“The historic Portage Theater is in need of immediate repairs and local leaders say the building is running out of time.
“Four months ago, the city filed a lawsuit against the owner of the theater for alleged building code violations. During a Thursday morning Cook County Circuit Court hearing, city inspectors said urgent building repairs have yet to be made.
“‘We need to move on this, this is getting out of hand,’ Amie Zander, managing director of the Six Corners Association, said during the Thursday hearing. ‘We’re sick of this.’
“Real estate company owner Manuel Gliksberg bought the theater in 2018 and announced plans to turn it into a concert venue and community event space. Six years later, the building is still vacant and was recently named one of the most endangered sites in the state. Gliksberg has not provided any public update on the theater since 2022, and he hasn’t responded to multiple requests for comment.
“‘We’re losing time,’ Zander told Block Club in May. ‘It’s just getting older and it’s just going to fall apart more.’
“The 103-year-old theater at 4050 N. Milwaukee Ave. closed as a cinema in 2001 after operating almost continuously since its debut in 1920. It was granted landmark status in 2013 and served as a venue for children’s dance recitals, summer day camps and concerts until it closed for good in 2018.
“In May of this year, the theater was placed on Landmarks Illinois’ annual list of the Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois, one of 10 sites on the list and one of only two Chicago locations. Three months later, the city filed a lawsuit against the owners of the theater.
“The city’s lawsuit cites Portage Theater, LLC, Avra Properties, LLC and unknown owners and non-record claimants as the defendants. The city violations listed in the lawsuit include damaged exterior walls and unauthorized repair work. Gliksberg put up scaffolding and made masonry repairs without obtaining an adequate permit, according to the lawsuit.
“On Thursday, City Inspector Telly Jefferson said four of the five lateral supports that hold up the marquee of the theater are damaged. If immediate repairs aren’t made, the structure could collapse, Jefferson said.
“Gliksberg owes about $300,000 in back taxes on the property, according to the Cook County property tax portal. He could be in danger of losing the theater if the taxes are not paid, city attorney Glenn Angel said during an August hearing.
“In May, theater historian Andy Pierce told Block Club the Portage Theater was Six Corner’s ‘missing piece.’
“‘Six Corners is going to be the hot neighborhood to live in, and to have a big vacant theater in the middle of it, it just doesn’t make sense,’ Zander said in May. ‘If it can’t be salvaged, then it needs to be something else.'”
Preservation Chicago has been advocating for the restoration and reactivation of the Portage Theater for many years. The Portage Theater was a Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2012 and played an important leadership role in the Chicago Landmark Designation process in 2013. We attended the recent Building Court hearing to advocate on behalf the historic landmark building.
Read the full story at Block Club Chicago
- Historic Portage Theater Deteriorating As City Pushes Owner To Make Urgent Repairs: ‘We’re Sick Of This’; The city is suing the theater’s owner for unauthorized work and code violations. Inspectors say the marquee could collapse if repairs aren’t made as soon as possible, Molly DeVore, Block Club Chicago, 10/28/24
- City of Chicago sues owners of historic Portage Theater over unauthorized repair work; Marissa Perlman, CBS News Chicago, 8/2/24
- Portage Theater Owner Wants To Bring Venue Back To Life To Revive Six Corners, But He Needs Millions In Funding; Neighbors and local leaders say the historic theater’s revival is a necessary step in bringing back the bustle of Six Corners, Ariel Parrella-Aureli, Block Club Chicago, 3/31/22
- Portage Theater: 2024 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois Landmarks Illinois
- Portage Theater: Chicago Movie Theaters, a Preservation Chicago 2012 Chicago 7 Most Endangered