A masterpiece of Moorish Revival, restored.
The Avalon opened its doors in 1927 as a Moorish Revival masterpiece by architect John Eberson — a "hypaethral" theater whose painted plaster ceiling was stitched with lightbulb stars to feel like open sky. For decades, it was the heartbeat of Chicago's South Side.
In 1987, it was renamed the New Regal Theater to honor the legacy of the original Regal in Bronzeville — one of the most important African American entertainment venues in the nation.
After years of underinvestment, the 2,250-seat venue was operational as recently as 2012. That silence has lasted long enough.
The restoration positions the Avalon Regal as the cornerstone of the ART District and Innovation Corridor, anchoring a new cultural and economic axis at 79th and Stony Island. Today, every surface is being cleaned, catalogued, and returned to its 1927 finish.
Phase 1 targets Grand Hall occupancy in 2027, with full venue activation in 2028.
- Count Basie
- Louis Armstrong
- B.B. King
- The Supremes
- Ray Charles
- Gladys Knight
- Tyler Perry
- George Clinton
- Kanye West
- Johnny Gill
- Tom Joyner
- Bernie Mac