Chicago Theatre Preservation Alliance

Covered by no local media, Richard Sklenar's passing is a great loss to Chicago and to the extended community of theatre historians.

https://www.heritageberwyn.com/obituary/Richard-Sklenar

Obituary for Richard James Sklenar | Heritage Funeral Home and Cremation Share memories & support the family

37640374@N04/6287620225?fbclid=IwAR1sjFPLlENa-LqXr23Rv48fIMKbwm708R5PE_u9HB_qV8va6RyPJSZCbYI" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://www.flickr.com/photos/37640374@N04/6287620225?fbclid=IwAR1sjFPLlENa-LqXr23Rv48fIMKbwm708R5PE_u9HB_qV8va6RyPJSZCbYI

State Lake, Chicago and Loop Theatres - Paul Dimler Photo Explore hoteldennis' photos on Flickr. hoteldennis has uploaded 57208 photos to Flickr.

JUST IN TIME FOR SUMMER!

The Uptown t-shirt with art by Mitch O'Connell is available again for a limited time. Order by May 31 and your shirt(s) will be shipped by June 10. (Not a fundraiser, just a cool shirt!)

Friend John Kiernan does great work on these hand-pulled, screen-printed shirts. You will not find these in any stores!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/OnThePointPromotions?ref=shop_sugg§ion_id=38139378

They make a good case for making it a designated Chicago Landmark -- City of Chicago Department of Planning & Development

https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/07/26/jefferson-parks-copernicus-foundation-marks-50-years-with-history-book-this-place-is-a-legacy/

Jefferson Park's Copernicus Foundation Marks 50 Years With History Book: 'This Place Is A Legacy' Polish Americans Joseph Barnas and Alina Bosak created the book, which leaders said will be the first comprehensive history of the foundation.

Never stop talking about and promoting the Uptown!

https://wgnradio.com/bob-sirott/the-friends-of-the-uptown-and-the-mission-to-restore-the-landmark/

I never hear of or think about Medinah Temple without shuddering about what very well could have been a facadectomy on a lackluster early 2000s tower. Here is one of the STUN-ing compromise plans floated by developer Steven Fifield, Ald. Burt Natarus (42nd-Deceased) and City of Chicago Department of Planning & Development.

There were many preservation minded people watching the fates of Medinah Temple and Tree Studios unfold as we learned how to safeguard and protect other landmarks.

https://www.jbachrach.com/blog/2021/12/28/huehl-amp-schmid-an-overlooked-architectural-firm-that-shouldnt-be

Remember Small Business Saturday, Nov. 27.

Tastes have changed!

The only current job posting for the gutted Chicago Theatre workforce:

https://careers-msgentertainment.icims.com/jobs/14220/senior-director-theatre-operations/job

Senior Director Theatre Operations in Chicago, Illinois | Careers at The Chicago Theatre Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSG Entertainment) is a leader in live entertainment experiences. The Company presents or hosts a broad array of events in its diverse collection of venues: New York’s Madison Square Garden, Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and...

A touch of the Prairie School amidst a monumental Gothic Art Deco theatre and commercial block, c.1928.

The Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge, Illinois. Architects Harold Zook and William F. McCaughey, with sculptural elements by Alfonso Iannelli.

Reopened and hosting a silent film classic last night:

Caruso and Sousa played here. Disney's Fantasia was recorded here.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra preferred it for recording over Orchestra Hall.

You remember the Shrine Circuses, the Bozo Show reunion and the Dalai Lama's visit. Maybe your class had its commencement ceremony here.

This was Chicago's 4,200-seat, acoustically renowned Shrine and civic auditorium, built as a perpetual gift to its residents, "to bring sunlight into life's dreary places."

On land give to the Medinah Shriners by the Judge Lambert Tree family. On the site of their home and adjacent to the artist studios they built to entice artists to stay here following the World's Columbian Exposition.

https://chicago.eater.com/2021/4/23/22400137/medinah-temple-redevelop-holocene-chicago-food-hall-retail?fbclid=IwAR0ZX_g5bIWCpswdXc-XMfy-3TDP8bAsmOge644wMdZzQa8USyiNUerlrX4

Revival Food Hall’s Owners to Revamp Century-Old Downtown Landmark Holocene Chicago is described as an extended pop-up with rotating food and retail

What's not reported here is that the private partnership and city redevelopment agreement announced over two years ago were never executed. One cannot pandemicsplain the dissipation of the plan that was promised.

https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/03/22/developer-drops-out-of-uptown-theatre-project-but-owner-says-plan-still-on-to-rehab-historic-venue-its-got-a-bright-future/

Developer Drops Out Of Uptown Theatre Project, But Owner Says Plan Still On To Rehab Historic Venue: 'It's Got A Bright Future' UPTOWN — One of two main parties working to reopen the Uptown Theatre has backed out of the project, but plans to renovate the historic theater are still in the works, according to the venue’s owner. Farpoint Development is no longer involved in the efforts to revitalize the Uptown Theatre, the ...

Money laundering alleged at our historic Aragon Ballroom

"Aragon co-owner under investigation for money laundering | WGN-TV"
https://wgntv.com/news/wgn-investigates/aragon-co-owner-under-investigation-for-money-laundering/amp/

Aragon co-owner under investigation for money laundering CHICAGO – A co-owner of the famed Aragon Ballroom is under investigation for allegedly laundering money. According to a federal search warrant, exclusively obtained by WGN Investigates, the c…

The Fine Arts Building Playhouse is taking shape...

