Monday, May 19, 2008

Sun-Times: "Battle Over Uptown Theater Continues"


The battle over the Uptown Theater continues

As reported last month, it's going to be a long, ugly fight between all of the interested parties before someone finally emerges with clear title to the venerable Uptown Theater -- and even longer before the extensive repairs can be made to restore the once regal movie palace for use as a grand concert venue.

But there have been two developments in recent weeks, and neither was particularly good news for local promoters Jam Productions.

Jam is part of a company that holds the second mortgage on the property. The first mortgage is held by a group called Broadway for Uptown that is reportedly seeking to work with the giant national concert promoter Live Nation. And Ald. Mary Ann Smith (48th) has made no secret of the fact that she favors the latter.

Last week, the City Housing Court maintained that it has the right to impose a long list of requirements on bidders in a foreclosure sale on the property -- requirements that Jam contends were tailored to Live Nation. The Illinois Supreme Court also recently ruled against the Jam group's request that it force a foreclosure sale on the property.

You're forgiven if the preceding paragraph makes little sense: The legal morass at the heart of this case is one of the worst this reporter has ever tried to untangle. The bottom line?

On the one side, Jam and its partners say they stand ready to pay off the first mortgage and, once it's clear they're the owners, begin bringing the theater back to life.

On the other side, for all the talk of Broadway for Uptown doing the same in partnership with Live Nation, it's not at all clear that they own the theater and have any right to do that.

What happens next? Several possibilities:

A.) A foreclosure sale is finally scheduled and Jam and its partners obtain clear title.
B.) The city somehow steps in and takes some sort of action that awards the theater to the Live Nation side.
C.) The whole tortured mess continues to stay tied up in court as the historic theater crumbles and Chicagoans lose out.

At least, that's my read on things. Ald. Smith's office did not respond to a request to comment. Live Nation would not comment. And Broadway for Uptown has not responded to any of my attempts to talk to the group.

37 comments:

  1. again, i'm confused. again, i'm left somewhat saddened and disappointed.

    still, i am hoping for the best.

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  2. ... something about Nero fiddling comes to mind.

    The longer this takes to work out, the more money no one makes.

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  3. Always interested in any developments on this, thanks for the post. Like uptownjen, I'm generally just as confused as before. o_O

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  4. I would argue that this debate is among the most important to the overall sucess of Uptown as major entertainment destination. Whatever the outcome.

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  5. With the newest version of the videogame "Grand Theft Auto" pulling in $500 million in one week, I think it's fair to debate whether big live music shows and mammoth venues like the Uptown will be economically viable in the years ahead. Not to mention the high cost of heating and maintaining them. Babyboomers created the rock concert culture, but their kids and grandkids will likely have other ideas of how to spend their leisure time.

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  6. I play video games and go to concerts! Yay! So do a lot of people. One doesn't really indicate much about the other. If anything it illustrates a potential to blow disposable income on entertainment.

    Back to the focus of the article; I am suprised that neither of these groups appears to be attempting to rally the masses to their cause. Kind of odd for Ald. Smith to stay quiet.

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  7. There is plenty of entertainment money to support video games and a medium sized venue like Uptown.

    I think they can even afford heat!

    I'm just glad that people are fighting over the Uptown. It certainly is better than the alternative, which would have the Uptown a parking lot in short order.

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  8. With the newest version of the videogame "Grand Theft Auto" pulling in $500 million in one week, I think it's fair to debate whether big live music shows and mammoth venues like the Uptown will be economically viable in the years ahead.

    People aren't shifting from one form of entertainment to another, they are just diversifying. I watch TV, play video games on Wii and PC, have a season ticket to the Cubs(been to 15 games this year), and go to concerts. I don't think your argument holds water. The theater has thrived for ages now even with the rise and fall of different entertainment means.

    A theater like Uptown could be used for many different types of entertainment. Plays, movies, concerts, meetings, etc. It would be a wonderful resource in the area to go with the Aragon, Riv, and Kinetic.

