The neon vertical letters spelling out the Logan Theatre's name on Milwaukee Avenue went dark last Thursday, pulled off the building for repairs. The theater's movie-times marquee is still running as usual, but the century-old sign that's long been a visual anchor of Logan Square is getting an overhaul, with owners saying it should light back up by mid-November.
The removal is part of ongoing work described by the ownership team as “repairs and energy efficiency upgrades,” according to Block Club Chicago. Ownership said the project is meant to make the sign easier to maintain going forward and extend the life of the structure. The outlet reports that ownership anticipates the sign will light up Milwaukee Avenue once again in mid-November, though an exact date hasn't been set.
In recent years, not all of the neon letters on the large signs were properly lighting up at nighttime, the station's report notes. That flicker-and-fade problem appears to be at the center of the current fix, even as the smaller marquee below — the one flashing showtimes to passersby — has kept running through the repair work.
A Theater That's Changed Hands Three Times Since 1915
The building at 2646 N. Milwaukee Ave. has a long history under multiple owners. It opened in 1915 as the Paramount Theatre, a single-screen cinema, according to Choose Chicago. The Vaselopolis family took over in 1922 and held onto the theater for nearly a century, per the same account from Block Club Chicago, which notes the property has changed ownership three times in its history overall.
Mark Fishman bought the movie theater in 2010 and reopened it in 2012 following a renovation that included new bathrooms, new technology and new seats. Fishman, who also operates M. Fishman and Co., a real estate company that owns most residential buildings in the immediate area, has continued investing in the space since then. The theater has since been renovated with new screens, an expanded lobby and cafe area, and refurbished marble walls.
From Dark Marquee to Neighborhood Landmark
Choose Chicago describes the venue's box office, concession area and lobby as having been expanded and remodeled as part of that broader modernization push. Separately, Time Out Chicago has reported that the ownership change brought a shift toward more Indiewood films alongside the programming Logan Square audiences have come to expect, and that lighting up the four-screen theater's sign — dark for decades at one point — had been part of earlier revitalization plans for the building.
Chicago has lost other neon marquees in recent memory, underscoring why even a temporary teardown draws attention. Block Club Chicago reported in March that the Foremost Liquors marquee came down for good, part of a string of losses for the city's vintage sign inventory. Preservation Chicago has separately highlighted how many of the great neon signs along Randolph Street have disappeared over time, making the reinstallation and restoration of fixtures like the Oriental Theatre's neon blade sign a notable exception rather than the rule.
For now, the Logan Theatre's letters remain off the building while repairs continue, with the marquee below still doing its job of pointing moviegoers toward showtimes. Neighbors watching Milwaukee Avenue should see the full sign relit sometime in mid-November, per ownership's timeline shared with Block Club Chicago.
