an Epicenter for Black Entertainment

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Welcome to the Avalon Regal Theater

The Avalon Regal Theater is developing a multi-phase investment in the historic South Shore and Avalon Park neighborhoods of Chicago’s South Side. The project will be developed around the juncture of 79th Street, Stony Island Avenue, South Chicago Avenue, and the Chicago Skyway- incorporating the Avalon Regal Theater District as the cornerstone of a larger Arts & Innovation Corridor.

The development phases include the re-opening of the Avalon Regal Theater as the epicenter for Black entertainment in America and the repurposing of neighborhood structures as support spaces for media and technology.

The project will revitalize the neighborhood through small business and workforce development. It will also strengthen existing cultural organizations through capacity-building programs in partnership with the community.

Join us in preserving and uplifting this Chicago Landmark neighborhood treasure.

In the arts,

Jerald Gary

Chairman

The ART Foundation Inc.

HISTORIC

EPIC

Past

Since its opening in 1927, the Avalon Regal Theater has served as an arts hub, hosting legendary performances, movie screenings, and community events.

After years of under-investment, this 2,500 seat historic venue closed doors in 2008 and has since remained shuttered - leaving a void in the cultural fabric of Chicago’s South Side.

Restoration Plan

In December 2024, the City of Chicago agreed to a phased re-opening of the Avalon Regal Theater, starting with restoration of the grand Banquet Hall.

Phase 1 of construction, which includes reopening the grand Banquet Hall for events is expected to take approximately one year. Construction during this phase includes exterior envelope repairs and plaster restoration in the Banquet Hall, as well as repairs to public toilets, building-wide mechanical, engineering, plumbing, and fire protection systems.

Phase 2 of the development includes full restoration of the remaining interior, including the auditorium, terra cotta facade/masonry, and remainder of the building. This phase is devoted primarily to facade restoration and roof replacement work and it will not affect operation of the Banquet Hall during construction.

Presently, total occupancy development costs for Phases 1 and 2 are estimated at $25 million over the next 2-3 years.

Project Detail

The Avalon Regal Theater, designed in a Moorish Revival-style by architect John Eberson, was constructed in 1927.

The five-story building is situated at the southwest corner of East 79th Street and South East End Avenue.

The exterior facades consist of decorative wire-cut face brick and glazed terra cotta cladding on the north facade, and a combination of wire-cut face brick and Chicago common brick on the east, west, and south facades.

The north facade of the building was constructed with numerous decorative elements, including two terra cotta clad turrets and a domed tower at the roof level, along with decorative terra cotta bands at the parapet level and at the water table above the height of the entrance canopy.

The brick masonry portions of the north facade utilize numerous decorative elements that include corbelled bands, diamond and grid shaped patterns within contrasting gothic arch brick profiles, and ornamental terra cotta embellishments.

The west end of the north facade is adorned with a terra cotta colonnade and a terra cotta clad parapet wall that is set between the two turrets.

The main entrance to the theater is located near the west end of the facade below the colonnade and the Regal marquee.

Six secondary exits along the north facade are set within pointed arch punched openings.

At the upper portion of the west facade, brown wire-cut brick profiles form seven gothic arches, which are infilled with contrasting pink brick.

The lower portion of the facade is decorated with a Mitchell Caton and Calvin Jones mural named “Bright Moments, Memories of the Future”, which celebrates the theater’s history as a place of entertainment in the neighborhood, having regularly hosted artists such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and Chicago-native Nat King Cole.

Our project is a symbol of how historic preservation and innovative technology work together to meet a society’s changing needs.

From harvesting solar energy to wowing audiences with holographic tech, local talent, and vocational programs, the Avalon Regal Theater will shine as best in class for sustainability and venue operation.

Other local developments include the Obama Presidential Center and Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park located 5 minutes east of the theater on 79th Street and the coast of Lake Michigan.

The Avalon Regal Theater is currently applying to the National Register of Historic Places, which will make more government incentives available to the project.

Project Team

Architect of Record - O’Riley Office

Architect: Dan O'Riley, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB

oriley-office.com/#/ramova-theatre

Structural Engineering / Exterior Enclosure Consultant - Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.

Project Manager: Rachel Will, PE

Project Engineers: Sarah Van Domelen, PE

Project Architects: Edward Gerns, RA, Matthew Novesky, RA, Jason Aspin, RA, Nicole Declet, Amanda Marshall, and Gloria Moy, RA

wje.com

Masonry / Historic / Facade - Central Building & Preservation L.P.

Vice President and Principal: Mark Kuberski

centralbldg.com

Mechanical Engineering / Architecture - MEPIS Inc.

CEO: Santos A. Torres

mepisinc.com

Tax Credit / Energy Credit Advisory - Ryan, LLC

Director: Historic Tax Credits: Andrew Elders

Director: Government Income Tax Consulting and Green Energy Incentives: Scott Stogsdill

ryan.com/practice-areas/credits--incentives/historic-tax-credits

Property / Tax Credit Insurance - National Trust Insurance Services, LLC

Client Executive: Brendan Moag

mdpins.com/historic-properties

Transactional Modeling / Structural Advising - Baker Tilly US, LLP

Principal: Garrick Gibson

bakertilly.com

Non-Profit Counsel - Handler Law, LLP

Attorney: Andrew D. Morton

handler.law

Event Management / Business Development - Fruition Consulting
Diana McCaskill, Partner

Richard McCaskill, Partner

fruitionconsulting.com

Head of Talent

John Monopoly

https://youtu.be/Zm3GQ7hL-aA?t=2047

https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/kanye-west-manager-john-monopoly-world-tour-ye-live-dates-1235629717/

Current Projects

Exterior Envelope
- Repair (masonry/roofing) associated with reopening the Banquet Hall
- Temporary stabilization at other portions of the theater building
Architectural design, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing
Construction planning
Consulting
Building management

Timeline

Campaign Launch: February 2025
Construction Begins: 2026
Reopening: 2027

Funding

Project funding is being sourced through historic restoration grants, private foundations, private equity, and government historic tax credits and grants.

Join us on this exciting journey to bring back one of Chicago's most beloved venues! Click here to contribute to our mission:

www.avalonregal.com/donate.