The Avalon Regal Theater (originally the Avalon Theater, and later the New Regal Theater) is a
music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
located at 1641 East 79th Street, bordered by the
Avalon Park and
South Shore neighborhoods on the south side of
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, United States. It is a noted venue for
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
performers. The theater opened in August 1927.
History
Structure
Architecturally, the Avalon Regal's
atmospheric
An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A s ...
and
Moorish Revival
Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mid-19th centur ...
ist theme was conceived by Austrian-born architect
John Eberson
John Adolph Emil Eberson (January 2, 1875 – March 5, 1954) was an Austrian-American architect best known for the development and promotion of movie palace designs in the atmospheric theatre style. He designed over 500 theatres in his lifetime, e ...
, who was nationally known for his exotic motifs. Legend has it that Eberson was inspired by an ornate Persian incense burner he found in an antique market in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
Usage
![New Regal Theater - Lobby](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/New_Regal_Theater_-_Lobby.jpg)
The theater opened as the Avalon Theater on August 29, 1927, when the community was known a
Avalon Park a then predominantly German, Swedish and Irish neighborhood. At the time of its opening, The theater served as a live-performing arts venue until 1934. During the 1960s, more African Americans began to move into the area around the theater, transforming local culture while taking advantage of this historic gem for their unique musical and artistic ends.
The theater was later in business, only showing motion pictures from 1935 until its closing in 1967. When the theater was sold in 1970, It served as the Miracle Temple Church and a meeting place for 14 years. In 1985, The building was purchased by Edward and Bettiann Gardner, the founders of Soft Sheen Products. The Gardner's renovated and reopened the theater as a performing arts venue two years later.
At that time, the Gardners renamed the theater The New Regal Theater. The name was in honor of the
old Regal Theater in Bronzeville, a celebrated cultural center for Chicago's African American community beginning in the 1920s. The old Regal Theater, located at 4719 South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive caught fire in September 1971 was later demolished in 1973. In May 1987, the theater received a $1 million dollar grant for renovations from Illinois Development Action Grant program under mayor
Harold Washington
Harold Lee Washington (April 15, 1922 – November 25, 1987) was an American lawyer and politician who was the 51st Mayor of Chicago. Washington became the first African American to be elected as the city's mayor in April 1983. He served as ma ...
administration. The grant was part of a financial package totaling $4.1 million. The theater received
Chicago Landmark
Chicago Landmark is a designation by the Mayor and the City Council of Chicago for historic sites in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical, economic, archite ...
status on June 17, 1992. After 18 years, the Gardner's closed the theater due to low-attendance and operational cost of the building in June 2003.
![New Regal Theater - Interior](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/New_Regal_Theater_-_Interior.jpg)
The theater was later purchased by Regina Evans, Country Club Hills, Illinois police chief in 2008 with the help of state fund of $2.36 million dollars with the hope of reviving it as a cultural venue. Evans secured a state loan for $1.25 million dollars for renovations to the theater but Evans used the funds for personal use.
[Crains Chicago Business - He's no Roc-a-Fella, but this J has Regal plans - March 18, 2014 - SHIA KAPOS]
/ref> The site did hold a party to celebrate Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
's presidential nomination acceptance speech in August 2008. The theater was foreclosed and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. acquired the theater in 2011. It was later sold to Community Capital Investment, LLC. Jerald Gary, president and chief investment officer of Community Capital Investment Partners, LLC purchased the theater for $100,000 in a foreclosure deal in 2010 or February 2014.[ In September 2018, Rapper and Chicago native ]Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
committed to help restore the theater, pledging to donate $1 million dollars.
Chicago Regal and Architecture Foundation
The Chicago Regal Foundation 501(c)(3) was created to raise funds needed to reopen and operate it The Foundation plans to recreate pivotal moments in entertainment history using holographic stage technology. The theater regularly participates in the Chicago Architecture Foundation
The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC), formerly the Chicago Architecture Foundation, is a nonprofit cultural organization based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, whose mission is to inspire people to discover why design matters. Founded in 19 ...
's yearly event
Open House Chicago
This annual opportunity allows visitors to tour the interior of the building for free.
Notable performers
Jay Zee
References
External links
Recent interior photographs by Matt Lambros
{{Chicago mtp
Theatres completed in 1927
Theatres in Chicago
Chicago Landmarks
Moorish Revival architecture in Illinois
Atmospheric theatres
John Eberson buildings