The Uptown Theatre on Broadway in 2026. Photo: Moonraker0022 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
For one weekend this October, the line outside the Uptown Theatre stretched down Broadway. The 1925 movie palace at Broadway and Lawrence opened its doors to the public during Open House Chicago, and thousands of people came to see a building most of them had only known from the sidewalk.
It was the first public opening of the theater in decades. Visitors walked through a lobby that rises several stories, under ornate plaster that has survived years of neglect, water damage and cold.
The price of a comeback
The restoration bill has grown with time. Estimates for bringing the theater back now run to about $200 million. City officials have called the latest request for public money excessive, which sets up another round of negotiation over how much taxpayers should contribute.
Jerry Mickelson’s JAM Productions bought the Uptown in 2008 for $3.2 million. A $75 million plan announced in 2018, with city support, collapsed in 2021. Since then, rising construction costs and the scale of the damage have pushed the figure much higher.
Why the block cares
The Uptown opened on Aug. 18, 1925, as one of the largest movie palaces in the country. Its return would anchor an entertainment district that already includes the Aragon Ballroom, the Riviera Theatre and the Green Mill. Restaurant and bar owners on Broadway and Lawrence say a working Uptown Theatre would bring crowds on nights when the other venues are dark.
Supporters argue that a restored palace would draw visitors from across the region and fill the storefronts around the intersection, which have struggled with vacancies. Skeptics question whether a theater of that size can cover its costs in a crowded concert market.
What happens next
The Open House weekend was a public relations success. Long lines and full social media feeds gave advocates fresh evidence of public interest. The harder work is financial: closing the gap between what the project costs and what private investors, tax credits and the city are willing to put in.
For now, the Uptown remains dark most of the year. But for one weekend, the building did what it was built to do. It drew a crowd to Broadway.
Joel Sandoval covers arts, music venues and nightlife.