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  9. "There is plenty of entertainment money to support video games and a medium sized venue like Uptown.
    I think they can even afford heat!"

    Those comments certainly discount all the news articles Ive been reading lately about high energy and food prices, the real estate market bust, and rising unemployment. I guess it is true that people cant or wont accept this truth: That unless someone comes up with a suitable substitute for oil in the near future, our normal way of life and freedom of movement will be changing drastically in the years ahead.

    Bringing entertainment to people in their homes might very well become the accepted norm, and one doesnt need an energy inefficient building like the Uptown to deliver it.

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  10. Go find a blog about oil vs. renewable energy resources. There are also several that discuss local realestate market trends. Pretty sure this one had something to do with the legal quagmire of the uptown theater.

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  11. billyjoe = Debbie Downer.

    Its always something negative with you, isn't it?

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  12. the guy would have every older historically significant building torn down in the name of efficiency. No need to be a luddite, as oil gets more expensive greener energy options become more economically feasable.

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  13. "Those comments certainly discount all the news articles Ive been reading lately about high energy and food prices, the real estate market bust, and rising unemployment."

    That. Or maybe being not all of us are Schleprocks.

    Honestly, if the '73 OPEN oil embargo couldn't keep Leo Sayer down, I'm not too awfully concerned about the current state of the economy as far as it impacts entertainment.

    In the immortal words of Sgt. Hulka, "Lighten up, Francis"

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  14. Just like fusion energy, "the end of the world as we know it" due to your pick of the disaster du jour (overpopulation, global warming/cooling, drought, famine, plague, high food prices, peak oil, etc) is perpetually 20-30 years away.

    Thanks for the warning, Chicken Little.

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  15. I don't understand why the foreclosure sale immediately means that JAM "wins" the Uptown. Can't Live Nation also bid on the foreclosure and outbid JAM, or any other bidder for that matter?

    I'm sure that there's some favoritism and politics at play, but I'm glad to see that they're fighting over it. Both options would lead to restoration, right? If not, I'm sure the City can zone the property accordingly to get the result which protects the building as an entertainment venue.

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  16. Chicago's other live entertainment venues have proven big time that people are spending lots of money to see live performances.

    It will be a truly joyful day for Uptown when this magnificent beauty is restored and opens her doors once again.

    Lawrence Entertainment District will be the hottest ticket in town!

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  17. Honestly, national economic emergency or not, it's perfectly reasonable to imagine a time when live (rock) music isnt held in such high esteem by the masses.

    People hype the romance of a "music district," but the sad reality of the rock music biz is extracting maximum coin from rock music devotees . . . outrageous prices for parking, "ticket servicing,"
    shit beer in plastic cups, $50 fan Tshirts et cetera.

    The Aragon and Riviera already do a great job in that regard. Dont see why we need another venue to perpetuate this increasingly expensive, corrupt, and tiresome ritual leftover from the babyboomer era. Let's invent something new instead of getting all whimsical about a dump of a building that will require even more millions to be made right.

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  18. billyjoe, it's apparent your sole purpose on this board is to gauge the concensus opinion on any matter, and then take the opposite viewpoint in as snarky (and on at least one occasion, offensively racist and deletable) manner.

    so now you're here saying live music sucks and that we should all buy guitar hero instead? get a life.

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  19. The demand for Uptown's renovation is promising but this two-way battle is not good. The current concert market for Uptown's capacity is strong, but with court delays on the horizon the opportunity for renovation may pass. Strong leadership is required. In economic terms, the duopoly competition without comprimising tends to create 'prisoner's dilemma' where neither party wins. Only Uptown loses.

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  20. "billyjoe, it's apparent your sole purpose on this board is to gauge the concensus opinion on any matter, and then take the opposite viewpoint in as snarky (and on at least one occasion, offensively racist and deletable) manner."

    Other people might view my comments as "thinking outside the box."

