Arts & Entertainment
Uptown Theater Added to Open House Chicago, Catch a Rare Glimpse Inside Gilded Jewel
Visitors will be able to tour the Uptown Theatre's auditorium during Open House Chicago, Oct. 17-18. (Courtesy Chicago Architecture Center)
The Chicago Architecture Center has just announced the ultimate backstage pass: The long-shuttered Uptown Theatre has been added to the list of sites for Open House Chicago.
This one-time crown jewel of Chicago's movie palaces, at 4816 N. Broadway, has sat empty for decades amidst multiple attempts to revive the dormant, 101-year-old theater and restore it to its former gilded glory.
“The Uptown Theatre is an extraordinary piece of architecture, from its massive 4,400-seat auditorium through the ornate details throughout its three lobbies,” said Adam Rubin, senior director of public engagement at the Chicago Architecture Center, which oversees Open House Chicago. “It speaks to a time a century ago when going to the movie or a concert was to be transported into a fantastical world far from the bustling streets of Chicago.”
Now Chicagoans can catch a glimpse of that fantastical world, Oct. 17-18. Visitors will be able to not only tour the lobby but also the auditorium, which last hosted an act in 1981 (the J. Geils Band, for trivia buffs).
Other additions announced Thursday include the 99-year-old Pittsfield Building, a downtown skyscraper undergoing restoration, and the historic Monadnock Building, which at the time it was built in 1893 was the largest office building in the world.
No registration is required to take part in the free, two-day Open House festival.
Contact Patty Wetli: [email protected]
