Avalon Regal Theater

The Avalon Regal Theater is a historic music hall and theater at 1641 East 79th Street in Chicago, Illinois, near the Avalon Park and South Shore neighborhoods. The building opened on August 29, 1927, as the Avalon Theater. It was designed by Austrian-born theater architect John Eberson, whose atmospheric interiors were known for creating an exotic visual environment. The theater's Moorish Revival design was reportedly inspired by an ornate Persian incense burner that Eberson encountered in an antique market in New Orleans. The venue initially operated as a live-performance theater and continued in that role until 1934. From 1935 through 1967, it functioned primarily as a movie theater. After its closure, the property was sold in 1970 and used for approximately fourteen years by the Miracle Temple Church and as a meeting facility. The building's cultural identity changed substantially as the surrounding area became increasingly African-American during the mid-twentieth century. It subsequently became associated with Black entertainment and community life on Chicago's South Side. In 1985, Soft Sheen Products founders Edward and Bettiann Gardner acquired the property. They financed a major rehabilitation and reopened it in 1987 as the New Regal Theater, a name chosen in reference to the former Regal Theater in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood, which had been an important African-American cultural institution from the 1920s until 1971. The renovation effort received a $1 million Illinois Development Action Grant in May 1987 under the administration of Mayor Harold Washington. The broader financing package was reported as totaling $4.1 million. The theater was designated a Chicago Landmark on June 17, 1992. The Gardners closed the venue in June 2003 after eighteen years of operation, citing low attendance and the high cost of maintaining the large building. A later revival attempt began after Regina Evans, then police chief of Country Club Hills, Illinois, acquired the property in 2008 with the intention of restoring it as a cultural venue. A state-backed funding package included $2.36 million in state funds and a $1.25 million renovation loan. The loan funds were later reported to have been diverted for personal use, and the property entered foreclosure proceedings. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation acquired the theater in 2011, after which it was sold to Community Capital Investment, LLC. Jerald Gary, identified as president and chief investment officer of Community Capital Investment Partners, LLC, later acquired the property through a foreclosure transaction; published accounts place that transaction in either 2010 or February 2014. The theater remained a subject of preservation and redevelopment interest. In September 2018, Chicago-born rapper Kanye West pledged $1 million toward restoration. The Chicago Regal Foundation was established to raise funds for reopening and operating the venue, while architectural tours have been offered through the Chicago Architecture Foundation's annual Open House Chicago program. The building's current operating status, ownership details beyond the reported investment entity, and any completed restoration remain unclear from the supplied reference material.

The Avalon Regal Theater opened on August 29, 1927, as the Avalon Theater at 1641 East 79th Street on Chicago's South Side. Its architect was John Eberson, an Austrian-born designer nationally associated with atmospheric theaters and elaborate exotic themes. The building's Moorish Revival concept was reportedly influenced by a Persian incense burner Eberson found in New Orleans. At opening, the surrounding Avalon Park area was largely German, Swedish, and Irish, and the venue operated as a live-performance facility until 1934. Between 1935 and 1967, the building was used as a cinema. It closed as a movie theater and was sold in 1970, after which the property served the Miracle Temple Church and hosted meetings for roughly fourteen years. During the 1960s, demographic change brought a growing African-American population to the surrounding neighborhoods. Over time, the theater became linked with Black cultural and entertainment life in Chicago. Edward and Bettiann Gardner, founders of Soft Sheen Products, purchased the building in 1985. Their rehabilitation project returned it to performing-arts use, and it reopened in 1987 as the New Regal Theater. The new name referenced the historic Regal Theater in Bronzeville, an influential African-American cultural venue that operated from the 1920s to 1971. The project received a $1 million Illinois Development Action Grant in May 1987 during Harold Washington's mayoral administration, within a reported overall financing package of $4.1 million. Chicago designated the property a landmark on June 17, 1992. The Gardners closed the venue in June 2003 after eighteen years, attributing the decision to weak attendance and the expense of operating and maintaining the building. In 2008, Regina Evans, police chief of Country Club Hills, Illinois, acquired the theater with plans to revive it as a cultural venue. The proposed project involved $2.36 million in state funding and a $1.25 million state loan for renovations. The loan funds were subsequently reported to have been used for personal expenses, leading to a failed redevelopment effort and foreclosure. The FDIC acquired the property in 2011. It was later sold to Community Capital Investment, LLC; Jerald Gary, the firm's president and chief investment officer, was reported to have acquired it through a foreclosure deal, although supplied accounts differ on the transaction date. In August 2008, the site hosted a party connected with Barack Obama's acceptance of the Democratic presidential nomination. In September 2018, Kanye West pledged $1 million to help restore the theater. The Chicago Regal Foundation was formed to support fundraising, reopening, and operations, and the building has also been included in architectural-tour programming associated with Open House Chicago. The theater's present operational condition and the outcome of later restoration plans are not established by the supplied sources.

