Worked there eight years. Just got a large collection of photos from one of the former managers. Miss that place madly. It was very cool and when I worked there in the 70[s and early 80’s it was in pretty good shape.
Am writing a paper on fires that led to changes in fire codes, and of course must include Iroquois Theater and Our Lady of the Angels school, both in Chicago. Re: Iroquois Theatre, I spoke to someone in THS who insisted that remains of the charred south and west stage walls still existed until the 1970’s. Can anyone confirm that? Was also told that the manager at the time (Mickey Gold) believed the Oriental was haunted.
The floor of the Aragone ball room was built on some kind of spring suspension, so that 8,000 people polka-ing on it would not wind up falling through to the lobby floor. That was one cool building in its day. In the 60’s it was painted with day-glow paint and renamed the Cheeta. Yuck! That was the low point of its life. But no, it isn’t exactly the same situation as a theatre. It was commisioned to Huzach and Hill, but designed by John Eberson, who is well known to theatre buffs, though.
Dr. Jazz! That was it! Thank you! I was really frustrated I couldn’t remember the name. I went there often. I know I’m getting senile, but I should have remembered that. My aunt owned the Montrose Food and Dairy store right across the street on Montrose, until a robber beat the hell out of her and left her for dead behind the counter. She recovered, but she was never the same. After that no one in the family ever went back to the neighborhood. Too many bad memories. My mom and I had to go into the store and clean up all the blood off of everything.
Yes, I was thinking of Sally’s Stage. It had a collection of old carnival game machines, that you could play. I think some came from Riverview Amusement park. But I thought they just took the lift from the Nortown, and the organ came from someplace else. But I may not be remembering correctly. It was a long time ago. There was a similiar place on Montrose near Ashland, but I can’t remember the name of that, either.
I know a couple of local high schools (I think Mather for sure) used the Nortown for graduation ceremonies a couple of times. That was interesting. The Uptown could be used like that.
The Oriental has done well as a playhouse, Wicked especially has done well there, but you still have the parking problem if you try to do that at the Uptown. And Wicked is a good fit for the Oriental since the Oriental was built on the site of the Iroquois, which was the biggest theatre fire disaster I can remember, and the Oriental was supposedly haunted. That comes up every now and then on a slow news day, especially around Halloween.
Make no mistake, I’d rather see it restored as it was. Make no mistake about that. If you have to divide the place up, as deep as it is, I’d prefer to see them save as much of the auditorium as possible, and block in the balcony space somehow. If it has to be done, I’d rather see the auditorium left as much alone as possible and a second floor space created where the balcony is. I’d love to have it restored as it was, but even I admit that might not be feasible. If I put a false wall at balcony level, I’d try to make it something that could later be removed, if anyone ever got the money to put it back.
When they first divided the Nortown, they just covered stuff up. You could sometimes see old lights that were still burning glowing through the partitions. I often wished it could be restored someday, but alas, it was not to be.
I’ve often wondered if those big old lobbies wouldn’t lend themselves to these theme conventions that draw so many fans. Can you imagine what it would have been like to have a LotR or Harry Potter convention in that big old castle? Or how trippy some anime fans would get with that big old barn to roam around in?
I remember working the concession stand for some of the concerts, and seeing all the people who were out of it just walking around going, “Wow, Man!” like Tommy Chong dong his 70’s show character.
I would hope that they would consider that. CATOE might be able to help with that. (The Chicago Theatre Organ Enthusiasts) There was an organ taken out of a theatre and put into a restaurant near the Nortown that is now closed. I wonder what became of that one? They took the lift out of the Nortown to make it work. I was at the Nortown when they did it.
Sigh. The problem with the destruction of theatres is that neither love nor logic seem to help very much, and love and/or logic are powerful driving emotions. I think that’s why it makes people so virulent.
Were Renee the guy who yelled at me when the line backed up so far when I was behind the concession counter at the Bay City Rollers concert? God, the munchies those people had!
{;-P
But I agree…there is much to be learned from past restoration experiences. We need to just sit tight a little bit longer, and see what kind of ride we’re going to be taken on, good or bad, exciting, or disappointing.
I do not recommend libeling anyone on this or any other site. I think we can hold onto the thread by not responding inapropriately to inappropriate comments. Just let the trolls go back under the bridge. They don’t have to have any power here.
But to tackle another part of what’s come up…I really don’t think using other situations for a comparison as to how things will proceed with the Uptown is THAT far off topic. The whole point is to learn from the past. I’d rather have the Uptown restoration go more slowly and be done right than rushed and be done haphazardly.
