83rd Birthday Party for the Uptown

"Not For Today, But For all Time," is how Balaban & Katz described their $4,000,000 Uptown Theater when it opened in 1925. Empty and crumbling for decades, it currently looks like every one of its 83 years, and more, but the incredibly opulent movie palace, one of Chicago's great glories, now has a chance to make good on that claim after it's recent purchase by Jam Productions.

Friends of the Uptown will celebrate the theater's 83rd anniversary on Thursday, September 4th, at the Kinetic Playground, 1113 W. Lawrence. It will begin with a slide presentation on the historic building, and include a free showing of the documentary, Uptown, Portrait of a Palace. The event is free for everyone over 21, but is limited to the first 500 people. Read my article, with pictures on the Uptown, where you can also download a PDF of a 32-page B&K magazine detailing the glory of the Uptown, here.