Genesee Theatre

lostmemory on September 20, 2008 at 6:36 pm

This is a September 2008 photo.

kencmcintyre on April 25, 2009 at 3:56 pm

Here is a 1982 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/cn6lpk

LouisRugani on August 30, 2009 at 5:02 am

The silver screen will be back in use at the Genesee Theatre in north suburban Waukegan starting next month. Officials are lining up a schedule of classic films to be shown with the $40,000 of projection equipment that was installed earlier this summer.

The first feature is being held close to the vest, with Mayor Robert Sabonjian telling City Council on Monday only that it will be “a true American classic.”

Genesee Executive Director Gary Zabinski said Tuesday that an exact weekend date in August, as well as the movie in question, will be announced later this week. He added that “a lineup of classic films as well as more recent ones” will be put on the schedule.

But Zabinski made it a point to say that “we’re not going to be a movie house” in the strict sense of the term.

“The Genesee is not going to revert to being a movie house where you have movies being shown there six or seven times a week,” Zabinski said. “It deserves to be more than that, and it’s proven it can be more than that. [but] I think there’s room for this.”

In announcing the installation of the equipment at Monday’s City Council meeting, Sabonjian said he hoped that the regular scheduling of movies would be part of “adopting a more businesslike attitude” at the Genesee.

Sabonjian noted that the theater requires an annual $1 million payment from the city to retire the $24 million in renovation bonds, and another $350,000 in the form of a “support payment” toward operations from the Friends of the Historic Genesee Theatre.

Zabinski said details of film offerings are still being worked out, but the general plan is to offer screenings “initially one night a week for a while” around the theater’s live performance schedule, which typically eats up weekend dates.

The purchase of projection equipment was put together by the nonprofit Friends organization, which conducts fund-raising efforts for the theater. Zabinski said the equipment — a 35 mm film projector, and a digital model with both high-definition DVD and Blu-ray capability — is a mix of new and refurbished equipment, including parts culled from vintage Genesee projectors.

Also on the entertainment front, Sabonjian said Monday that his decision to pull funding for the Waukegan Municipal Band’s lakefront concert series was made “in order to demonstrate good faith” with employees whose jobs are on the line during budget talks.

According to Sabonjian, the annual $60,000 stipend for band members would cover the salary of one full-time police officer or firefighter.

“It is not a decision I took lightly,” said Sabonjian, encouraging the Municipal Band to launch “a vigorous fund-raising effort or seek a corporate sponsorship” to float a concert series in 2010.

Band officials announced last week that they would perform the final three Tuesday night concerts on a volunteer basis. The season concludes at 7 p.m. July 28 at the lakefront’s Stiner Pavilion with a presentation of “Audience Favorites.” – from the Chicago Sun-Times

jwballer on March 10, 2010 at 2:27 pm

News of hauntings
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figaro14 on October 10, 2011 at 4:57 pm

While it was incredible that a renovation of this old movie palace ever was accomplished, it is a shame that the renovation team felt the need to alter and change the exterior marquee and entrance, going with a “modernization” look. If one is going to preserve and restore, then keep the original marquee and front of the theatre.