If we’re looking at Chicago as a reference point, they certainly rushed to get the Iroquois open on time for the Christmas season, and it was open a month before it caught fire, killing hundreds of people. This has to been done as slowly as it needs to be, to be done safely and well.
I agree if the downtown can be turned around, Uptown can. Uptown was not exactly a total dead zone, although it got close at times. I taught for awhile at St. Thomas of Canterbury, around the corner, and both the church and the nearby McCormick Boys Club worked real hard to keep the neighborhood from going completely downhill. You always had the Green Mill, too. The Green Mill was drawing jazz fans even when the neighborhood was not so hot. The theatre would make a huge difference, but it’s got to have parking like downtown, where you don’t have to walk TOO far. I know the El is close and the buses stop right out front, but you still will have people who want to drive.
It’s not hysteria, guys. Really it isn’t, at least not with me. It’s pessimism, and I’ll admit that, but I am not without hope. Maybe some people still are, but I’m not. I’m delighted that at least the ownership question is settled. (Then if it DOES get screwed up, I’ll have someone concrete to blame again…JUST KIDDING!) But we aren’t out of the woods yet, just because this theatre has an owner again, and I don’t think it’s wrong to admit that. It has an owner, but it’s still in deplorable condition from neglect, and much larger than a lot of people realize.
This particular theatre was not surpassed in size until Radio City Music Hall was built in the 1930’s. We’re talking about a 46,000 square foot messy main floor, and over 4,000 (4,381 was the number I was given at the Theater Historical Society conclave in 1977) rotting seats. It had three marquees, three lobbies, six public lounges and the dome is 120 feet.
You people who have actually been there know how overpowering it is, and how daunting that makes this job. If any of you have not, you can’t tell by the pictures. Trust me. I used to play flashlight tag in there at night, and it was so easy to disappear, it wasn’t funny.
I want to have faith, but let’s face it. We’ve all been kicked in the gut a lot of times. This is a torturous little exclusive club we’re in. And as the poet, Asleigh Brilliant, once said, Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean people aren’t out to get you.
Well, Chicago let a lot of it’s classic theatres go, too. The Granada, the Nortown, the Norshore, the Paradise, the Roosevelt, the Century, the Marboro…I could name twenty that were all unique in their own ways. This one should be saved, not just because it’s truly unique, but also because there are very few left. We’ve got to start appreciated our past more.
I’ll never really get over losing the Granada and the Nortown. I felt a piece of my break with both of those.
My uncle was working there in the 30’s, then went in the navy during WWII and came back for awhile in the 50’s, before going to work for Wanzer’s Dairy.
He said once someone stole a painting from one of the alcoves. He was asked to describe it, since no one could remember exactly what it looked like. They found it in a pawn shop, based on his description.
He’s got some great pictures of groups of staff sitting on the stage, but he won’t part with them long enough for me to get them scanned.
He was working one day and they called him into the office and told him he had to get home. His ten year old brother had just died of tetnus. The brother had been ill for awhile. The whole staff helped him get through that. He married a cashier from the Riviera, across the street.
I’ll try to get him to talk about it more next time I see him, and I’ll try to get some of the old pictures copied.
I’m going to trust everyone here not to abuse my address. Anyone who worked at these theatres got very involved with them and has fun reminiscing. I hope everyone here will understand that.
My uncle is 96 and worked at the Uptown. I showed him some of the pictures from here and it brought out a flood of great stories.
I don’t care who saves it or for what purpose. The important thing is that it is saved. If we get an owner that doesn’t thrill us, well, owners come and go, as we all know well. That the building remains is what matters.
To Charles…
Amundsen High School, Mundelein College- now part of Loyola University. All through HS and College I worked at the Nortown, but I helped out at other places.
Sorry to all the people I just spammed with that.
Back on topic…Has anyone actually tried to contact JAM to encourage them to get involved? I would if I could find an address. This winter has been brutal and I fear it’s taking a further toll on the old girl on Broadway.
Worked there eight years. Just got a large collection of photos from one of the former managers. Miss that place madly. It was very cool and when I worked there in the 70[s and early 80’s it was in pretty good shape.
Can anyone tell me how to find out what was playing there during specific weeks in the 70’s? Thanks.
