PHILADELPHIA — The first half of Colin Blackwell’s first Blackhawks season did not go as planned. Throughout the fall, he did little to remind anyone he was even on the team.

In January, though, the 29-year-old forward has looked more like an NHL player. Thursday against the Flyers marked his 10th consecutive game in the lineup, and the puck has been landing on his stick — or getting dislodged from opponents’ sticks due to his defensive actions — more often.

He also finally scored his first Hawks goal (in his 33rd game) on Jan. 8 against the Flames, although doing so just made him angrier.

“I was a little embarrassed,” Blackwell said. “It took me 30-something games. That’s unacceptable in my mind. It relieves a little bit of stress because finally it happened, but from that standpoint, I have a heck of a lot more to give.”

Of the Hawks’ various stopgap free-agent signings last summer, Blackwell was the lone player to receive a two-year contract, which rewarded him for his fantastic defensive analytics and respectable production (42 points in 105 games) around the NHL the past two seasons.

It has taken him half a year to rediscover any semblance of that rhythm, however, and he entered Thursday still having tallied only five points in 36 games. He attributes that to following “too much of a pass-first mentality” earlier on.

“For a long portion of the year, the way we were playing, it was a lot to the outside, not to the inside,” he said. “You don’t really generate much out there, at least the way I play. … Now, I’ve been…trying to take more pucks to the net, trying to be more dirty around the crease.”

Outside the offensive zone, he’s also focusing more on “little things” that make positive impacts, such as placing dump-ins in areas where they’re harder for opposing defensemen to cleanly retrieve.

“The season…hasn’t necessarily gone the way I would’ve liked, but I’m not going away from the things that make me successful,” he added. “I’m just sticking with it.”

Murphy used to insecurity

It became clear to Hawks defenseman Connor Murphy last summer, as he watched teammates previously considered integral players traded away left and right, that he could no longer take for granted his own long-term future in Chicago.

Even with three years left on his contract beyond this season and a modified no-trade clause (which blocks trades to 10 predetermined teams) in place, he had to accept the reality. And accept it he has.

“With everyone getting traded, no one felt safe,” Murphy said. “That’s just the way it is. We’re used to it by now, knowing that anything is possible and it’s really out of your control. You try to just stick with your game.”

If Murphy outlasts Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews on the Hawks’ roster, which currently looks more likely than not to happen, he’ll become the team’s longest-tenured player. Chicago has long since become home for him. He figures it would feel like a “shock” to suddenly move to another city and organization.

But as the March 3 trade deadline grows closer — with a possibly trade-laden draft a few months later, and another year of this cycle beyond that — he wouldn’t be shocked to eventually feel that shock.

“You just enjoy each day with the team and try to grow with your teammates,” he said. “Because you hope it’ll last for a while, but you never know how long.”

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If you follow Jason Benetti on Twitter, you’re seen his posts with a picture of a stadium floor and a request to share the first person you think of.

Let’s play that game but change the picture. Instead, imagine a Chicago sports broadcaster and what that person brings to mind.

That’s what I did for my third annual Chicago sports-media rankings, which examine the market’s TV and radio sports broadcasters based on appeal, quality, longevity and, of course, personal preference. With the help of a crack support staff, these rankings are even more precise than last year’s.

More than 100 names were considered. The top 20 follow, with last year’s rank in parentheses. And, new this year, I included the bottom five. Hey, it’s a tough business.

1. Adam Amin (2): He was up for Fox’s No. 2 NFL team – which is an achievement in itself – but unfortunately the network chose Joe Davis. Amin is better than him on football and did an outstanding job on the No. 3 crew. He also called an exciting Dodgers-Padres playoff series for Fox. He’s in his third season calling the Bulls with analyst Stacey King, and they have become the most entertaining tandem in town. Amin has a strong voice and is prepared beyond reproach. There isn’t anything he couldn’t call.

2. Jason Benetti (1): It was a big year for Benetti, who was the voice of Peacock’s package of Sunday MLB games, then left ESPN for Fox, where he called his first NFL game on TV. His primary work there is college football and basketball, and Fox is giving him higher-profile football games than ESPN did. He and White Sox analyst Steve Stone form one of the most popular booths in baseball.

3. Pat Hughes (3): Making the Cubs Hall of Fame was nice, but making the Baseball Hall of Fame was incredible. He’s sure to give a wonderful induction speech in July. The Cubs’ radio voice since 1996 has added some TV to his resume on Marquee Sports Network, and he shows no sign of slowing down.

4. Laurence Holmes (7): He went from his own two-hour show on The Score to a four-hour extravaganza with Dan Bernstein that’s the highest-rated sports radio show in town. He also returned to hosting the “Football Aftershow” on NBC Sports Chicago. Add in his podcast work, and Holmes has a media empire.

5. Danny Parkins (6): Parkins is a throwback in sports radio. He has engaged in stunts and antics that conjure memories of radio days gone by. Allowing listeners to see them on The Score’s Twitch stream adds to the fun. He also isn’t afraid to push the envelope or stir the pot. It can make for great radio.

