Chicago's Congress Theater renovation could start by winter after federal loan approved, alderman says

Long-anticipated renovation on the Congress Theater in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood could start by this winter, according to the 1st Ward alderman.

In a newsletter to his constituents, Ald. Daniel La Spata said the HUD 108 federal loan that was needed to begin construction has been approved.

Since approval, La Spata said the site is undergoing a required federal environmental review and the owners are submitting plans for transportation and landscaping requested by the Chicago Department of Transportation, but "we are moving steadily forward."

La Spata said the goal is to have "people working on the building before winter comes."

The theater has been closed since 2013. In August, 16 teenagers were arrested for trespassing at the Congress. The weekend before, social media posts showed hundreds of people attending an illegal rave inside.

La Spata, who has championed the historic theater's renovation, warned at the time in another newsletter that "participants did significant damage to the building – substantially increasing the cost of its rehabilitation."

Please note: The above video is from a previous report.