Portage Theatre
4050 N. Milwaukee Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60641
4050 N. Milwaukee Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60641
38 people
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Meeting Minutes â€" April 12, 2004
Date of issuance: April 13, 2004
Portage Park Neighborhood Association â€" Public Meeting
Monday, April 12, 2004, 7:30 p.m.
I. Meeting Called to Order by Gerard Staniszewski, 2nd Neil Krus at 8 p.m.
II. President’s Opening Statement: Gerard Staniszewski made two announcements:
1. The next Clean & Green will be held Saturday, May 1. Those interested in participating should
meet at 4026 N. LaPorte (city parking lot), 8:30 a.m.
2. Paul Warshauer, who spoke at the last meeting, is still in the process of being evicted by the
Portage Park Theater owner. Another group is expressing interest in buying the theatre and wants
to make a presentation to the PPNA at the May meeting. Gerard urges everyone to attend the
meeting for their input. In answer to an attendee’s question, he says the group is NOT the
Universal Church.
Here’s how he is doing in the suburbs:
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Thank you Robert Bank! Finally. You understand how difficult it is to operate a theatre in Chicago. The Portage still has a good chance of being a success. I will gladly give all of our files to anyone who wants to take a chance. Call us, if you wish. (630) 480-3345.
And, just down the road, the Logan Theatre seems to be doing well, too. And that area is gentrifying.
Paul Warshauer how are you doing in the suburbs?
It’s tragic that the Portage sits idle and its terrible how the City stymied your every effort to re-open it.
Just a couple of miles east on another angled street (Lincoln), the Davis Theatre shows first run movies, the street is filled with stores, restaurants and coffee houses but on Milwaukee Avenue where the Portage sits shuttered the street looks like downtown Bagdad.
How can two similar neighborhoods in so many respects be so different?
Is anything happening with the theatre thse days?
Here is a 1953 photo of the then-bustling Six Corners, with the Portage’s vertical sign faintly visible in the background.
thats the picture I have referred too.
ahh ok.
The sign in question also carried M&R’s logo.
Vertical would have been a better way to describe it..I sent a picture to paul, Once this site can handle more pictures, Ill get the one I have of it posted. Do we know where it is?
I always assumed the circle was an abc sign, I don’t know the ownership history of the Portage, though.
At the moment the picture uploading is down. Paul I have sent you a picture.
in the picture above there is a circle between the marquees
the clock would have been there. Im going to see if I cant get a picture of the big letter sign posted.
?? There is no clock that I know of and I do not know what letter sign to which you refer. Sorry.
What are the big letter sign and clock that you refer to?
A well worded business plan would work. I can help. E-mail me or call our office. (630) 221-0667
Do you think a petition would work in any sort?
Elizabeth: Great questions. Alderman Levar was absolutely NO help to us with the Portage Park Theatre. He did not facilitate the departments of the city (health, building, fire, etc.) and would NOT sign off on a generator that is needed now for all PPAs (Public Places of Amusement.) By the way, there are great secret rooms and a magnificent old vaudeville proscenium hidden behind the movie screens. We could have opened it and been running movies now. It is sad. The Landlord is a nice guy but does not want to invest any money in the theatre. I would LOVE to come back and help after our success here at the Wheaton Grand Theatre.
Oh I wanted to ask if you knew of where the big letter sign was that came from the building? the clock? Is there a basement? Any secret rooms?
Ok laugh, Im curious thats all.
Know what? maybe the Patio would be a better choice for a movie theater they can keep their capacity low,more shows,play two a week for 3 days a piece and then Sunday play a First Run A for what the larger theaters charge..4-7$Limited tickets.
Hey…that’s why they gave us two blockbusters huh?……
Anyway, The portage has a larger capacity for a bigger venue.
Paul, Did you have any qualms with Levar?
Hello.
I was looking into a maybe smaller venue for a NeverEnding Story Convention / Meeting.Right now Im in the Midst of pulling together a fan base,and possibilities of a location, but the thought of politics in Rosemont kinda detoured me away from the convention center. This wont be for another 1 to 2 years though.
As for the thought of a CVS??? Have you seen our neighborhood lately?
Its bad enough we already have two blockbusters within walking distance! Thats about all the entertainment and shopping we have without going towards that overcrowded mall!Oh forgive me we have a Marshalls.
Besides theres a Jewel Osco, and three Walgreens!we dont even need to be putting the thought into their money hungry corporate heads.
What Im saying is the neighborhood itself is becoming pretty pathetic. Its disturbing and sad!
We need an “in stone” foundation building thats says WE ARE PORTAGE PARK!
and we need it there to pick this neighborhood back up,for a good use! (Education in the Arts,or make it home to the next second city, or something worth while a dinner theater maybe,Auction House.) instead of knocking it down for condos!(Which that big Klee building is there for)Or putting retail in it that says nothing about the neighboorhood(once again what the Klee building is for). For god sakes we have an olympic size pool that held the Olympic try outs! that says Portage Park and it deserves so much better than what it has become today!We need something to Keep Our Own.
We also have the Parking, which says more than the Patio where you have to fight though dumb people pulling stupid moves on Irving Park going to a deli!!!
It’s SIX CORNERS not IRVING AND AUSTIN!
We need this theater (maybe not so much of a theater to nessisarily house movies or (hell Keep a screen!)at six corners but the building needs to stay too!. The apartments in the building… they can have there condo fun with.
Its nice to see that the lights were on,For as long as I have been alive I had never saw those lights on…Until closing the recyclery one night. When that building just illuminated the street It brought tears to my eyes! Someone cared about it that much.
If you only knew the troubles I had with the city and that theatre!
The Portage Theatre should be able to copy the success of the Davis Theatre on Lincoln Avenue, there’s plenty of room in that building for more than one screen and virtually no competition for miles around.
I think you are right, Ken. My comment could have been more carefully worded…and Paul, I applaud your efforts in Wheaton.