The Uptown Theatre, Chicago, Illinois
The spectacular lobby (below) as lovingly photographed by Loren Robare in the 1990s. The theatre itself has been unoccupied since 1978. The massive theatre constructed in 1925 held over 4,000 people and showed movies and vaudeville shows. The Uptown was designed by Rapp & Rapp for Balaban and Katz. It opened with a large staff and could “fill, spill and refill” multiple audiences every day utilizing clever lobbies and three street exits. Legal battles continue but the City of Chicago stabilized the exterior. Volunteers continue to maintain the deteriorating interior. Warshauer served as the last Chairman of the Uptown Theatre and Centre of the Arts. The group was heavily financed by Albert Goodman but could not execute a final purchase agreement for the property. In 2008 a new group of investors emerged ready to take on the project. Time will tell…The theatre is not going anywhere.