Am writing a paper on fires that led to changes in fire codes, and of course must include Iroquois Theater and Our Lady of the Angels school, both in Chicago. Re: Iroquois Theatre, I spoke to someone in THS who insisted that remains of the charred south and west stage walls still existed until the 1970’s. Can anyone confirm that? Was also told that the manager at the time (Mickey Gold) believed the Oriental was haunted.
The floor of the Aragone ball room was built on some kind of spring suspension, so that 8,000 people polka-ing on it would not wind up falling through to the lobby floor. That was one cool building in its day. In the 60’s it was painted with day-glow paint and renamed the Cheeta. Yuck! That was the low point of its life. But no, it isn’t exactly the same situation as a theatre. It was commisioned to Huzach and Hill, but designed by John Eberson, who is well known to theatre buffs, though.
I still think they took the lift from the Nortown, because it was in better shape than anything else they had to work with, but I could be wrong.
Yes. If you haven’t actually seen it, you don’t undestand the set up there. That’s not an insult. That’s a fact.
Dr. Jazz! That was it! Thank you! I was really frustrated I couldn’t remember the name. I went there often. I know I’m getting senile, but I should have remembered that. My aunt owned the Montrose Food and Dairy store right across the street on Montrose, until a robber beat the hell out of her and left her for dead behind the counter. She recovered, but she was never the same. After that no one in the family ever went back to the neighborhood. Too many bad memories. My mom and I had to go into the store and clean up all the blood off of everything.
Yes, I was thinking of Sally’s Stage. It had a collection of old carnival game machines, that you could play. I think some came from Riverview Amusement park. But I thought they just took the lift from the Nortown, and the organ came from someplace else. But I may not be remembering correctly. It was a long time ago. There was a similiar place on Montrose near Ashland, but I can’t remember the name of that, either.
I know a couple of local high schools (I think Mather for sure) used the Nortown for graduation ceremonies a couple of times. That was interesting. The Uptown could be used like that.
The Oriental has done well as a playhouse, Wicked especially has done well there, but you still have the parking problem if you try to do that at the Uptown. And Wicked is a good fit for the Oriental since the Oriental was built on the site of the Iroquois, which was the biggest theatre fire disaster I can remember, and the Oriental was supposedly haunted. That comes up every now and then on a slow news day, especially around Halloween.
Make no mistake, I’d rather see it restored as it was. Make no mistake about that. If you have to divide the place up, as deep as it is, I’d prefer to see them save as much of the auditorium as possible, and block in the balcony space somehow. If it has to be done, I’d rather see the auditorium left as much alone as possible and a second floor space created where the balcony is. I’d love to have it restored as it was, but even I admit that might not be feasible. If I put a false wall at balcony level, I’d try to make it something that could later be removed, if anyone ever got the money to put it back.
When they first divided the Nortown, they just covered stuff up. You could sometimes see old lights that were still burning glowing through the partitions. I often wished it could be restored someday, but alas, it was not to be.
I’ve often wondered if those big old lobbies wouldn’t lend themselves to these theme conventions that draw so many fans. Can you imagine what it would have been like to have a LotR or Harry Potter convention in that big old castle? Or how trippy some anime fans would get with that big old barn to roam around in?
I remember working the concession stand for some of the concerts, and seeing all the people who were out of it just walking around going, “Wow, Man!” like Tommy Chong dong his 70’s show character.
You’ve got so much space in that place!
I would hope that they would consider that. CATOE might be able to help with that. (The Chicago Theatre Organ Enthusiasts) There was an organ taken out of a theatre and put into a restaurant near the Nortown that is now closed. I wonder what became of that one? They took the lift out of the Nortown to make it work. I was at the Nortown when they did it.
Sigh. The problem with the destruction of theatres is that neither love nor logic seem to help very much, and love and/or logic are powerful driving emotions. I think that’s why it makes people so virulent.
Were Renee the guy who yelled at me when the line backed up so far when I was behind the concession counter at the Bay City Rollers concert? God, the munchies those people had!
{;-P
But I agree…there is much to be learned from past restoration experiences. We need to just sit tight a little bit longer, and see what kind of ride we’re going to be taken on, good or bad, exciting, or disappointing.
I do not recommend libeling anyone on this or any other site. I think we can hold onto the thread by not responding inapropriately to inappropriate comments. Just let the trolls go back under the bridge. They don’t have to have any power here.
But to tackle another part of what’s come up…I really don’t think using other situations for a comparison as to how things will proceed with the Uptown is THAT far off topic. The whole point is to learn from the past. I’d rather have the Uptown restoration go more slowly and be done right than rushed and be done haphazardly.
