White Elephant by CoreyBlack
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
Since I mentioned the Uptown Theatre in my last post, I figured it was high time I finally got around to putting up this picture of it that has been sitting on my desk top for some time now. (Holy run-on sentence, Batman!) Opened in 1925, as another jewel in the crown of the legendary Balaban & Katz theatre empire, the Uptown was fabulously huge. And, because B & K was unable to buy the other buildings on the property, it was oddly shaped as well ,with a narrow facade and lobby running perpendicular to the massive auditorium. With room for 4,350 guests, advertisements for the movie palace boasted that it contained "an acre of seats." It was, in fact, second only to Radio City Music Hall in New York City, as the largest entertainment venue in America at that time. The notion was posited at its opening that perhaps the Uptown was a bit TOO big for the area. Particularly in light of the fact that there were already 2 other theatres operating with in a 2 block radius: the Riviera, and the recently opened Aragon. This notion was borne out when, after a flashy grand opening, the Uptown had a consistently hard time filling its auditorium to capacity and frequently operated at slightly above the break even point. Despite all this, however, it managed to stay in operation for over 50 years, surviving its parent company, and the 1970 merger with Plitt Theaters, before finally closing in 1981. There have been numerous attempts to reopen the Uptown in the last 30 years, but none have proved successful thus far. And so there it sits, towering forlornly over the area like a giant white elephant...
Originally photographed at 4814 N. Broadway Avenue in the Uptown area of Chicago on June 12, 2008. Slightly messed with somewhat later.
Information from Wikipedia and the book "The Chicago Movie Palaces of Balaban & Katz" by David Balaban.
Comments (13)
annie5
This is a superb building! Thank for the info & sharing with us :)
kgb224
Stunning capture my friend.
Chipka
I remember this place quite well: it inspired a number of odd scenes in a number of odd stories, and so it's quite nice to see it here. Great details and head-on POV. Sometimes I think the only way to see the Uptown is head on, though it has some rather interesting flanks as well. I wonder if the theater could have stayed open a bit longer if it catered to a slightly different entertainment venue than the Aragon and the Riviera: I mean, a place like that as Chicago's second Opera house (with some modification) might actually have put the Uptown on a totally different (and more economically viable) map. Then again, maybe not. At any rate, I'm glad you captured this grand old lady, and I hope that she gets another shot at life some time soon.
auntietk
I just love those architectural details! SUCH a cool old place. I'm with Chip in hoping it gets revived and has a nice new life!
blinkings
Holy run on sentence Batman!!!!!!! HA HA I tell the kids at school not to do it but I found myself waffling on and on and on and on without taking a break, or even contemplating inserting a full stop..........and sometimes I use........dots to continue the tirade of words! I really like the way you and Chip both explain your posts so well.
durleybeachbum
'Balaban and Katz'..whiff of 'The Producers'. What an interesting story this is, and it's a shame that many venues world wide are having such a hard time. A fab pic of this gloriously OTT facade.
KateBlack10
Great shot of a great old Chicago theatre Corey - Steve loves to tell the story of seeing Frank Zappa here as his last concert at the Uptown. Boy that's one I would have loved to have gone to - wish the guys who want to renovate it could get their act together - love the POV you captured - great job
flavia49
wonderful architecture!! great captre!
npauling
A lovely capture of this wonderful old building and it must be huge to seat so many.
evinrude
Very stark. Well done.
bmac62
When a movie house was indeed a palace. I've been to Radio City Music Hall as a kid...I can imagine the size of this place. Must have been fabulous in its day. Kansas City has got their old theaters up and going again... Now as venues for live shows.
beachzz
Is the Uptown downtown?? I just had to ask--lol!! Anyway, these old theaters are so beautiful; there's one where I live, but someone came along and turned it into a mini complex. I think part of the original is still there--it has some incredible art nouveau paintings on the ceiling and walls. I wouldn't miss the seats, however!! lol Great shot of this fine old building!!
sandra46
SUPERLATIVE SHOT