    And believe me, if someone figures out a way to make that dump of a property (how many years has it been shuttered now?) economically viable as something other than an entertainment venue, it will happen.

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  21. We should be careful about who we prefer to get the deal. There's an article in today's Philadelphia Inquirer about how Live Nation bought the Boyd Theatre in 2002 and was hailed as it's savior. LN was supposed to renovate the last remaining movie house in the city and turn it into a music venue. Here's an excerpt "The sad, yet coveted, designation comes at a low moment for the shuttered 2,350-seat Chestnut Street theater, also known as the Sameric before closing in 2002. Only three years ago, Live Nation, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications, bought the run-down Boyd with the intention of turning it into a sumptuous venue for music shows. But the company, which has been consolidating operations, decided to get out of that business and put the property back on the market. "

    Sounds pretty familiar. So, we should proceed with caution.

    The venue is now on the list of most endangered histroic sites in America.

    The full article is here: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_stories/20080520_Boyd_Theater_makes_endangered_list.html

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  22. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_stories/
    20080520_Boyd_Theater_makes_endangered_list.html

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  23. if the uptown has conditions attached to its purchase that say that the buyer must fix it up/use it for a number of years before it can sell it, i'd say that's a deal we can all at least be satisfied with for the time being. at least the old girl is being prepped for future use, right?

    i am, as always, confused about the current state of the theatre, but it sounds to me that live nation has every reason to WANT a venue to compete with the aragon and riv. if jam would buy it, that would mean they pretty much have a hand in every theatre in the neighborhood, which seems a bit like there might be some ulterior motives at work. while i would love to see some local people get the job done, and i am happy to see the riv still up and running quite successfully, i worry about the fact that jam hasn't done a whole lot to improve the riv. i think the uptown deserves restoration, not just getting it up to code and letting time take its course on the building.

    i personally think that this one building's fate is super-indicative of what the neighborhood will become in the coming years. in this day and age of the music industry needing ways to make money, it only makes sense that the success of artists is completely contingent on whether or how much they play live. concerts prices are rising, but people are still paying. i think uptown (and chicago) definitely have room for another live venue in the city limits, especially one in the uptown's capacity range.

    oh, and billyjoe, some of us think that "dump of a property" is pretty special. i'm not trying to start something...i'm just saying.

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  24. Concert promoter greediness aside, another point I'd like to make is that the "restoration of grand old theaters" is sooooooo last century. Part of the mindset stems from the most famous and oft-used movie musical plotlines from H'wood's Golden Age: The redemptive Mickey-Judy "Let's put on a show (and everything will be made right)!"

    Despite the lip service paid to turning behemoth, energy-sapping movie palaces into concert venues or (my fave to make fun of) "performing arts centers," rarely does that actually happen--it's just not economically viable, and it will be less so in the years ahead. That is, unless someone finds a way to heat and run a building the size of the Uptown with an alternative energy like solar power---and get concertgoers there in a similar fashion other than gas-run cars.

    Case in point, the old movie theater in Lombard:

    "The DuPage Theater played host to all the great classic films, as well as featured live entertainers such as Gene Autry, Pat Butram and George Gobel. It was also a favorite location for live radio broadcasts of such popular shows as the National Barn Dance.

    In May of 2007, after years of controversy and struggle, the battle was lost by its supporters for keeping the DuPage Theater from the wrecking crew, and was torn down to make way for future development of the site."

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  25. Yeah, so glad no one ever tried to restore the Chicago Theatre from the dump it was 20 years ago. That sure would have been a disaster. No one would ever go downtown for a show, no acts would ever perform there. Glad we turned it into a parking lot.

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  26. Check out this story in today's SF Gate. Uptown ain't the only U.S. neighborhood dealing with the bureacracy and conflict involved in restoring (sniff, sniff) "grand old movie palaces."

