HERE’S what I think. You people NEED to get ahold of the politicians to help you to either DESTROY THE PLACE FOREVER…..OR….RESTORE IT LIKE IT LOOKED WHEN IT OPENED IN THE 1920’S……See what pull you have and who you might be able to schmooze. GET THEM ON RECORD. I heard one sector say that James “Pate” (hate stupid nicknames) Philip wants to keep it standing, but…BEING A POLITICIAN…GET IT ON RECORD!!!..YOU KNOW THAT MOST OF THEM LIE…..See who is on your side. Thay way, how EVER this thing goes….vote accordingly next election. You’d be surprised. It took a snowstorm to oust Bilandic and elect Byrne…..Chicago’s first woman mayor…(and probably the last for awhile)…..and a disenfranchised voting population to be bold and elect Harold Washington our first black mayor…..
Just remember…ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN WITH POLITICIANS…THEY SWOON AND SWAY WITH THE PUBLIC’S INPUT….GET ENOUGH IN YOUR CORNER AND YOU ARE SET…..
There was a great article in the Trib last week on the VIBRANT Downtown Arlington Heights nightlife with the Metropolis Centre, bars, people having fun downtown, etc…Lombard probably can’t BE THAT, maybe they don’t WANT TO, maybe the kids yearn to leave when they are old enough and the elders are complacent to let that happen. BUT….if Lombard wants a vibrant downtown open till at LEAST 10pm and later on the weekends, a theater is a catalyst for that. Maybe a brand new venue built from the ground up (with some architectural remnants saved from the Dupage)would be nice.
By the WAY….Are “fiscal insanity” and “challenger” the same person? I think we should have a meeting at MY place. ALL OF US…bet those two wussies wouldn’t even show….You KNOW my name….WHY THE ALIAS????…SCARED????
HERE’S what I think. You people NEED to get ahold of the politicians to help you to either DESTROY THE PLACE FOREVER…..OR….RESTORE IT LIKE IT LOOKED WHEN IT OPENED IN THE 1920’S……See what pull you have and who you might be able to schmooze. GET THEM ON RECORD. I heard one sector say that James “Pate” (hate stupid nicknames) Philip wants to keep it standing, but…BEING A POLITICIAN…GET IT ON RECORD!!!..YOU KNOW THAT MOST OF THEM LIE…..See who is on your side. Thay way, how EVER this thing goes….vote accordingly next election. You’d be surprised. It took a snowstorm to oust Bilandic and elect Byrne…..Chicago’s first woman mayor…(and probably the last for awhile)…..and a disenfranchised voting population to be bold and elect Harold Washington our first black mayor…..
Just remember…ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN WITH POLITICIANS…THEY SWOON AND SWAY WITH THE PUBLIC’S INPUT….GET ENOUGH IN YOUR CORNER AND YOU ARE SET…..
There was a great article in the Trib last week on the VIBRANT Downtown Arlington Heights nightlife with the Metropolis Centre, bars, people having fun downtown, etc…Lombard probably can’t BE THAT, maybe they don’t WANT TO, maybe the kids yearn to leave when they are old enough and the elders are complacent to let that happen. BUT….if Lombard wants a vibrant downtown open till at LEAST 10pm and later on the weekends, a theater is a catalyst for that. Maybe a brand new venue built from the ground up (with some architectural remnants saved from the Dupage)would be nice.
By the WAY….Are “fiscal insanity” and “challenger” the same person? I think we should have a meeting at MY place. ALL OF US…bet those two wussies wouldn’t even show….You KNOW my name….WHY THE ALIAS????…SCARED????
Hey Patrick,
They are doing stabilzation tests on the building, taking key pieces of terra cotta and brickwork and analzing them to make sure the structure is still sound. I have faith the tests will prove that it is. Buildings from that era could withstand a hurricane, due to the “stress tests” that were done to prove the balcony could hold the weight of the patrons. They used sandbags weighing a lot more to be safe. I was a kid in the 60’s and to all the theaters on the northside and am saddened only a few survive.
