10 December 2002
The Chicago Community and Development Commission approved a request for $6 million in tax increment financing assistance for a proposed $29.9 million project to renovate the former Majestic Theater, now known as the Shubert Theater, and convert the building's upper floors into a boutique hotel. Opened in 1906, the Majestic Theater is located at 22 West Monroe Street in the Loop.
10 December 2002
The Chicago Community and Development Commission gave its approval to a proposal drafted by the city planning department to acquire the Riviera Theater at 4746 N. Racine Avenue in Uptown. According to newspaper reports, the city has no immediate plans to acquire the theater—no funds exist to do so—but rather hopes to convince the Riviera's current owner, Lou Wolf, into selling the theater to new owners committed to its renovation and continued operation as an entertainment venue. The commission's decision gives the city the authority to force Wolf to sell if he refuses.
5 November 2002
The Tribune reported that three investor groups have submitted proposals to purchase and operate the historic Chicago Theater, which fell into receivership in August when its previous owner, Chicago Theatre Restoration Associates, defaulted on a $21 million loan from the city. A planning department committee is expected to nominate the winning proposal within a few weeks.
23 September 2002
At least five propane tanks on the roof of the Carson, Pirie, Scott department store at State and Madison Streets in the Loop exploded just before midnight, sending smoke and flames into the night sky and startling guests at the nearby Palmer House hotel. Several workers were on the roof at the time of the explosions, but none were seriously injured. The fire did not spread beyond the roof, although several offices on the upper floors of the fifteen-story structure suffered water damage. The store was not damaged and opened for business as usual at 9:45 a.m. the next morning.
8 September 2002
The Tribune reported that the Chicago City Council had approved plans for the redevelopment of the historic Loren Miller/Goldblatt's and Plymouth Hotel buildings in Uptown. As part of the $24.3-million project, developer J. Freed and Associates will convert the upper floors of the Goldblatt's building into condominiums and restore the ground floor to commercial use. At the same time, the developer will demolish the Plymouth Hotel and replace it with a two-story mixed-use structure.
18 August 2002
The Tribune reported that the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development plans to solicit proposals for the redevelopment of several commercial properties in Bridgeport, including the Ramova Theater at 3518 South Halsted Street. Although city officials say preference will be given to proposals that call for retaining the theater or its façade, preservation of the theater is not a condition for redevelopment and plans that call for the theater's demolition will be considered. Designed by architect Myer O. Nathan, the 1,100-seat theater opened 21 August 1929 with a showing of "The Desert Song," a film musical starring John Boles, Louise Fazenda, and a young Myrna Loy. The Ramova and adjacent retail stores cost $300,000 to build. The theater has been idle since the mid-1980s.
14 August 2002
The Tribune reported that the current owners of the historic Chicago Theater, the Chicago Theatre Restoration Associations, may soon default on a $21 million loan from the city. If the organization defaults, the city would either have to write off the loss or try to recover part of the loan through sale of the theater. A probable buyer of the theater would be its current operator, the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts. Opened in 1921, the Jazz Age movie palace was restored in the late 1980s and is currently used as a live-performance and concert venue.
14 August 2002
According to the Tribune, the Broadway Theater at 3175 North Broadway, will reopen this fall as a live-performance venue. The theater will be renamed the Lake Shore Theater, as it was originally named. Built in 1914, the long-time movie theater closed in 2000.
26 July 2002
The Tribune reported that television station WBBM is planning to move out of its historic studios at 630 North McClurg Court in the Streeterville neighborhood. Built in 1924 as a horse stable, the structure was later converted to a multi-purpose sports and convention facility known as the Chicago Arena (not to be confused with another Chicago Arena, built in 1916 at 5917 North Broadway). Over the years, the Arena hosted ice shows, rodeos, spiritual rallies, and at least one anti-war protest by the isolationist America First Committee in 1941, prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. WBBM purchased the building in 1956 for almost $1.3 million and was the site of the first presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon in 1960. If WBBM relocates, real estate observers expect the property would be sold for redevelopment and the building demolished.
7 July 2002
The Esquire Theater, located at 58 East Oak Street in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood, may soon be sold, according to a report in the Tribune. Developer Mark Hunt reportedly has signed a contract to purchase the art deco movie theater for about $13.5 million. Although Hunt stated that he intends to keep the theater open, sources familiar with the deal told the newspaper that the theater will likely be replaced by an upscale hotel-condomimum project. Opened in 1938, the Esquire was subdivided into six theaters in 1990 and is currently owned by a partnership of the Ruttenberg and Supera families. The Chicago City Council voted down landmark designation for the theater in 1994.
22 June 2002
The City of Chicago has selected the Mills Corporation from among four finalists to plan and manage the redevelopment of Block 37 in the Loop. Known locally for its Gurnee Mills Mall in Lake County, Illinois, Mills' plans for Block 37 include an "international marketplace" and high-end retailing space, perhaps including a branch of London-based department store Harrods. The new development will be named 108 N. State. Two historic movie palaces, the Roosevelt Theater and the United Artists Theater, Hillman's department store, the legendary Bensinger's billiards and bowling center, and several other structures once occupied Block 37. Despite the objections of preservationists, the movie palaces, along with the other structures, were demolished over ten years ago to make way for redevelopment that has yet to move beyond the planning stages.
