- New Regal Theater
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Coordinates: 41°45′05″N 87°35′01″W / 41.751352°N 87.583533°W
New Regal Theater 
New Regal TheaterAddress 1641 E. 79th Street City Chicago, Illinois Country United States Designation Chicago Landmark Architect John Eberson Capacity 2250[1] Type Performing Arts Center Opened August 29, 1927[2] Reopened 2008 Rebuilt 1985[3] Closed June 2003- October 2007[4] Previous names Avalon Theater Chicago LandmarkDesignated: June 17, 1992 www.chicagoregal.com/index.html The New Regal Theater (originally Avalon Theater) is located at 1641 East 79th Street, in Chicago, Illinois. The theater opened as the Avalon Theater in 1927. The design is an "atmospheric" Moorish Revival movie palace designed by John Eberson, who was nationally known for the atmospheric design. It is said that the theater's design was inspired by a Persian incense burner that Eberson found in an antique market.[5] The Avalon Theater was in business until the late 1970s.[6]
Afterward, the building served as the home of the Miracle Temple Church until becoming a performing arts venue once again in 1987. At that time, the theater was renamed in honor of the old Regal Theater, a cultural center for Chicago's African American community that was demolished in 1973. The old Regal Theater was located at 4719 S. King Dr.
It received Chicago Landmark status on June 17, 1992.[7]
The former owners of the New Regal Theater, Edward and Bettianne Gardner, closed the theater in 2003 after losing money for several years. In 2008, the building was purchased by a group that included Ron and Regina Evans with the hope of reviving it as a cultural venue.[8] However, it has seen little use.[9] The site did hold a party to celebrate Barack Obama's presidential nomination acceptance speech in August 2008.[10]
Performers Through the Years
- Barbara Acklin
- Louis Armstrong
- Josephine Baker
- Count Basie
- Jan Bradley
- James Brown
- Jerry Butler
- Cab Calloway
- Gene Chandler
- The Chi-Lites
- Dee Clark
- Nat King Cole
- The Contours
- The Dells
- Billy Eckstine
- Duke Ellington
- Betty Everett
- The Frogs
- Marvin Gaye
- Lionel Hampton
- Billie Holiday
- Lena Horne
- The Impressions
- The Jackson 5
- Millie Jackson
- Etta James
- Major Lance
- Moms Mabley
- Magic Slim & The MG's
- The Marvelettes
- Pearl Jam
- Arthur Prysock
- Lou Rawls
- Minnie Riperton
- Martha and the Vandellas
- Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
- The Staple Singers
- Billy Stewart
- The Supremes
- The Temptations
- Tammi Terrell
- The Velvelettes
- Junior Walker and the All-Stars
- Dinah Washington
- Jackie Wilson
- Mary Wells
- Kim Weston
- Joe Williams
- Stevie Wonder
Notes
- ^ http://www.chicagoregal.com/page7.html
- ^ http://cinematreasures.org/theater/319/
- ^ http://cinematreasures.org/theater/319/
- ^ http://cinematreasures.org/theater/319/
- ^ Mark Konkol. "No man is an Island - Hop off the Dan Ryan for a compelling journey through a hood that's authentic Chicago". Chicago Sun-Times. November 9, 2007. pg. 12.
- ^ http://cinematreasures.org/theater/319/
- ^ New Regal Theater, City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Landmarks Division (2003). Retrieved on August 21, 2007.
- ^ David Roeder and Fran Spielman. "Regal rebirth - The old Avalon Theatre is taking on new life as investors close a $2.36 million deal for the South Side icon". Chicago Sun-Times. March 14, 2008. pg. 54.
- ^ David Roeder and Fran Spielman. "Curtains for New Regal?" Chicago Sun-Times. October 2, 2009. Retrieved on October 23, 2009.
- ^ Chicagoans Celebrate Obama's Nomination. CBS 2 Chicago. August 28, 2008. Retrieved on October 23, 2009.
External links
Chicago Landmark cultural venues National Historic Landmark,
National Register of Historic Places,
Chicago LandmarkNational Historic Landmark,
National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places,
Chicago LandmarkBiograph Theater · Chicago Cultural Center · Chicago Theatre · Fine Arts Building · Former Chicago Historical Society Building · Uptown TheatreChicago Landmark Civic Opera Building · Congress Theater · Field Museum of Natural History · Harris and Selwyn Theaters · Museum of Science and Industry · Navy Pier Headhouse and Auditorium · New Regal Theater · Pui Tak Center · South Side Community Art Center · Sunset Cafe · Thalia Hall · Yondorf Block and HallApartments · Culture · Education · Historic Districts · Houses · Memorials and Monuments · Municipal · Skyscrapers · Transportation · Worship Categories:- Buildings and structures completed in 1927
- Theatres in Chicago, Illinois
- Landmarks in Chicago, Illinois
- Moorish Revival architecture in Illinois
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