I am also surprised that the new development at the former Wilson CTA yards will include apts, stores…..AND a MULTIPLEX CINEMA????..What about taking the Uptown and doing it there??? I had an idea for YEARS on keeping the lobby, the main floor and stage (movie premieres?) and splitting the balcony gently into 3 or 4 but still large theaters due to its immense size. The wall that would separate/close off the main floor theater from the balcony cinemas would have a VERY LARGE artist’s painting of the balcony seats, maybe with patrons sketched in for effect, like it was still there..Cute? Or not do-able?
The fact that we have NO person here that wants to spread the wealth and save this palace sickens me….HELLO PRITZKERS…HELLO OPRAH….HELLO CROWN FAMILY….HELLO MICHAEL JORDAN…..remember….you can’t take it with you….and who wants the lawyers to get it all???
This has been one of the most interesting forums on ANY theater so far!!! I liked the editorial with Daniel Coffey’s renderings in the Tribune today, and really think this thing could work. I have seen theaters in WORSE shape, particularlly the Toronto Pantages Theater, which was split into a sixplex that destroyed a good percentage of it’s interior. AND was replicated and reopened into a beauty. Of course, Toronto is NOT Lombard, and might not have enough residents who would venture out to live theater like downtown Chicago. We have so many more options for entertainment, and staying home these days seems cheaper and safer. Most venues like this thrive on a certain age bracket, usually 20-30 years of age. BUT…..keep arguing!!! Who knows? Someone might listen, and WHATEVER your views, one way or another, this will SOON draw to a close. I have to acknowledge the fact that soon Chicago will lose the Gateway Theater/Copernicus Center in the Jefferson Park neighborhood to a very tempting condo developer that’s a convenient spot just a few blocks away from the blue line and Metra. Progress SUCKS!!!
Good for you Deb! Keep fighting the good fight!
I find it curious that fiscal insanity has stopped responding since I questioned his background/motives/anonymity, and now we have challenger…Just another alias from fiscal?
Thanks Dupe. Whatever they can save, if only the facade. Might be a lesson to those who are trying in their own small towns to save their theaters to keep them in working order and NOT let them stay dormant for too long.
What you are saying Dupe sounds like a good alternative plan. While I am allways in favor of saving EVERY old theater you can, especially at least one in every downtown suburb, keeping the facade and marquee intact is something. It’s sad that deferred mantinence has caused this problem. If it was just a matter of a few coats of paint and a good cleaning that would be a no-brainer to keep it running. But it appears that is not the case. Unfortunately, Lombard does not have an Oprah-like millionaire to drop a wad of bucks on a whim. It WOULD be nice, but most self-made millionaires are busy building 20 room mansions these days!
I won’t lose hope till the end, as I witnessed the senseless destruction of the Granada Theater in Chicago in 1989 due to the “machinations” of Loyola University that systematically caused its' end. Ask around. The spokeman for the Theater Historical Society said that it was “the most intact theater”. Looking at demolition videos shows that. The Granada had the last laugh though. During demolition, the workers underestimated their work, and the side wall collapse wrong and bricks cascaded on to the Red Line tracks causing a MAJOR delay. I smiled at the last word on that GRAND LADY of Rogers Park.
I’ve come to realize that “fiscal insanity” is ONE BIG JERK…..he has GOT to have a financial/investment connection to that part of town to be so enthused in tearing it down for another strip mall in the boring burbs. How much $$$ he has on spec is known only to him and his cohorts who delight in demolishing key structures of our past. I’d like to know just how he knows that it’s not structurally sound. Is he (or she) an expert? A building inspector? He sounds like a bully and an interloper who I wonder WHY wants to be heard on a website that encourages saving/rstoring/and adaptive reuse of historic buildings all over the USA? This “person” won’t even use their real name. A SAD and anonymous AND frightened bully at that
too. Maybe a live debate would smoke him/her out of hiding?
Thank You melders for your wise words. Everybody should just STOP and THINK about this whole issue calmly and with an unbiased mind.
