaks, boiler repair and so on now? If no owner is willing to do this it kind of makes you wonder.
I’m not sure if this photograph taken at the opening of the Uptown Theatre has been posted before, but its worth a look and also click on the ‘now’ button for a current view:
View link
the neighborhood is part of a historic district on the national register. The Riv down the street is operational so what is the problem with the uptown. there is always the story on television about the green mill lounge. You did know that the Uptown was built on the site of the picnic area of the Green Mill?
Any new info/news about the continuing saga that is the Uptown?
Come on Chicago your finsished restoring the loop theatres now its time to restore the largest theatre ever built in Chicago and it would give a huge boost to the Uptown district.brucec
Uptown: Portrait of a Palace will be shown on Friday, September 14 at the Portage Theater as part of the “Preserving Palaces” documentary film festival, along with Preserve Me a Seat (chronicling efforts to save the Indian Hills in Omaha, Gayety/Publix in Boston, DuPage in Lombard, and Villa in Salt Lake City). The festival continues Saturday, September 15 with The Wizard of Austin Boulevard, Loew’s Paradise Theatre, and Memoirs of a Movie Palace. A theatre preservation discussion panel will follow the films on Saturday night. For complete information, visit www.portagetheater.org.
You can now watch the documentary on the Uptown entitled “Uptown: Portrait of a Palace” for FREE on the website www.nomadsland.com
Just visit the site and click on the “Documentaries” tab to see the film in its entirety.
If you like it, then visit compassrose.org to pick up a copy on DVD, so you can watch it in full DVD quality. Your purchase of the DVD also supports Friends of the Uptown and Compass Rose in their effort to save the historic theatre and neighborhood.
A magnificent theatre that should be restored. What a loss it will to future generations if this unique theatre is allowed to be destroyed.
Jon, I mis-spoke. The Cinerama film I saw at the Palace was “Around The World In Eighty Days.” I realized my error after making the earlier post, but didn’t think it important enough to correct.
As we get older our memories begin to play some tricks on us. Now, I’m not absolutely certain that I didn’t see my Cineraama film at the McVickers; but the film I saw was “80 Days,” and my memory has the Palace as where I saw it.
Thanks for setting the record straight.
The movie palace that played How the West Was Won in Cinerama was the demolished McVickers. The actual Palace theater still exists and is now a functioning legitimate house. It was the original Chicago home of 3-projector Cinerama.
Thanks for the info. I’ll look into the Broadway in Chicago tour.
My son and I took the Oriental/Palace tour in 2005. I grew up in Chicago in the late 40’s through 50’s and often went to movies downtown. Prices were only around a dollar, and most included two full length films, a short, newsreel, and cartoon. The Oriental and Chicago theaters were especially awe inspiring from their elaborate decor.
My son grew up in the era of Multi-plex theaters, and I wanted him to glimpse the past in the tour. As we sat in the balcony of the Oriental listening to the tour guide, I found myself filling in a bit of past history for the visitors, so they could appreciate the differences between “then and now.” The tour ended with a visit to the Palace just down the street, where I had seen the Cinerama production of “How The West Was Won” years before. Most of the Palace was torn down and in disrepair, but you could still glimpse its earlier glory.
The price of the tour in 2005 was only $20., and as you can probably deduce from my earlier discussion, I highly recommend it.
The Oriental, Palace, and Lasalle Bank have tours through Broadway in Chicago, and the Chicago has tours through its management. Regular tours of the Auditorium Theatre are also held through its management and through the Chicago Architecture Foundation. There is information on their respective websites. The Uptown is not open to the public.
Does any group offer Chicago theatre tours, esp. for the Uptown, Oriental and Chicago? I’m from Detroit and would gladly make a trip to the Windy City for such a tour.
actually, I wrote the Chicago Movie Palace book. Joe wrote the foreward
Is the Chicago Movie Palaces book you speak of Joe Ducibella’s project?
Actually the city charged the owners about 1.6 million dollars to stabilize the front of the building. The terra cotta pieces are inside carefully catalogued and stored awaiting the go ahead to be reapplied(if possible) when a restoration plan is approved. That cost has been added to the buildings indebitness and must be repaid.
the uptown is on the same page with the six photos of all the Balaban brothers. In the copy of Variety after the index in the book.
I also have a copy of the new book Chicago Movie Palaces too.
Some of the terra cotta pieces were falling to the street a few years ago. The City of Chicago pitched in and removed pieces to repair and store them; they will be reinstalled. See posts above from around October 2005.
just curious, where in the book, “Continuous performance” is the uptown theatre pictured?