Portage Theater
4050 N. Milwaukee Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60641
4050 N. Milwaukee Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60641
35 people
favorited this theater
Opened in 1920 as the Portage Park Theater (the former name is still inscribed over the Neo-Classical style facade), this was the first theater built specifically for movies (and not vaudeville shows) in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago. The theater was built for the Ascher Brothers circuit and originally could seat nearly 2,000.
The Portage Theater remained a popular fixture of the neighborhood for decades, becoming a second-run movie house in the 1960’s. In the 1980’s, its auditorium was divided in two by putting a wall down the middle of the auditorium.
Oddly, after the box office stopped being used, tickets were then sold in the lobby off a table and folding chairs set up school bake sale style.
The Portage Theater was shuttered in 2001 after operating sporadically for the previous couple years. The theater was restorated and renovated, and reopened in the spring of 2006 as a single-screen, 1,300-plus seat theater featuring both silent and sound classic motion pictures and other events, both on-screen and live.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 212 comments)
Wow. I haven’t been following the details. But it sounds like Carranza is handing the situation in a very poor, most undiplomatic, manner.
“Trying Times for the Portage”, the headline of this article from the Reader.
I wouldn’t pay my rent either if I had to shell out to repair the landlord’s building.
This whole situation strikes me as ridiculous five different ways. When all the dust settles I hope the Portage is still being used.
With respect, I disagree Trolleyguy. For years I’ve been hearing that Portage Park wants to bring life back to Six Corners. Having a concert venue would do that. But it doesn’t seem to be an acceptable option. To me it seems that they want to have their cake and eat it too. Or specifically, it seems that they want to bring back the mid-20th Century glory days which isn’t going to happen.
Security, underage drinking and such are problems that come along with the business. People live near each one of the venues I mentioned above and neighbors have not raised concerns about these things.
My main complaint with this situation is that Dennis and his associates seem to have been treated with disrespect.
My secondary complaint involves building maintenance. I haven’t been to the Congress in a long time. But if Carranza is running it into ground and the Portage is next that is certainly not a good situation.
Carranza sounds just plain crazy:
http://chicagoist.com/2012/11/29/congress_theater_owner_defaults_on.php
Thanks Life’s Too Short for link. I hope the Portage makes it. Wonderful programing!
The management of the Portage have announced a rally on December 17th to “save the Portage Theater as we know it”. More details are said to be forthcoming.
Chicagoist named “Drama at the Congress and Portage Theaters” one of its top stories of 2012.
Good article, sums up the whole rotten mess really well, I would'nt want that guy living next door to me!
According to yesterday’s Chicagoist, the Portage’s owner, Eddie Carranza has a new operator in place for the theater, and the current management has not scheduled new programming beyond mid-April. This comes a week after the Commission On Chicago Landmarks granted landmark status to the Portage.