An investment for the future and a respect for its' past says it right.Once it’s gone it’s gone. Another part of Lombard’s past that could have been saved!
Hey!
Read an article in the Wassau WI paper this 2005 4th of July weekend that they are going to restore/renovate the Rogers Cinema for a live venue, even to have the readers buy a seat and have their name on it. Hope they make it!
HELLO???? A B.O.R.I.N.G SUBURBAN DOWNTOWN DEAD AFTER 6PM VERSUS KICKING IN A FEW BUCKS PER CITIZEN THAT WILL LAST A GENERATION (and more) FOR RESTORING A LANDMARK??? YOU NUMBSKULLS!!!!
I guess the other aspect is all of you staying home watching TV/Cable, playing video games till you ROT…getting FAT, NO CULTURE…..THANK GOD I LIVE IN CHICAGO WITH ALL THE CULTURAL AMENITIES….YOU have a chance to create one, and you BLOW IT….GUESS you need a Chuckie Cheese more than a venue for the ARTS…..PHILISTINES…..
It’s a sad state of affairs that Lombard can think of a $80 million convention center (like we really need another one in this state) and not give a few million for this theater. Most downtown suburbs are BORING, and saving this gem would be an asset to yours. A late night vibrant downtown with a live theater sure beats a dead one after 6pm!
Thanks Artspeak. I just cannot fathom why we are in such a hurry to tear down our landmarks which make our cities and towns unique. I mean, if this keeps up, why bother travelling at all, when after a few more years, we will all look the same, with strip malls and such coast to coast! How BORING….
It’s funny that so many Are against tax dollars to restore a landmark that would brighten an otherwise dead part of downtown, but think nothing when the tax payers of Chicago had to subsidize Soldier Field and its' ugly renovation, along with the new Sox Park. Remember when Arlington Park Racetrack burned down in the 70’s or 80’s and Springfield gave poor little rich boy Richard Duchoiss a handout to rebuild? At least with a theater, it can be a multi-purpose building. Can’t we think of a plan to play all, or MOST sports in the same arena and save some bucks?
HERE’S what I think. You people NEED to get ahold of the politicians to help you to either DESTROY THE PLACE FOREVER…..OR….RESTORE IT LIKE IT LOOKED WHEN IT OPENED IN THE 1920’S……See what pull you have and who you might be able to schmooze. GET THEM ON RECORD. I heard one sector say that James “Pate” (hate stupid nicknames) Philip wants to keep it standing, but…BEING A POLITICIAN…GET IT ON RECORD!!!..YOU KNOW THAT MOST OF THEM LIE…..See who is on your side. Thay way, how EVER this thing goes….vote accordingly next election. You’d be surprised. It took a snowstorm to oust Bilandic and elect Byrne…..Chicago’s first woman mayor…(and probably the last for awhile)…..and a disenfranchised voting population to be bold and elect Harold Washington our first black mayor…..
Just remember…ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN WITH POLITICIANS…THEY SWOON AND SWAY WITH THE PUBLIC’S INPUT….GET ENOUGH IN YOUR CORNER AND YOU ARE SET…..
There was a great article in the Trib last week on the VIBRANT Downtown Arlington Heights nightlife with the Metropolis Centre, bars, people having fun downtown, etc…Lombard probably can’t BE THAT, maybe they don’t WANT TO, maybe the kids yearn to leave when they are old enough and the elders are complacent to let that happen. BUT….if Lombard wants a vibrant downtown open till at LEAST 10pm and later on the weekends, a theater is a catalyst for that. Maybe a brand new venue built from the ground up (with some architectural remnants saved from the Dupage)would be nice.
By the WAY….Are “fiscal insanity” and “challenger” the same person? I think we should have a meeting at MY place. ALL OF US…bet those two wussies wouldn’t even show….You KNOW my name….WHY THE ALIAS????…SCARED????
