|
|
| Destinations
How you can help: Buy the DVD: SEE HISTORIC CHICAGO Uptown Adviser
|
The Uptown Theatre was built by architects Rapp and Rapp for the Balaban and Katz Corp. This amazing corporation started as a family business in the late nickelodeon era and by the early 1920s had control of most film markets in Chicago. The flagship of Balaban and Katz, the Chicago Theatre, opened downtown on State Street in 1921. The Tivoli, which they also built that year, was similar in size and located on the far south side. Their first theater, the Central Park on the west side, was surrounded by competition, as was their second, the Riviera, on the north side. All were designed by Rapp and Rapp. A financial analysis Balaban and Katz completed in 1923 suggested that their best interests were served by building a theater as large and lavish as they could manage near Broadway and Lawrence. And so, the Uptown was planned.
According to the press of the time, all of these buildings were built for substantial cost and quality in order to be "for all time." When the Uptown opened in August 1925, the phrase "an acre of seats in a magic city" was coined to describe the wonders of over 4,300 seats in a theater that covered 46,000 square feet of land. At the time, it was the third largest in terms of seating. But it was the largest, by far, in land area and cubic volume, due in part to the three vast lobby areas. Many of the details we associate with a movie palace had not been codified by the time the Uptown opened. The stage shows were planned in consideration of the feature. Music was customized for the large orchestra, as well as for the Uptown's Wurlitzer organ, the second largest one in operation. Stars of national fame played regularly. Even the posters in the display cases were custom artwork with new items every week. By the end of the 1920s, after more than 20 million people had already attended the Uptown. Some of the greatest theaters, such as Radio City Music Hall in New York, were not even on the drawing boards yet. Initially, sound film and depression economics did not affect the Uptown, because of the uniqueness and quality of the entertainment, and the competition that had been eliminated through the policies of Balaban and Katz. Eventually, with the availability of 1930s musicals and the like, film became the mainstay. The stage was used only on rare occasions through the 1940s. By the end of the decade, Balaban and Katz reinstituted their traveling shows, booking first the Chicago and then traveling weekly to the Uptown in the north, the Marbro in the west, and the Tivoli in the south. This system proved unsuccessful. Competing distractions such as radio and television, and an increase in the number of working housewives limited both evening and matinee audiences. Thereafter, through the 1950s and early 1960s, film fare became the mainstay again with occasional use of the stage for rentals. The most notable rented use of the stage was for the television show "Queen for a Day," which televised one week every year in the theater. The Uptown was also used as a large hall, especially for corporate meetings, such as those held here by Standard Oil of New Jersey. These uses created revenue. But later, with declining film revenue, furnishings were sold on occasion, starting with the organ in 1962. Soon, because of high insurance costs and vandalism, all extraneous artwork was sold, including more than 90 major oil paintings and 18 major marble groups. These sales yielded several million dollars. In the early 1970s, a campaign of interested volunteers petitioned the corporate successor to Balaban and Katz to investigate other uses for the theater beyond just movies. This was an attempt to ensure sufficient revenue and interest was generated to maintain the viability of the structure. At this time, various rock concert promoters were booked occasionally to great success and profit. Bands such as ELO and the Grateful Dead performed at the theater. However, with deferred maintenance in the 1960s and 1970s, when revenues were failing, the building at more than 50 years had reached a point of much-needed repairs. Rather than manage the building, it was marketed, sold, and reverted back to the successor, Plitt Theatres. With no ability to manage such a complex facility, Plitt boarded up the building and awaited further ideas. Most of the damage to the building occurred in the early 1980s, making it unusable without restoration. Subsequently, even with the assistance primarily of volunteers, the building remained in the hands of a notorious tax-sale buyer and continued to deteriorate. During this time volunteers managed to have the theater designated a Chicago Landmark and recorded on the National Register of Historic Places. Because of yet another tax sale and further mismanagement, the building now has reached the hands of a management company very aware of how much of a jewel the building is. The owner is interested in renovation and possible restoration of the theatre so it can serve again some large entertainment use. |
 All material copyright 1998 - 2006, Friends of the Uptown |