FAB Playhouse construction update- stage framing & green room plinth complete... waiting on final steel inspection before pouring the concrete floor. Steady progress!

Local venue operator and booker Ron Onesti in the news:

https://news.wttw.com/2021/02/11/italian-american-pride-banners-replace-columbus-statue-without-permit #.YCayLw5O0dG.facebook

Italian American Pride Banners Replace Columbus Statue — Without a Permit Last summer, three Christopher Columbus statues were removed after violent altercations between police and protesters. For months, the sites sat empty. But last fall, a display of Italian American pride banners appeared in place of the former statue in Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood.

Copernicus Center (nee Gateway Theatre) in the news:

https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/02/10/judge-denies-copernicus-center-attempt-to-block-construction-at-jefferson-park-firehouse/

Judge Denies Copernicus Center's Attempt To Block Sale Of Jefferson Park Firehouse For Brewery Project The City Council agreed Jan. 27 to sell the vacant firehouse to a developer despite attempts by the nearby Copernicus Center to buy the building.

Sticking with our local Classic Cinemas as they work on ways to survive. Support them now and let's all go back to the movies when we can.

CEO Chris Johnson spoke with National Public Radio for a story today:

Arts venues welcome COVID grant program to get through 2021 - Marketplace

https://www.marketplace.org/2021/01/22/arts-venues-welcome-covid-grant-program-to-get-through-2021/

Arts venues welcome COVID grant program to get through 2021 - Marketplace Hard-hit venues such as concert halls and theaters are preparing to apply for $15 billion in grants included in the latest relief bill.

Announcing a new venue-centric event:
Learn about history, architecture, community and culture of the Forum, Thalia Hall, the Vic, and the Avalon Regal, and what’s next for these four venues at Open House Chicago’s on Oct. 23.

Register here - bit.ly/IfWalls

If Walls Had Ears This special collection of virtual tours and brief performances brings attendees “into” spaces they wouldn’t ordinarily see at storied Chicago music venues, including the Avalon Regal Theater, The Forum, Thalia Hall and the Vic Theatre.

Tune In, Online
7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020

THEATRE IN CHICAGO:
Looking Back to See a Way Forward

NO ONE HAS A CRYSTAL BALL, but Mark Larson will draw on audio clips from among the 100s of interviews Ihe conducted with theater artists for his book, “Ensemble,” to explore lessons from the past that may help the Chicago theater scene rebuild. These clips include conversations with Gary Sinise, Laurie Metcalf, Alan Arkin, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Shannon, and others.

He'll also share new conversations recorded during the shutdown with theater leaders Barbara Gaines, Robert Falls, Pemon Rami, Masequa Myer, Rashada Dawan, playwright Ike Holter, Tribune chief theater critic, Chris Jones, and others about the current state of Chicago theater and their speculation on what may lie ahead.

Here's the registration link for this virtual event: https://loom.ly/0IhHkls

Authors Out Loud: Mark Larson Mark Larson, author of ENSEMBLE: AN ORAL HISTORY OF CHICAGO THEATER, joins us to share stories of the Windy City's rich theater tradition including the Compass Players, Second City, and Steppenwolf.

I'm shocked to learn there's this much of the interior intact

Brewery, Co-Working Space For Parents Aim To Open In Old Armitage Theatre Building Next Year Odious Cellars and Hive Space had planned to open earlier, but they were delayed by the pandemic.

TRENDING -- Health, hygiene and the modern science of safe ventilation behind the antiqued walls of 1920s movie palaces such as our UPTOWN:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/chris-jones/ct-ent-covid-19-air-conditioning-theaters-jones-col-0705-20200702-j4b3gcgggna6rnyarfcrgno4yi-story.html

Column: How do you convince people they’re safe inside? In the 1920s, the Uptown Theatre had some cool ideas. How do you convince people they’re safe inside? The Uptown Theatre had some cool ideas

GOTV
Get Out The Vote
You may sign up now to vote by mail in Chicago:

https://www.chicagoelections.gov/en/vote-by-mail-application.html

Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago

Need to sell. PM for details. Attempted to sell on the Chicago organ page but that went sideways.

Here is a rare view.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/168953039824330/?ref=share

I urge you to register now for the State of Uptown today at noon. Registration in advance is required and you may write in a question.

https://nightout.com/events/state-of-uptown-2020/tickets

State of Uptown 2020 - Tickets - May 21, 2020 The annual State of Uptown event convenes Uptown's business, development, and non-profit communities to hear from our elected officials.  Join us virtually this year! Scheduled to appear:U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky40th Ward: Alderma...

Help support CCRx, which provides art supplies and essential educational materials to teachers and artists in Chicago by bidding on some neat auction items. You'll find some rare Uptown Theatre and Velvet Lounge items in here alongside other great art and experiences.

Creative Chicago Reuse Exchange
https://www.32auctions.com/organizations/63174/auctions/79434

To while away your idle hours:

https://www.jamusa.com/coloringbook/?utm_source=Chicago+-+Jam+Mail+List&utm_campaign=b5807b82ef-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_08_01_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1cddcb52a5-b5807b82ef-254235949&mc_cid=b5807b82ef&mc_eid=07849db6f6

Coloring Book | Jam Productions Coloring Book With coloring books all the rage, we’ve created a downloadable page for three of your favorite Chicago venues: Park West, The Vic Theatre, and The Riviera Theatre. Click each image to download.

Who recognizes this Chicago theatre lobby?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/951998221479788/permalink/3226249167388004/