HERE’S what I think. You people NEED to get ahold of the politicians to help you to either DESTROY THE PLACE FOREVER…..OR….RESTORE IT LIKE IT LOOKED WHEN IT OPENED IN THE 1920’S……See what pull you have and who you might be able to schmooze. GET THEM ON RECORD. I heard one sector say that James “Pate” (hate stupid nicknames) Philip wants to keep it standing, but…BEING A POLITICIAN…GET IT ON RECORD!!!..YOU KNOW THAT MOST OF THEM LIE…..See who is on your side. Thay way, how EVER this thing goes….vote accordingly next election. You’d be surprised. It took a snowstorm to oust Bilandic and elect Byrne…..Chicago’s first woman mayor…(and probably the last for awhile)…..and a disenfranchised voting population to be bold and elect Harold Washington our first black mayor…..
Just remember…ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN WITH POLITICIANS…THEY SWOON AND SWAY WITH THE PUBLIC’S INPUT….GET ENOUGH IN YOUR CORNER AND YOU ARE SET…..
There was a great article in the Trib last week on the VIBRANT Downtown Arlington Heights nightlife with the Metropolis Centre, bars, people having fun downtown, etc…Lombard probably can’t BE THAT, maybe they don’t WANT TO, maybe the kids yearn to leave when they are old enough and the elders are complacent to let that happen. BUT….if Lombard wants a vibrant downtown open till at LEAST 10pm and later on the weekends, a theater is a catalyst for that. Maybe a brand new venue built from the ground up (with some architectural remnants saved from the Dupage)would be nice.
By the WAY….Are “fiscal insanity” and “challenger” the same person? I think we should have a meeting at MY place. ALL OF US…bet those two wussies wouldn’t even show….You KNOW my name….WHY THE ALIAS????…SCARED????
Hey Patrick,
They are doing stabilzation tests on the building, taking key pieces of terra cotta and brickwork and analzing them to make sure the structure is still sound. I have faith the tests will prove that it is. Buildings from that era could withstand a hurricane, due to the “stress tests” that were done to prove the balcony could hold the weight of the patrons. They used sandbags weighing a lot more to be safe. I was a kid in the 60’s and to all the theaters on the northside and am saddened only a few survive.
I am also surprised that the new development at the former Wilson CTA yards will include apts, stores…..AND a MULTIPLEX CINEMA????..What about taking the Uptown and doing it there??? I had an idea for YEARS on keeping the lobby, the main floor and stage (movie premieres?) and splitting the balcony gently into 3 or 4 but still large theaters due to its immense size. The wall that would separate/close off the main floor theater from the balcony cinemas would have a VERY LARGE artist’s painting of the balcony seats, maybe with patrons sketched in for effect, like it was still there..Cute? Or not do-able?
The fact that we have NO person here that wants to spread the wealth and save this palace sickens me….HELLO PRITZKERS…HELLO OPRAH….HELLO CROWN FAMILY….HELLO MICHAEL JORDAN…..remember….you can’t take it with you….and who wants the lawyers to get it all???
This has been one of the most interesting forums on ANY theater so far!!! I liked the editorial with Daniel Coffey’s renderings in the Tribune today, and really think this thing could work. I have seen theaters in WORSE shape, particularlly the Toronto Pantages Theater, which was split into a sixplex that destroyed a good percentage of it’s interior. AND was replicated and reopened into a beauty. Of course, Toronto is NOT Lombard, and might not have enough residents who would venture out to live theater like downtown Chicago. We have so many more options for entertainment, and staying home these days seems cheaper and safer. Most venues like this thrive on a certain age bracket, usually 20-30 years of age. BUT…..keep arguing!!! Who knows? Someone might listen, and WHATEVER your views, one way or another, this will SOON draw to a close. I have to acknowledge the fact that soon Chicago will lose the Gateway Theater/Copernicus Center in the Jefferson Park neighborhood to a very tempting condo developer that’s a convenient spot just a few blocks away from the blue line and Metra. Progress SUCKS!!!
Good for you Deb! Keep fighting the good fight!
I find it curious that fiscal insanity has stopped responding since I questioned his background/motives/anonymity, and now we have challenger…Just another alias from fiscal?
