UPTOWN — Among the many issues facing the next leader of the 46th Ward is what to do with the hulking but long-closed Uptown Theatre.
The historic Uptown Theatre, 4816 N. Broadway, was built in 1925. It was one of the nation’s grandest movie palaces and later morphed into a concert venue before closing in 1981.
City officials have since spent decades trying to revive the neighborhood centerpiece, so far to no avail.
The latest plan to reopen the theater came in 2018, when city officials announced a $75 million private-public plan to renovate and revive the Uptown Entertainment District. The plan included $40 million in public funding, with owner and JAM concert promoter Jerry Mickelson and Farpoint Development putting up the remaining funds.
Work never began. The pandemic thwarted plans for the project and devastated the live entertainment industry. In 2021, Farpoint Development dropped out of the project. Mickelson, however, said he was still moving forward with renovation plans.
Friends of the Uptown, a volunteer group dedicated to preserving the theater, sent a questionnaire regarding the theater to 46th Ward candidates Kim Walz and Angela Clay.
The group sought the candidates’ input on their vision for the theater’s future and how they would bring that about, volunteer Andy Piece said. The group provided the questionnaire and the candidates’ answers to Block Club.
The election for mayor and ward seats will be held Tuesday.
RELATED: 46th Ward Runoffs Comes Down To Community Organizer Angela Clay, Former Congressional Aide Kim Walz
Angela Clay
What is your vision for the Uptown Theatre and the entirety of the Uptown Entertainment District?
I envision the theatre as a multi-use community space. We want to maintain the integrity of the building and also ensure that the space is versatile and ultimately appropriate for a wide variety of community and city activities and events. The Uptown Entertainment District is historic — we need to protect the history and vibrancy of this corridor to ensure it’s a space people flock to for generations to come.
What will you and your staff do differently than previous alderpersons to get the Uptown Theatre restoration and reuse started and completed?
The first thing is having a supportive and thoughtful community engagement process. This includes community meetings but also directly and proactively reaching those whom we anticipate would be impacted by plans or have insights to guide the process. Bringing together neighbors, workers, local business owners and eventually all relevant stakeholders. Leaning on experiences of other alderpersons who have gone through rehab processes on similar historic buildings, I would ensure we’re pursing all possible angles of public and private funding sources to help ensure all proposals can be appropriately funded.
How will you and your staff be transparent about plans and actions for the Uptown Theatre?
With a background as a community organizer, engaging proactively and transparently with the community is of the utmost importance to me. I am committed to community engaged and led processes — from participatory budgeting to a community-led zoning process. And that includes transparency on projects like rehabbing the Uptown Theatre. That is why I will begin this process with meetings in the community that will continue throughout the duration of the project.
Kim Walz
What is your vision for the Uptown Theatre and the entirety of the Uptown Entertainment District?
This is the second-largest theatre in the country, and it will attract people from all over the world. Due to the size of the Uptown Theatre, its best use remains as a concert venue, and its size complements the other concert venues in the area, including the Riviera Theatre, the Aragon Ballroom, the Double Door (which is scheduled to open later this year), The Baton Show Lounge, and the Preston Bradley Center.
Given the crowd that it will bring, it will be a boost to the area businesses and restaurants. I will work with the Department of Planning and Development and the owner to come up with a business plan that will capitalize on how it will benefit the rest of the neighborhood. And I will also work with the mayor’s office, the deputy mayor for economic and neighborhood development, the state of Illinois, the Illinois Office of Tourism, and other stakeholders to make this work and reduce the amount of red tape involved in opening a business.
What will you and your staff do differently than previous alderpersons to get the Uptown Theatre restoration and reuse started and completed?
The Lawrence/Broadway TIF will be expiring at the end of 2025, and time is of the essence to move this project forward. I will work with the deputy mayor for economic and neighborhood development to require the owner of the Uptown Theatre to come up with a finance partner within a set period of time and put ultimatums in place if that doesn’t occur. If deadlines are met, I would consider requesting an extension and an increase in the TIF.
How will you and your staff be transparent about plans and actions for the Uptown Theatre?
I will work with the deputy mayor for economic and neighborhood development and the owner to publish our plans to get the Uptown Theatre moving along and provide quarterly updates to make sure the owner is responding to the action items.
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