“For the third time, city officials hope more funding will jump-start a long-planned overhaul of the Congress Theater.

“The highly anticipated revival of the theater, a project that has experienced a series of funding delays that have prevented it from breaking ground, could finally come to fruition if a federal loan is granted to the development team through the city’s Department of Planning and Development. That is, once the federal government reopens.

“The Department of Planning and Development is seeking a $25.25 million loan from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Section 108 Loan would be issued through the city, with all costs and fees associated with the loan paid by the developer over a 20-year period, said Jeffrey Cohen, a deputy commissioner with the planning department.

“The loan could be the last piece for the project to get off the ground, La Spata said. The loan will “revitalize arguably the most important and potentially catalytic property in all of the 1st Ward.”

“When La Spata was a young community organizer in Logan Square 20 years ago, he worked with Congress Theater owner Baum Revision, using the same development loan tool, to redevelop the old Frederick Cooper Lamp Co. building at 2545 W. Diversey Ave. The Baum team bought it for $7.5 million and turned it into the Green Exchange. [Ward Miller and Preservation Chicago also actively supported the Green Exchange project.]

“‘It is amazing what faith and the paths of life are that I have the privilege to be working with the same team with the same development tool,’ the alderman said at the hearing.

“The city’s planning department has been a supporter of the Congress project since 2022, and officials have said it will reawaken a blighted neighborhood corner, increase business opportunity along Milwaukee Avenue and bring affordable apartments to the area.

“The city has provided subsidies for the Congress Theater project twice, most recently granting Baum Revision $250,000 more in tax-increment financing, or TIF funds, in December. The project is now slated to receive a total $27.25 million in city funds.

“The project also received a tax break, which applies for designated landmarks that will lower the taxes by $6.2 million over 12 years, provided all the eligible work for the incentive is completed, department officials said.

“The project team, which began gathering community input and agency approval in 2021, has been delayed several time because of funding. Officials with Baum Revision had anticipated to break ground in March, but higher building costs and more funding requirements have yet again delayed the overhaul.

“Because of the setbacks and delays, the massive project is now expected to cost upwards of $88 million. The overhaul is being financed through a mix of city funding, loans and historic tax credits, city officials have said.

“Baum Revision’s ambitious plans call for reviving the 3,500-seat venue as well as the surrounding shops and apartments. The project will bring a total of 13,000 square feet of retail and office space to a languishing stretch of Milwaukee Avenue. The commercial space will be on the building’s Rockwell Street side.

“Built in 1926 by Fridstein & Co., the Congress is one of the last remaining theaters associated with famous “moving picture theater” operators Lubliner & Trinz. Years later, it was refashioned into a music venue.

“The venue fell into disrepair under embattled former owner Eddie Carranza and was shut down by the city in 2013 for code and safety violations after Carranza defaulted on $4 million in loans. It’s been vacant since, deteriorating over time. (Parrella-Aureli, Block Club Chicago, 10/31/25)

Preservation Chicago is hopeful that the Congress Theater renovation project will finally be moving forward after years of delays and false start. We have constantly advocated on behalf of this long neglected Chicago Landmark building and most recently testified in support of the Class L Tax Incentives.

The Congress Theater was designated a Chicago Landmark in 2002 in large part due to the strong advocacy and dedication of Preservation Chicago and Logan Square Preservation. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

Over the past 20 years, Preservation Chicago and Logan Square Preservation have continued to advocate for its restoration and reactivation. There have been many challenges and false starts, but we are optimistic that this renovation effort will prove successful.

Read the full story at Block Club Chicago

• Will The Congress Theater Finally Be Revived? City Seeks $25 Million Loan To Make It Happen; The loan could get the project off the ground after years of delays, but the application has yet to be submitted due to the government shutdown, Ariel Parrella-Aureli, Block Club Chicago, 10/31/25
• City Council approves Class L for Congress Theater; The tax incentive will help finance the rehabilitation of the historic building, Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 3/25/25
• Timeline Revealed For Congress Theater Redevelopment As Tax Incentives Are Approved, Ian Achong, Chicago YIMBY, 12/12/24
• Save Expiring City Funding; Ald. Daniel La Spata pushed through a proposal giving a developer more time to use $27 million in TIF funding for the ambitious project, drawing pushback from other community leaders, including Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Mina Bloom, Block Club Chicago, 6/6/23
• City Council Revives Congress Theater Redevelopment Plan, Sets Up Key Votes To Advance $88 Million Project, The $88 million proposal was pulled out of the Rules Committee, which is considered legislative purgatory, after a labor agreement was reached between the theater operator and a local labor union, Mina Bloom, Block Club Chicago, 4/19/23
• As Congress Theater Crumbles, Developer Wants $27 Million From City To Revive Logan Square Gem; The price tag on the long-stalled project keeps going up, and the delays are getting longer — but developers say they’re still committed to overhauling and reopening the beloved venue, Mina Bloom, Block Club Chicago, 2/8/23
• Congress Theater Chicago Landmark Designation Report, August 2, 2000
• Writing a new chapter for Avalon Regal and Congress theaters; Redevelopment plans for the Congress and Avalon Regal theaters represent a big change in Chicago’s attitude toward its classic old theaters, Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board, 3/9/22