LITTLE VILLAGE — A historical theater on the Southwest Side took the first step toward becoming a Chicago landmark Thursday.
The Apollo’s 2000 Theater, 2875 W. Cermak Road, was built in 1917 by Alexander Levy. Originally named the Marshall Square Theater, it used to showcase movies and vaudeville acts with comedians, singers, musicians and other performers.
Its original terra-cotta facade remains today, as does its intricate gold trim all along the interior.
The city’s Commission on Chicago Landmarks voted Thursday to give a preliminary landmark recommendation to the theater, which has been featured in the annual Open House Chicago, organized by the Chicago Architecture Center to showcase some of the city’s most iconic places.
This initial support kicks off a lengthy series of approvals, according to the commission. Steps in the landmarking process include a report from the city’s Department of Planning and Development, consulting with the building owner, a public hearing and a final vote with the commission, before moving to the City Council’s Committee on Zoning and then the full City Council to finalize landmark status.
Javier and Lidia Galindo, who have owned the theater since 1988, support the effort. They previously told Block Club they hope a landmark designation will help preserve the building for generations to come and spark change in the surrounding business corridor.
The theater now operates as a banquet and concert hall.
“The building is crying out for recognition, it’s crying out for a little more respect. It’s forgotten over here in the Southwest Side of the city,” Javier Galindo said previously. “People that don’t know the place, they come in and they see this as a hidden gem in the city. That’s the word that I’ve always heard: hidden gem.”
Buildings must meet at least two of the commission’s seven criteria to be considered for landmark status.
The commission said Thursday that Apollo’s 2000 meets two criteria — it’s a critical part of city heritage and it has important architecture, said Matt Crawford with Department of Planning and Development. It also meets the required integrity criteria, Crawford said.
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