The historic Avalon Regal Theater on Chicago's South Side is in line to receive a $249,500 city grant aimed at shoring up its crumbling northwest tower, a crucial lifeline for a 99-year-old movie palace that has struggled for decades to find its footing. The 2,200-seat venue at 1645 E. 79th St. would use the money for masonry repairs and reconstruction of the tower's exposed brick substructure, along with selective removal and resetting of displaced masonry, isolated repointing, temporary stabilization and front-facade repairs.
The proposed award was outlined by the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, according to WBEZ Chicago. The Avalon Regal is one of three projects recommended for Adopt-a-Landmark funding this round, part of a package totaling $666,400 across the trio. To actually collect the cash, current owner Community Capital must submit updated drawings and project specifications to the city within two years, the outlet reports.
A Storied Stage Built by John Eberson
Built in 1927 as the Avalon Theater, the building was designed by architect John Eberson, a name synonymous with the era's lavish movie palaces. The theater sat for decades as a South Side fixture before Soft Sheen products founder Ed Gardner and his wife, Bettiann, bought and restored it in 1985, reopening it in 1987 as the New Regal — a name chosen in homage to the original Regal Theater at 47th Street and King Drive, which was demolished in 1973, per the same WBEZ account.
The theater's path since then has been rocky. A subsequent owner of the New Regal went to federal prison for stealing $900,000 in state grant money that had been intended for a theater work-training program, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took possession of the property afterward, the station notes. Community Capital Investment Partners eventually bought the Avalon Regal from the FDIC for $100,000 in 2014.
Preservationists Have Long Flagged Its Needs
The building's decline drew attention well before this latest grant proposal. Preservation Chicago named the theater one of the city's seven most endangered buildings back in 2012, and Landmarks Illinois awarded Gary and Community Capital a preservation heritage grant for emergency exterior masonry repairs in January 2016, according to the same report.
Ward Miller said the Adopt-a-Landmark grant, coupled with foundation grants, could address the theater's restoration needs, per the outlet's reporting. The Avalon Regal's own website promises the auditorium will open in 2027, with full venue activation targeted for 2028, though those timelines come from the venue itself rather than an independent confirmation.
Two Churches Share in the Same Grant Round
The Avalon Regal isn't the only landmark in line for help. Stone Temple Baptist Church, located at 3622 W. Douglas Blvd. in North Lawndale, is set to receive $167,000 for parapet repairs, new exterior doors and interior drywall and plaster work, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The church, where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once spoke, has its own deep roots in the city's civil rights history.
Monumental Baptist Church, at 729 E. Oakwood Blvd. in Bronzeville, would get $249,900 for a new roof, downspouts and masonry work, the Sun-Times reports. Taken together with the Avalon Regal's share, the three projects reflect the broader scale of the city's Adopt-a-Landmark program, which a Chicago Department of Planning and Development spokesperson said has allocated more than $14 million for 33 historic preservation projects since 2016, with those projects valued at more than $166 million. A separate City of Chicago posting from January put the cumulative total at 31 projects valued at $174 million, a discrepancy in the city's own public figures that remains unresolved.
The Citywide Adopt-A-Landmark Fund, as described by the City of Chicago, exists to support restoration of designated landmark buildings and structures throughout the city. For the Avalon Regal, the proposed award marks another chapter in a long effort to keep Eberson's nearly century-old design standing while its owners work toward the reopening promised on the theater's own timeline.
