Uptown News
Emergencies, Crime, Problems, Questions – whom to call,
what to do?
UCC has the answers! In response to countless questions from
residents, UCC has put together two PDF documents
you may download. Print them out and have them handy.
Public Safety
Hints Key Contact
Information
Uptown Theater has New Owners!
After years of neglect, the Uptown Theater has a new owner.
Jerry Mickelson of JAM Productions and other partners in an
entity called UTA II bought the Theater at a foreclosure sale.
What will the new owners do? Speculation abounds, however,
below is a letter that Mr. Mickelson sent out to Friends of
the Uptown Theater. (This sale still has to be approved by
the courts.)
July 31, 2008
Words can't properly express my feelings of gratitude for the incredible efforts that all of you who are part of Friends of the Uptown have put forth on behalf of saving the Uptown Theatre. As all of you know, this is not just a theatre but a work of art that will never be built again which must be preserved. This masterpiece of [architects] Rapp & Rapp should live on and never ever be allowed to deteriorate to the pitiful condition it is in today.
I immediately fell in love with the Uptown Theatre the very first time I set foot in the lobby in 1974. I knew then there was something very special about this building and have felt that way ever since.
It took some time for me to convince Plitt Theatres [the owner at the time] to let Jam use the Uptown Theatre for concerts but I did succeed in 1975 when we presented the Tubes on Halloween. Some of the acts that Jam brought to the Uptown included Genesis, Bob Marley, Steve Miller, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Leon Russell, Foreigner, Boston, the Grateful Dead, Hall & Oates, Lou Reed, the Electric Light Orchestra, the Kinks, Supertramp, Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry, Frank Zappa, Peter Gabriel, Rod Stewart, the Allman Brothers, Dire Straits, Rick James and Santana. The last concert that Jam presented was with the J. Geils Band on December 19, 1981 since the owner did not pay the heating bill, the washrooms were barely working and there were other issues which we felt made the theatre no longer safe for anyone to use.
As we all know, since that date the theatre began to slowly deteriorate. The Uptown fell into the hands of some very onerous owners during this chapter in time who did nothing but continue to let the Uptown waste away. I met with [Rudy] Mulder and [John] Terzakis and also with the not-for-profit run by Michael Morrison and then by Paul Warshauer to try to strike a deal for Jam to become involved with the theatre but all of them were impossible to deal with and ultimately each one of them helped contribute to the sad state of the Uptown as it sits today. It wasn't until Bob Lunn took control that things for the Uptown started to move in the right direction.
Over this period of time Alderman Mary Ann Smith was there to protect the Uptown Theatre through this very dark phase of ownership. Without her a developer would have torn down this treasure but thankfully Alderman Smith stood up to defend this landmark time and time again. Through her efforts the City came to understand the importance and significance of the Uptown Theatre.
It's only been one day (now going on two) since the foreclosure sale occurred. You should know there was only one bidder who showed up on July 29 to purchase the Uptown Theatre and that was UTA II, a company whose members include but are not limited to Arny Granat and myself. While initially being surprised that we were the lone bidders, we fully understand why others did not show up. The fact of the matter is that the Uptown Theatre is a daunting project that faces many challenges for it to re-open. Not only will this be a very expensive project, it will take an incredible amount of time and effort to put the pieces of this intricate puzzle together in order to ensure the Uptown Theatre's future.
We don't have all the answers today about how all of this will come together but we do know a couple of things; (1) the Uptown Theatre now has owners who truly care about saving and preserving this architectural gem; and (2) we will reach out to all of you at the proper time to have you hopefully join with us in our effort. The Uptown Theatre would not still be here today if it wasn't for you and Alderman Smith and probably won't be here in the future without you and the Alderman.
—Jerry Mickelson
Local Lawmakers Meet with Residents to Address Recent Violence
Uptown residents packed the Truman College cafeteria Wednesday for a community Town Hall meeting. This meeting was headed by State Rep Greg Harris and State Senator Heather Steans. The meeting was organized to address concerns in the wake of a disturbing upsurge of crime in the area, including the latest drive-by shooting just last week.
It is a rare occurance in this area to have this level of lawmakers involved in helping us with problems in our community. See below for Rep. Harris’s personal notes on the meeting.
July 31, 2008
Last night (Wednesday) Sen. Heather Steans and I hosted a Town Hall meeting on public safety in Uptown. Having attended numerous CAPS and block club meetings in recent weeks and after hearing from the Uptown business community as well as individual concerned citizens, Sen. Steans and I decided we had to come together as an entire community to address the recent spikes in crime in Uptown. Everyone was concerned about the recent shooting incidents and the apparent uptick in gang activity. Everyone was also concerned about pulling together as a community to increase enforcement, assist the police, provide better alternatives for youth, enhance the business environment and make all residents feel safer on the streets and in our parks.
