The Uptown: Chicago’s Endangered Movie Palace

The UPTOWN: Chicago’s Endangered Movie Palace — Authors Robert Loerzel and James A. Pierce will talk about their new book on the history of Chicago’s Uptown Theatre, which opened 100 years ago. One of America’s largest and most lavish movie palaces, it’s been vacant and unused for more than 40 years. Their book, published by CityFiles Press, offers a look inside the building, gathering the work of a dozen contemporary photographers with vintage blueprints, renderings, programs, and iconic photographs. “The UPTOWN” tells the history of this theater that was “built for all time,” using original records and firsthand accounts to tell a story of dreamers, a changing neighborhood, and a nation stepping into a new world. As they offer their insights into the building’s past and potential, Loerzel and Pierce will share views of the Uptown throughout its ten decades, and talk with David Yoakley Mitchell, Atlanta Preservation Center’s executive director, about movie palace restorations.

For more information on the book, visit https://uptowntheatre.com/