Renovated Ramova Theatre to host first-ever live music performance on New Year's Eve
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Born in the late 1920s as a movie theater, the iconic Ramova Theatre is making a triumphant return, reimagined as a 1,500-person capacity music venue in the heart of Bridgeport.
Jennifer Hudson, Chance the Rapper, and Quincy Jones will be co-owners of the revitalized Ramova Theatre at 35th and Halsted, along with investor Tyler Nevius, who bought the then-vacant theater and an adjacent lot from the city for $1 in 2017.
It will reopen on New Year's Eve with its first-ever live performance, featuring a queer-based LGBTQ+ party showcasing the owners' commitment to diversity. The evening also will feature a live jazz band like those found in 1920s era speakeasies, directed by Akenya; dance performances choreographed by Empress Darling Shear, and DJ sets by Slo 'Mo's' VITIGRRL and Icy Bby. Tickets are available at ramovachicago.com.
Music performances down the road will feature everything from jazz to heavy metal to hip hop.
The Ramova was first built in 1929, but closed in 1986, sitting vacant for nearly 40 years, until Nevius bought the property with big plans for renovation.
In 2022, the Chicago City Council approved $9.1 million in tax increment financing subsidies to help cover the costs of a $30 million renovation of the Ramova. The renovation was delayed by the pandemic and costs rose from the original $23 million estimate due to inflation.
"Labor, materials, everything that everybody experienced over the years, but everybody stuck with it, and we really didn't have another choice. Spent about a year after breaking ground in early 2021 just getting the place cleaned up. It had been dormant for 35 years, so it wasn't uncommon to see furry friends and critters running around," said Pete Falknor, director of operations for the Ramova.
The project has transformed the theater and the neighboring lot into a concert and dining complex; featuring a live music and entertainment venue with room for 1,500 people, a restaurant, and a brewpub.
The theater's original movie projectors were still in the building when renovations started, and have been restored and placed on the balcony above the lobby. The original box office also has been restored, along with much of the original stained glass windows.
The building was first built to resemble the architecture of a Spanish courtyard, featuring interior balconies and ornate archways, which also have been restored.
