The Ramova Theatre, a Bridgeport landmark that has been closed for nearly 40 years, is expected to reopen this fall.
The theater, 3518 S. Halsted St., will reopen as a live music venue, craft brewery and beer garden. The neighboring Ramova Grill, closed since 2012, will reopen as a restaurant.
“It’s a great neighborhood that has all the components for success,” developer Tyler Nevius told Sun-Times reporter David Roeder in 2020. “But that stretch of Halsted has been slow to see improvements. There hasn’t been that anchor. … I think that we could have a tremendous impact in the community.”
The Ramova’s encore certainly deserves a round of applause.
Built in 1929, the Ramova was among a host of single-screen movie houses that dotted Chicago — and other cities — before television, suburban multiplex theaters and shifting population patterns led to their demise, beginning in the 1970s.
But the Ramova, a Spanish Revival-styled twin of the successful Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., managed to evade the bulldozer after closing in 1985. Bridgeport residents and preservationists rallied around the building, championing for its reuse. A tip of the hat to them.
The city bought the theater in 2001 in a bid to preserve the structure. Things started looking up for the Ramova in earnest in 2017 when developer Tyler Nevius stepped up with rehab plans as an investor and owner, buying the place from the city for $1.
The city kicked in nearly $10 million in public subsidies toward the $30 million project — which means the Chicago taxpayer should take some bows as well.
Once the Ramova’s doors reopen, patrons could see what will likely be a most-welcome addition to the South Side: a 1,500-seat music theater with places to eat and drink.
The theater’s owners said the venue will also host workshops and educational programs.
On a larger scale, the Ramova revival shows the reuse potential of Chicago’s remaining vacant theaters.
The old Roseland Theater, 11333 S. Michigan Ave., was closed in the 1970s and converted into office space, but the city has plans to get it reopened as a business incubator building.
That’s not as sexy as a performance space, but at least the edifice would be put back onto service instead of being turned into a vacant lot.
The Ramova revival also brings hope for a future beyond continued decay for two other large and long-vacant theaters: the Regal, at 1645 E. 79th St., and the Uptown, at 4916 N. Broadway.
Chicago is often quick to roll the bulldozer on vacant buildings. The Ramova’s resurrection shows a better way, and proof that our city’s architecture is always worth saving.
Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.