13 June 2002
The Tribune reported that Uptown Theatre and Center for the Arts, a non-profit group looking to purchase and restore the 77-year-old Uptown Theater, has hired Mark Zipperer as its new CEO. Zipperer is a former employee of Arthur Andersen, the accounting firm currently alleged to have obstructed federal investigations into the collapse of Houston-based Enron Corporation. The group's former CEO, Michael Morrison, resigned his post in April after the Illinois attorney general's office filed a civil suit against him for misappropriation of funds.
27 May 2002
The historic Ambassador West Hotel, 1300 North State Parkway, will close in 13 June 2002, according to the Sun-Times. The 225-room hotel, which has struggled in recent years to compete against newer upscale Michigan Avenue hotels, will be converted into thirty-six luxury condominiums. Built in 1924, the Ambassador West and its cohort, the Ambassador East at 1301 North State Parkway, have been the scene of numerous celebrity gatherings, New Year's celebrations, and other gala nighttime festivities. For many years, the hotel was owned by Chicago's Beifield family, one-time operators of the Bismarck Hotel, Bismarck Gardens, and White City amusement park.
27 April 2002
The Tribune reported that the Illinois attorney general's office has filed a civil complaint against Michael J. Morrison, head of the Uptown Theatre and Center for the Arts, a non-profit group that has had difficulty lining up support for its plans to restore the 77-year-old Uptown Theater. The complaint alleges that Morrison gave himself unauthorized salary increases and used a credit card billed to the group to make personal purchases. The group's bank accounts, including what remains of a $1 million donation by philanthropist Albert Ivar Goodman, have been frozen until the legal issues are resolved. These developments follow Morrison's failure to line up theater companies to use the theater, or to gain the confidence of other key players, such as local alderman Mary Ann Smith or the volunteer members of the long-standing Friends of the Uptown group.
10 April 2002
Sun-Times columnist David Roeder reported that a deal to sell and demolish the Rainbo Roller Rink, part of the historic Rainbo Gardens entertainment complex, will not go forward as previously announced. Current owners Sapphire Development LLC, however, still hope to either sell the property (for $6 million) or redevelop it themselves.
4 April 2002
The Hyde Park Herald reported that the Hyde Park Theater at 5238 South Harper Avenue, formerly known as the Harper Theater, has closed permanently. The theater, built in 1914, has been closed for about a month. Owners Alicia and Donzell Starks cited plumbing problems, delayed plans for a neighborhood parking structure, and competitive pressures within the motion picture industry as reasons for the decision. for the decision to close the theater. The future of the building, according to the paper, is uncertain.
13 March 2002
According to neighborhood newspaper Inside, the city planning department recently received an alternate set of plans for the redevelopment of the historic Loren Miller/Goldblatt's and Plymouth Hotel buildings in Uptown. Initial plans for the site called for the demolition of the Plymouth Hotel building and provided far fewer low-income residences than desired by many neighborhood activists. The alternate plan calls for restoring the Plymouth Hotel building as low-income residences. City planners say they will review the plans and meet with developers in a few weeks.
11 March 2002
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Chicago Transit Authority is formulating plans to build a new "Circle Line" that would significantly expand 'L' service on the city's near west and near northwest sides. If built according to present plans, the new line would involve restoration of 'L' service along parts of the former Metropolitan West Side Elevated along Paulina Avenue between Van Buren and Milwaukee Avenues. Additionally, new track, either elevated or underground, would be constructed along Ashland Avenue south of 20th Street, along a rapid transit alignment first proposed in the 1920s.
5 March 2002
The Chicago Tribune reported that Uptown Center for the Arts, recently organized to renovate and operate the historic Uptown Theater, will be questioned this week by a major benefactor, Albert Ivar Goodman, about the disposition of more than $1 million he has donated to the group in the last year. Promotional materials for the organization state that restoration will be completed by November 2003, but theater companies have reportedly been reluctant to sign up to perform in the one-time movie palace. Goodman plans to donate an additional $1 million to the restoration effort if Uptown Center for the Arts shows that it has raised at least $3 million.
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Rainbo Gardens Building, March 2002 |
13 February 2002
Sale of the Rainbo Roller Rink at 4836 North Clark, part of historic Rainbo Gardens entertainment complex, was confirmed by Inside. The new owner, Vicor Development Inc., plans to construct more than one hundred condominiums on the site. Rainbo Gardens was developed by local restauranteur Fred Mann in 1922.
7 February 2002
The Commission on Chicago Landmarks recommended landmark designation for Union Station and endorsed plans to add an eighteen-story tower to the building. The historic train station opened in 1925. Its passenger concourse and train sheds were demolished in 1969, but the adjacent office building and Great Hall waiting room remain in use and underwent extensive renovations in 1992. The proposed addition conforms to original plans for the building.
20 January 2002
The Chicago Tribune reported that city planners are in the process of obtaining final approval for the creation of a 94-block tax increment financing zone that includes the historic 47th and South Parkway retail and entertainment district. The TIF district has been designed to provide economic incentives for new residential and commercial development in the area. As part of the plan, the city will gain the power to purchase the historic but vacant Rosenwald Apartment complex at 46th Street and Michigan Avenue.
9 January 2002
North Side newspaper Inside reported that Vicor Developers, Inc., has reached a deal to purchase the historic Rainbo Gardens complex, including the 22-year-old Rainbo Roller Rink at 4836 North Clark Street. The sale is expected to be finalized by the end of March. The developer plans to demolish the existing structures and build a mix of commercial and residential structures on the site.
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