Sen. Steans and I chaired the meeting. Participating in the panel were 23rd District Commander Kathy Boehmer, 23rd District Tactical Lieutenant Robert Stasch, Deputy Chief of Patrol Bruce Rottner, Deputy Police Superintendent Bea Cuello and Ald. Schulter's Chief of Staff Dan Luna. Attending the meeting were 46th Ward Ald. Helen Shiller, Ald. Smith's Chief of Staff Doug Fraser and 46th Ward Streets and San Superintendent Don Nowotny.
After two hours of compelling testimony including business owners, building managers, moms whose children had been lured into gangs, parents whose children and grandchildren have been exposed to violence, service providers and dozens of others, it was clear that people learned a lot, wanted to learn more and wanted to work together on community-wide solutions to problems. Broad themes of the areas identified to address include:
- Better communication within the community
- Increased participation in CAPS beat meetings to
- Increased police presence, including saturation
- More positive activities for area youth
- Focus on eliminating negative activities like public
- More cameras on the streets, buildings and in the
- Police presence on foot, bicycling or using
- Closer working relationships between major
- Focus on securing schools, parks and playlots
As a next step, Sen. Steans and I will be convening a meeting of leaders of key stakeholders in the Uptown community including elected officials, community and business organizations, social service providers, youth service agencies, the Chicago Police Department and others. We will go through the pages of notes and recommendations made at the Town Hall meeting and begin to develop strategies and plans for moving forward.
Following the Uptown leadership meetings, we will convene another Town Hall meeting to present ideas and strategies for discussion by the community, and seek support and participation from the entire neighborhood.
Many, many thanks to the hundreds of people who attended and participated in last night's meeting. Heather and I look forward to working with the community to continue to make Uptown one of the City's most desirable and safest neighborhoods.
Fall 2007
First UCC Pub Crawl
UCC held it’s very first “Pub Crawl” in October, and a very
good time was had by all who attended. About 50 residents
and friends meandered their way from “The Spot” on Broadway,
to “Uptown Lounge” on Lawrence, to “Fat Cat” on Broadway,
and finally to “Nick’s on Wilson”. Each establishment had
a drink and/or food special for “Crawl” attendees. Attendees
agree… this is sure to be an annual event!
Summer 2007
UCC Helps Revitalize Jewish Graceland Cemetery
James Cappleman, Patrick Waters, and Richard Thale of the
Uptown Chicago Commission lent a hand during a group cleanup
of the overgrown Jewish Graceland Cemetery on the 3900 block
of North Clark Street in Lakeview. The cleanup was a joint
effort by the commission and the Lake View Citizens Council.
The burial ground has had a troubled past. The previous owner,
who owned the land for 14 years, did nothing to improve the
area, and its condition of overgrown trees and plants, tangled
branches and toppled headstones were a sore spot for the City,
preservationists, neighbors and the Jewish community for more
than three decades.
The cemeteries were bought in April 2007 by Doris Weiss-Evon,
who fell in love with the burial grounds when she lived nearby
and would visit the plots to sketch and reflect. Ms. Weiss-Evon
intended to spend her entire $6,000 savings to hire a crew
to clear away the overgrown brush and fallen trees. In a true
show of community spirit, UCC and LVCC decided to reach out
to their members for monetary and physical help. Together
they held a series of 3 clean-up days, and hired a landscaper
to take out and remove the largest trees and shrubs. Additional
clean-up days may be planned for spring 2008.
Spring 2007
UCC member, an "Easter Bunny"
 James
Cappleman, who works at Comer Children’s Hospital, distributed
Easter toys to the Salvation Army Family Shelter, one of UCC’s
“Good Neighbor” awardees. Between Christmas and Easter, James
figures he’s donated roughly $3000 worth of toys to needy
families. Good work James! And a big thanks to the Comer Children’s
Hospital as well, for their participation!
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CAPS
(Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy)
The CAPS program, which began in Chicago in 1993, is a partnership
between the police and the community. It brings the police,
the community, and other City agencies together to identify
and solve neighborhood crime problems, rather than simply
react to their symptoms after the fact. Together we work to
identify and solve neighborhood crime problems, block by block,
and to improve the quality of life in Chicago's neighborhoods.
To find out which beat you're in and where your monthly
beat meetings are, open this map.
The banner for this web site was created from images provided by EUGENEFELIX Photography.
Welcome
to Uptown:
- Demera
4801 N. Broadway, an Ethiopian restaurant
- DIB Restaurant (Thai, Sushi, Asian)
1025 West Lawrence
- El Pollo Loco
4557 N. Sheridan (Winter 2008)
- Kahawa House Coffee Lounge
838 West Montrose Avenue
- MDT Architecture
4619 N. Broadway (relocating from 4753 N. Broadway
- Viet Bowl
1122 West Wilson Avenue
Upcoming Events/Openings:
- Bank of America
(s/w corner of Lawrence and Broadway)
- The Wilde Pug
an English Pub, from the CREW crew, 4808 N. Broadway
- 7-11
1134 West Wilson (winter 08)
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