Thanks Dupe. Whatever they can save, if only the facade. Might be a lesson to those who are trying in their own small towns to save their theaters to keep them in working order and NOT let them stay dormant for too long.
What you are saying Dupe sounds like a good alternative plan. While I am allways in favor of saving EVERY old theater you can, especially at least one in every downtown suburb, keeping the facade and marquee intact is something. It’s sad that deferred mantinence has caused this problem. If it was just a matter of a few coats of paint and a good cleaning that would be a no-brainer to keep it running. But it appears that is not the case. Unfortunately, Lombard does not have an Oprah-like millionaire to drop a wad of bucks on a whim. It WOULD be nice, but most self-made millionaires are busy building 20 room mansions these days!
I won’t lose hope till the end, as I witnessed the senseless destruction of the Granada Theater in Chicago in 1989 due to the “machinations” of Loyola University that systematically caused its' end. Ask around. The spokeman for the Theater Historical Society said that it was “the most intact theater”. Looking at demolition videos shows that. The Granada had the last laugh though. During demolition, the workers underestimated their work, and the side wall collapse wrong and bricks cascaded on to the Red Line tracks causing a MAJOR delay. I smiled at the last word on that GRAND LADY of Rogers Park.
I’ve come to realize that “fiscal insanity” is ONE BIG JERK…..he has GOT to have a financial/investment connection to that part of town to be so enthused in tearing it down for another strip mall in the boring burbs. How much $$$ he has on spec is known only to him and his cohorts who delight in demolishing key structures of our past. I’d like to know just how he knows that it’s not structurally sound. Is he (or she) an expert? A building inspector? He sounds like a bully and an interloper who I wonder WHY wants to be heard on a website that encourages saving/rstoring/and adaptive reuse of historic buildings all over the USA? This “person” won’t even use their real name. A SAD and anonymous AND frightened bully at that
too. Maybe a live debate would smoke him/her out of hiding?
Thank You melders for your wise words. Everybody should just STOP and THINK about this whole issue calmly and with an unbiased mind.
An investment for the future and a respect for its' past says it right.Once it’s gone it’s gone. Another part of Lombard’s past that could have been saved!
Hey!
Read an article in the Wassau WI paper this 2005 4th of July weekend that they are going to restore/renovate the Rogers Cinema for a live venue, even to have the readers buy a seat and have their name on it. Hope they make it!
HELLO???? A B.O.R.I.N.G SUBURBAN DOWNTOWN DEAD AFTER 6PM VERSUS KICKING IN A FEW BUCKS PER CITIZEN THAT WILL LAST A GENERATION (and more) FOR RESTORING A LANDMARK??? YOU NUMBSKULLS!!!!
I guess the other aspect is all of you staying home watching TV/Cable, playing video games till you ROT…getting FAT, NO CULTURE…..THANK GOD I LIVE IN CHICAGO WITH ALL THE CULTURAL AMENITIES….YOU have a chance to create one, and you BLOW IT….GUESS you need a Chuckie Cheese more than a venue for the ARTS…..PHILISTINES…..
It’s a sad state of affairs that Lombard can think of a $80 million convention center (like we really need another one in this state) and not give a few million for this theater. Most downtown suburbs are BORING, and saving this gem would be an asset to yours. A late night vibrant downtown with a live theater sure beats a dead one after 6pm!
Thanks Artspeak. I just cannot fathom why we are in such a hurry to tear down our landmarks which make our cities and towns unique. I mean, if this keeps up, why bother travelling at all, when after a few more years, we will all look the same, with strip malls and such coast to coast! How BORING….
It’s funny that so many Are against tax dollars to restore a landmark that would brighten an otherwise dead part of downtown, but think nothing when the tax payers of Chicago had to subsidize Soldier Field and its' ugly renovation, along with the new Sox Park. Remember when Arlington Park Racetrack burned down in the 70’s or 80’s and Springfield gave poor little rich boy Richard Duchoiss a handout to rebuild? At least with a theater, it can be a multi-purpose building. Can’t we think of a plan to play all, or MOST sports in the same arena and save some bucks?