The Congress Theater is a historic

movie palace A movie palace (or picture palace in the United Kingdom) is a large, elaborately decorated movie theater built from the 1910s to the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opening every year between 1925 and 1930. Wi ...

in the Logan Square neighborhood of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Fridstein and Company designed it in 1926 for the movie theater operator Lubliner and Trinz. It features ornate exterior and interior design work in a combination of the

Classical Revival Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassic ...

and

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styles. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2017. In its heyday, the Congress Theater could seat over 2,904 moviegoers. The theater block also had 17 retail storefronts with 56 apartments above. More recently, the theater operated as a 3,500-capacity live music venue. For years the building was a common and popular concert venue. In April 2013, the theater was shut down and had its liquor license revoked due to numerous safety code violations. It was a source of controversy due to issues such as liquor violations, a notoriously tough security team, and lax building upkeep. In early 2014, Carranza announced he would sell the theater to developer Michael Moyer. Moyer planned to spend $65 million restoring the theater, with the goal of reopening the Congress in 2019. This plan, now under the ownership of Baum Revision, was approved by the City's Permit Review Committee in June, 2022 and by the full City Council on July 19, 2023. The budget is reported to be $88 million, including $27 million in Tax Increment Funding and $6.2 million in tax abatement over 12 years.https://chicagoyimby.com/2024/12/timeline-revealed-for-congress-theater-redevelopment-as-tax-incentives-are-approved.html

Notable events

* The theater was designated a

Chicago Landmark Chicago Landmark is a designation by the Mayor and the City Council of Chicago for historic sites in Chicago, Illinois. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical, economic, architectural, artist ...

on July 10, 2002. * In May 2008, pop punk band

Panic! At The Disco Panic! at the Disco was an American pop rock band formed in Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2004 by high school friends Ryan Ross (guitar) and Spencer Smith (musician), Spencer Smith (drums), who recruited classmates Brendon Urie (vocals and ...

recorded the live album …Live In Chicago This album was the last album with guitarist

Ryan Ross George Ryan Ross III (born August 30, 1986) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work as the former lead guitarist, backing and lead vocalist, and primary songwriter of the American rock band Panic! at the Disco b ...

. The live album released in December * In August 2008, pop punk band

Paramore Paramore is an American rock band formed in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2004. Since 2017, the band's lineup includes lead vocalist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist Taylor York, and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of ...

recorded a live CD/DVD titled '' The Final Riot!'' at the theater. It was released in November 2008 and it was awarded in US (Gold Album) and Canada (Platinum Album). * On March 31, 2009,

VH1 Storytellers ''Storytellers'' is a television music series produced by the VH1 network. In each episode, artists perform in front of a (mostly small and intimate) live audience, and tell stories about their music, writing experiences and memories, somewhat ...

recorded a segment on blues band

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For almost 56 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard (musician), Frank Beard, and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill prior to his death in 2021. ZZ ...

at the Congress Theater; the show aired June 27, 2009, on

VH1 Classic MTV Classic (formerly VH1 Smooth, VH1 Classic Rock, and VH1 Classic) is an American pay television network owned by Paramount Media Networks. It was originally launched in 1998 as "VH1 Smooth", an adult contemporary and smooth jazz channel. It ...

. *As part of his 2012 New Year's Eve performance, producer/DJ

Rusko Rusko () is a municipality of Finland. It is located in Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density Population densi ...

shot the music video for hit single "Somebody to Love", released via

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is a co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer; a member of the supergroup LSD (group), ...

Mad Decent Mad Decent is an American record label founded by Diplo. The label has helped introduce Brazilian baile funk and Angolan kuduro to clubs around the world. In the early 2010s, it popularized moombahton, a genre of electronic dance music create ...

record label. * On March 13, 2019, the Chicago City Council approved a redevelopment agreement for the Congress Theater with related construction of residential units on N Rockwell Street and Milwaukee Avenue. The developer intended to substantially rehabilitate the approximately Theater Property into a 4,900 seat music venue with the addition of an approximately 30-room boutique hotel; the addition of approximately 14 affordable residential rental units; and approximately of ground floor restaurant/retail commercial space. The agreement included $8.85 million in tax increment financing funds. *On June 28, 2021, David Baum announced that Baum Revision has taken over the project and is planning to redevelop the landmark theater as well as the surrounding apartments and retail space, using the already approved plan (although excluding the associated 72-unit apartment building). *In early December, 2024, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks approved $6.2 million in Class L tax incentives for the first 12 years of project. Assuming approval by the full City Council, construction is slated to begin the first quarter of 2025, with completion by the end of 2026. The following week workmen began installing safety fencing on the roof in preparation for the first stage of restoration work to begin.

Gallery

File:Congress Theater Ticket Vestibule.jpg, Storm lobby of the theater File:JamiroquaiAtChicago.jpg,

Jamiroquai Jamiroquai ( ) are an English acid jazz and funk band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in th ...

performing at the Congress on October 30, 2005

References

{{Authority control 1926 establishments in Illinois Buildings and structures in Chicago Neoclassical architecture in Illinois Italian Renaissance Revival architecture in the United States Chicago Landmarks Music venues in Chicago Theatres completed in 1926 Theatres in Chicago National Register of Historic Places in Chicago