• 2018

  Restoration pledge

  [1]Avalon Regal Theateren.wikipedia.org

  Kanye West pledged $1 million to support restoration of the historic venue.

• 2011

  FDIC acquisition

  [1]Avalon Regal Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The theater was acquired by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation following foreclosure.

• 2008

  Revival attempt

  [1]Avalon Regal Theateren.wikipedia.org

  Regina Evans acquired the property with plans for a cultural revival; the project later became associated with disputed use of state-backed renovation funds.

• 2003

  Closure

  [1]Avalon Regal Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The Gardners closed the theater after eighteen years because of attendance and operating-cost pressures.

• 1992

  Chicago Landmark designation

  [1]Avalon Regal Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The building received Chicago Landmark status on June 17.

• 1987

  Reopening as New Regal Theater

  [1]Avalon Regal Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The rehabilitated venue reopened as the New Regal Theater with public redevelopment support.

• 1985

  Gardner acquisition

  [1]Avalon Regal Theateren.wikipedia.org

  Edward and Bettiann Gardner purchased the building and began a redevelopment effort.

• 1970

  Sale and religious/community use

  [1]Avalon Regal Theateren.wikipedia.org

  After its movie-theater period, the property was sold and used by the Miracle Temple Church and for meetings.

• 1935

  Conversion to movie theater use

  [1]Avalon Regal Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The venue began operating primarily as a cinema, a role it retained until 1967.

• 1927

  Original opening

  [1]Avalon Regal Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The Avalon Theater opened on August 29 as a live-performance venue designed by John Eberson.

A historic Chicago cultural venue whose identity combines live entertainment, African-American performance heritage, community use, and distinctive Moorish Revival architecture.

• Performing arts · 1927

  Live performances

  The theater was created as a live-performance venue and, after its 1987 reopening, again served as a setting for music and other performing-arts events. Its historical importance is particularly tied to African-American performers and audiences on Chicago's South Side.

• Cinema · 1935

  Motion-picture exhibitions

  From 1935 through 1967, the Avalon operated primarily as a movie theater. This period formed a substantial part of the building's first operating history, before later conversions to church, meeting, and live-entertainment use.

• Community venue · 2008

  Cultural and community events

  The property has hosted community gatherings and cultural events, including a 2008 party associated with Barack Obama's presidential nomination acceptance speech. The Chicago Regal Foundation has promoted the building as a potential cultural venue and reopening project.

• Heritage tourism

  Architectural tours

  Tours of the building have been offered through programming connected with the Chicago Architecture Foundation's annual Open House Chicago event, presenting the landmark's Moorish Revival and atmospheric-theater design.

• 2008

  Misuse of state-backed renovation loan

  During Regina Evans's attempted revival of the theater, a $1.25 million state renovation loan was reportedly used for personal purposes rather than building rehabilitation. The project subsequently failed and the property entered foreclosure.

  Source

Read more

• 2018Restoration fundraising initiative

  United States

  The Chicago Regal Foundation worked to raise money to reopen and operate the theater, while Kanye West pledged $1 million toward restoration.

  Outcome. The supplied references do not establish whether the pledged restoration was completed.

  Source
• 2008Obama nomination acceptance event

  Chicago

  The theater hosted a party connected with Barack Obama's acceptance of the Democratic presidential nomination.

  Outcome. The event provided a high-profile community use of the property during a period when a broader revival was being proposed.

  Source

• 2018

  External restoration supportStrategy

  Background

  The landmark remained in need of restoration and a reopening strategy after foreclosure and changes in ownership.

  Action taken

  Kanye West pledged $1 million, and the Chicago Regal Foundation pursued fundraising for reopening and operations.

  Aftermath

  The supplied material does not confirm completion of the restoration or resumption of regular operations.

  Restoration pledge. $1 million pledged (September 2018)

  Source

• 2008

  Attempted cultural-venue revivalStrategy

  Background

  After the theater's 2003 closure, Regina Evans acquired the property with the stated intention of restoring it as a cultural venue.

  Action taken

  The revival plan pursued public funding, including a state-backed renovation loan.

  Aftermath

  The loan funds were reported to have been diverted for personal use; foreclosure followed, and the FDIC acquired the property in 2011.

  Public redevelopment support. $2.36 million in state funds and a $1.25 million state loan were reported (2008)

  Source

• 1987

  Repositioning as the New Regal TheaterStrategy

  Background

  The Gardners sought to return the former movie house to cultural and performing-arts use while connecting it to Chicago's African-American entertainment history.

  Action taken

  They renovated and reopened the building under the New Regal Theater name, referencing the former Bronzeville Regal Theater.

  Aftermath

  The venue operated for eighteen years and received Chicago Landmark status in 1992, but closed in 2003 because of attendance and operating-cost pressures.

  Renovation financing. $1 million Illinois Development Action Grant within a reported $4.1 million package (1987)

  Source

1. 1Avalon Regal Theateren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Avalon Regal Theater official websiteregaltheater.org