If we’re looking at Chicago as a reference point, they certainly rushed to get the Iroquois open on time for the Christmas season, and it was open a month before it caught fire, killing hundreds of people. This has to been done as slowly as it needs to be, to be done safely and well.
BWChicago, can I please compliment you for that post? I loved it. I almost spit peach tea all over my keyboard, but I mean that in a good way.
I agree if the downtown can be turned around, Uptown can. Uptown was not exactly a total dead zone, although it got close at times. I taught for awhile at St. Thomas of Canterbury, around the corner, and both the church and the nearby McCormick Boys Club worked real hard to keep the neighborhood from going completely downhill. You always had the Green Mill, too. The Green Mill was drawing jazz fans even when the neighborhood was not so hot. The theatre would make a huge difference, but it’s got to have parking like downtown, where you don’t have to walk TOO far. I know the El is close and the buses stop right out front, but you still will have people who want to drive.
It’s not hysteria, guys. Really it isn’t, at least not with me. It’s pessimism, and I’ll admit that, but I am not without hope. Maybe some people still are, but I’m not. I’m delighted that at least the ownership question is settled. (Then if it DOES get screwed up, I’ll have someone concrete to blame again…JUST KIDDING!) But we aren’t out of the woods yet, just because this theatre has an owner again, and I don’t think it’s wrong to admit that. It has an owner, but it’s still in deplorable condition from neglect, and much larger than a lot of people realize.
This particular theatre was not surpassed in size until Radio City Music Hall was built in the 1930’s. We’re talking about a 46,000 square foot messy main floor, and over 4,000 (4,381 was the number I was given at the Theater Historical Society conclave in 1977) rotting seats. It had three marquees, three lobbies, six public lounges and the dome is 120 feet.
You people who have actually been there know how overpowering it is, and how daunting that makes this job. If any of you have not, you can’t tell by the pictures. Trust me. I used to play flashlight tag in there at night, and it was so easy to disappear, it wasn’t funny.
I want to have faith, but let’s face it. We’ve all been kicked in the gut a lot of times. This is a torturous little exclusive club we’re in. And as the poet, Asleigh Brilliant, once said, Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean people aren’t out to get you.
I don’t just want the facade and marquee saved. I want this theatre used for the purpose it was intended. We don’t need another Century.
Well, Chicago let a lot of it’s classic theatres go, too. The Granada, the Nortown, the Norshore, the Paradise, the Roosevelt, the Century, the Marboro…I could name twenty that were all unique in their own ways. This one should be saved, not just because it’s truly unique, but also because there are very few left. We’ve got to start appreciated our past more.
I’ll never really get over losing the Granada and the Nortown. I felt a piece of my break with both of those.
Hey, if the city would agree, I would agree.
My uncle was working there in the 30’s, then went in the navy during WWII and came back for awhile in the 50’s, before going to work for Wanzer’s Dairy.
He said once someone stole a painting from one of the alcoves. He was asked to describe it, since no one could remember exactly what it looked like. They found it in a pawn shop, based on his description.
He’s got some great pictures of groups of staff sitting on the stage, but he won’t part with them long enough for me to get them scanned.
He was working one day and they called him into the office and told him he had to get home. His ten year old brother had just died of tetnus. The brother had been ill for awhile. The whole staff helped him get through that. He married a cashier from the Riviera, across the street.
I’ll try to get him to talk about it more next time I see him, and I’ll try to get some of the old pictures copied.
Nortown, send me a message at
I’m going to trust everyone here not to abuse my address. Anyone who worked at these theatres got very involved with them and has fun reminiscing. I hope everyone here will understand that.
My uncle is 96 and worked at the Uptown. I showed him some of the pictures from here and it brought out a flood of great stories.
Great post, Scott! You nailed it! That is the most fair resume of the situation I’ve seen in awhile.
I don’t care who saves it or for what purpose. The important thing is that it is saved. If we get an owner that doesn’t thrill us, well, owners come and go, as we all know well. That the building remains is what matters.
To Charles…
Amundsen High School, Mundelein College- now part of Loyola University. All through HS and College I worked at the Nortown, but I helped out at other places.
Sorry to all the people I just spammed with that.
Back on topic…Has anyone actually tried to contact JAM to encourage them to get involved? I would if I could find an address. This winter has been brutal and I fear it’s taking a further toll on the old girl on Broadway.