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Venue Wed Sep 27 2006
Uptown Theater On the Radar
The landmark Uptown Theater, the hulking building on the corner of Lawrence and Broadway, may be inching closer to salvation. Built in 1925, this 4,500 seat movie palace was the crown jewel of the Balaban & Katz theater empire, and is the second largest single screen movie palace in the nation after Radio City Music Hall. After a long career as a theater, and a stint in the late '70's and early '80's as a venue for acts such as the Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, Peter Gabriel, and the J. Geils Band. The venue has suffered from a lack of upkeep for nearly 40 years now, and is in need of a major renovation. News this week that the city's Community Development Commission has at least begun tossing around the idea of purchasing the theater, and apparently turning it over to a private operating group to manage it (think someone like Jam, or Broadway in Chicago). Agenda for planning meeting here. Still no news on where the city or a private entity would come up with the tens of millions needed to restore the incredibly ornate, and largely handcrafted building.
