Uptown Theatre
4816 N. Broadway,
Chicago,
IL
60640
4816 N. Broadway,
Chicago,
IL
60640
89 people
favorited this theater
Showing 326 - 350 of 527 comments
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?
I passed by the uptown theatre on Monday and saw some of the facade is removed from the top of the building. It does not look at all like the picture I have in my living room or the picture in the book “Continuous Performance”.
i heard some positive news about the Uptown the other day. A very reliable source tells me that the financial problems which have kept the theatre from being reused are being cleared up by its current owner. The goal of the current owner is to attain a clear title for the property so that renovation of the property for theatre use can begin. email me for more info. Thanks
[email][/email,www.balabanandkatz.com
who knows what will happen with Paul? This site is about the Uptown. Agree.
View link The aforementioned garage is visible in this picture.
Famed “Schmeling-Louis” fight film shown at Uptown—–
NEWS ITEM:
Chicago Daily News, Friday, June 26, 1936, p. 36, c. 1—–
FIGHT FILMS OPEN AT B-K THEATERS
The Joe Louis-Max Schmeling fight pictures, complete from beginning to end have been booked in as extra screen attractions at eight Balaban & Katz theaters starting today. In the loop the pictures will be shown at the Roosevelt and Apollo theaters; west side Marbro; south side, Tivoli and Southtown; north side, Granada, Varsity and Uptown. The pictures showing the knockdown in slow motion, also start at the Regal theater on the south side on Sunday
Geo, for a more recent peek inside the Uptown, watch the trailer for last year’s Uptown: Portrait of a Palace – View link
I heard a rumor (take it as nothing more) that they had problems keeping the heat on this past winter. Obviously, that is not a good thing if true.
Hello All,
Rich—Yes, you are absolutely correct, The Uptown is physically larger than Radio City. Keep in mind though Radio City still does have a greater capacity. I have always been a lover of Radio City Music Hall, but after seeing the interior picture of the Uptown, I had to do a double take. The Uptown clearly can rival Radio City in sheer beauty alone once fully restored.
I really am anxious to see this building get restored. But it just seems like there are always road blocks and red tape encircling this building. There is a perverbial black cloud hanging over the Uptown.
I admit I have not been keeping up on current events with the Uptown. Last I heard they were doing some sort of stabalizing work and removed the beautiful parapet on the crest of the building. But I have not heard much about the restoration of the interior and how that is going. I hope it is moving along. The last interior pictures I saw were from 1990.
I KNOW TRUTH—Nice to see you around and still posting, I remember we were talking about another Chicago Theatre at about the time you were marauding Paul (supposedly he is working on a theatre in Youngstown now. I’m curious as to how that project is panning out). I know that you followed the Uptown closely, but I guess you haven’t heard anything new lately, huh?
Geo
so what happens next?
No secret. The owners are listed on this lawsuit filed in 2005:
http://tinyurl.com/2vlw3f
my only question is who is this developer that is being kept so secret? And what type of venue would be at the Uptown??
View link
there are so many buildings in the uptown district that are historical. I will be more than happy to share what I have. All you have to do is ask.Except for Paul Warshauer
I see I was mistaken. I do apologize.No hard feelings?
Cohan, the page for it is here.. Incidentally, Ziegfeld’s father also had a theater, whose page is here.
was it cohan or ziegfeld?
Cohan used to have a theater here, too. Cohan’s Grand Opera House. Listed here as the RKO Grand.
I currently own a copy of Continuous Performances. The life of A. J. Balaban.Since I have seen how Mayor Daley likes to do one up on New York. I can picture the Uptown restored and the rivalry continuing with New York vs. Chicago. After all Chicago is the home of the old Harris theatre and that was the partner of George M. Cohan of New York! The Harris theatre is now part of the new Goodman Theatre. And Mayor Daley was involved with that. Imagine the ball being dropped in Times Square vs. Uptown Square?