    What an exercise in futility-- aptly titled, "Improving an Eyesore Turns into a Headache:

    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/20/BA7110P7BS.DTL

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  27. BJ has one purpose, to make you feel hopeless and full of fear.

    Ignore this energy vampire.
    Ignore this energy vampire.
    Ignore this energy vampire.

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  28. "Energy vampire?"

    Why, that's the same term I'd use to describe a structure like the Uptown Theater.

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  29. While Billyjoe holes himself up inside his place playing his video games, I would prefer to head to the Uptown to see a show. The Riv and the Aragon are doing quite well bringing in a variety of shows, and I think the Uptown would be an amazing addition as a larger venue.

    If you want to get a glimpse of how beautiful the Uptown could be, then check out the Rialto in Joliet sometime. It is a smaller theater, but it was built by the same architects in the same year as the Uptown with the same extravagance. Absolutely stunning.

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  30. billyjoe, the dupage was in LOMBARD, not chicago. i think public transportation and a higher population density make comparing the two moot.

    also, i was curious to see that, in your profile, you say you live in evanston and are glad you left rogers park. i am happy for you that you found your bliss, but some of us find our bliss in our little neighborhood. personally, i love uptown, but i love live music too. i think there are lots of people right with me who will be happy to frequent a place like the uptown theatre. we are not living in la-la land here...we don't expect them to turn it back into a movie house, which is definitely not viable. we simply see a renewed uptown theatre as a cornerstone for our continually-improving neighborhood.

    you've made your point, billyjoe, and you are entitled to your opinion, but your baiting people on this board is pretty disappointing. i hope the sun out today chases away some of your grumpiness.

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  31. Topic, please?

    Can we stop this thread from turning into a personality-based grudge match? Thankyewverramuch.

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  32. caring neighbor: i thought i was still on topic. so sorry if you thought i was being too personal.

    i just get way too passionate when i'm defending that theatre.

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  33. UptownJen... not at all. You're fine. ;-) Discussion of theatre and related issues: good. Personal attacks: bad.

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  34. Billy Paul's video was absolutely wonderful. He sounds just like he did in 1972 when that song came out, or it could have been 1971. Not sure of the date. Billy Paul is a great jazz singer that has not been recognized. He's wonderful, that song will forever be in many people's heart. Go Billy!!!!! Love you always. I have your album from the 70's and the 45! Hey now!

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  35. I'm from Philadephia, and so is Billy. We Philly people have a different vibe, we like jazz, no matter what. Cause that's what our parents have brought us up by. Billy exemplifies that. He has the jazz background that most people don't realize. I love his voice, his phrasing and his lyrics. He's one of my number ones, that's for sure!!!

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  36. I'm from Philadephia, and so is Billy. We Philly people have a different vibe, we like jazz, no matter what. Cause that's what our parents have brought us up by. Billy exemplifies that. He has the jazz background that most people don't realize. I love his voice, his phrasing and his lyrics. He's one of my number ones, that's for sure!!!

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  37. Now let me tell you about the Uptown. I was there. I started going there when I was 12. I had to travel from Ardmore, to 69th street, then to downtown Philly, then take the Broad Street subway to North Philadelphia. It took awhile, but it was worth it. The Uptown was the best venue for R&B in the 60's that ever was. I would get to the Uptown at 12:00 for the first show, then stay until the last show at 12:00 midnight, for $2.50. If you just attended the last show, when everybody was all dressed up and stuff, the "best show", it was $5.00. This was for me beginning in 1963. I'm 57 years old now and the shows at the Uptown are my fondest memories. The Uptown was in the baddest part of town, part of town, I wasn't supposed to go to, being from the suburbs and all. I didn't tell my parents. I'd ask some of my friends if they wanted to go, they said no. So I traversed the trolleys, trains and subways to get there. I'm so glad I did. I'll never forget the groups I saw there. NEVER. Going to the Uptown in a small part, helped shape my life, because, since I traveled through the city to get there, I wasn't afraid of anybody or anything after that. Think about it.

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