6. Marc Silverman (8): Every “Silvy” rant comes from decades of Chicago sports fandom. Listeners can feel it. He’s patient and polite with callers, and his banter with colleagues shows how tight the ESPN 1000 crew is. He and Tom Waddle are the longest-tenured radio partners in the city.

7. Dan Bernstein (11): When Leila Rahimi left her regular gig on The Score, I was in favor of Bernstein working alone. But he and Holmes (with weekly appearances by Rahimi) have doused that thought. It’s wild to think back to how angry he used to sound. Now he’s more, dare we say, pleasant.

8. Jon Sciambi (4): Speaking of pleasant, that’s exactly how to describe listening to “Boog” call a Cubs game with Jim Deshaies on Marquee. Sciambi also calls plum college basketball games for ESPN, but his big assignment this year will be, at long last, calling the World Series for ESPN Radio.

9. Leila Rahimi (10): The daily gig at The Score ended when she was promoted to lead sports anchor at NBC 5. She also returned to NBC Sports Chicago, filling in for Jason Goff on Bulls pre- and postgame shows. It was like she never left (not that she wanted to).

10. Jason Goff (5): Speaking of Goff, he’s still doing great work hosting the Bulls shows, the best shoulder programming in town. Goff, Kendall Gill and Will Perdue are so at ease on the set, it’s like the cameras aren’t there. After games, you feel like you need to hear what they think.

11. Stacey King (12): You always hear what King thinks, often with his unique flair. He’s great at breaking down plays.

12. Steve Stone (16): Stoney isn’t shy, either, about sharing his thoughts. He’s still one of the best analysts in the game.

13. Ozzie Guillen (18): The Mouth of the South Side is a must-watch for Sox fans after games, particularly tough losses.

14. David Kaplan (9): He’s off TV now, but you still can watch him on YouTube and listen to him on ESPN 1000.

15. Dionne Miller (20): She added to her ESPN 1000 work, hosting a Saturday show with Peggy Kusinski. The ABC 7 anchor tied Guillen as the biggest risers on the list.

16. Len Kasper (17): Put him on Sox radio or TV, and you’ll get a great broadcast every time.

17. Tom Waddle (13): He’s at his best talking about football – not so much the overly personal things he shares.

18. Matt Spiegel (NR): Next month, he’ll celebrate two years in the same time slot with the same partner. That’s perseverance paying off.

19. Chuck Swirsky (NR): He still calls a great game, and his kindness and positivity are unmatched.

20. Zach Zaidman (NR): It’s nice that he’s calling more Cubs games with Hughes moving to TV on occasion, but his DePaul basketball broadcasts are outstanding.

Dropped out: Pat Foley (14), Eddie Olczyk (15), Olin Kreutz (19).

BOTTOM FIVE

(listed alphabetically)

Colby Cohen: He’s at his best providing analysis between the benches. That has helped a new TV team that’s working out the kinks. But of all the studio analysts in town, Cohen is the only one not connected to the home team, and that matters to viewers. Plus, he didn’t have an NHL career that inspires awe.

Dave Corzine: It’s great that DePaul reached into its storied past for a radio analyst. It’s not great that he sounds like he swallowed a handful of thumbtacks. Corzine’s voice is so raspy, it’s hard to understand sometimes. He’s still tight with the Blue Demons, so don’t expect a change. But one is overdue.

“Mully & Haugh”: Which voice does Mike Mulligan speak with more: The one that growls and guffaws or the one that’s gravelly with a tinge of Bert from “Sesame Street”? David Haugh used to write long for the Tribune. Now he talks long for The Score. His personality doesn’t befit a morning show.

Jim Rose: He has been at ABC 7 for 40 years – and it’s a wonder how. It’s easy to question his preparation from watching his sportscasts. He has mispronounced names, and his voice-overs might not sync with the highlights. Rose’s contract is up in September. The situation bears watching.

Cole Wright: He should take a cue from “Hamilton”: Talk less. Wright is a walking run-on sentence who belongs on “SportsCenter” circa 1995. He calls the Brewers the “beer makers” and has renamed Wrigley Field “the federal landmark.” Please, stop. And stop pointing your notecard at the viewers. It’s rude.

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Does “Chicago” still have that old razzle-dazzle?

That’s the crucial question on which the 25th anniversary tour of the nearly 50-year-old musical hangs its Fossefied hat, through Jan. 29 at the CIBC Theatre.

Inarguably, the show with a score by legendary composer John Kander, book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, and lyrics by Ebb, has remarkable staying power.

The anniversary tour production is based on a 1996 Broadway reboot of the show’s original staging, directed and choreographed by Fosse in 1975. Fosse’s work looms large here, in director Tania Nardini’s and choreographer Gary Chryst’s “recreation,” just as it did over that reboot by the director/choreographer team of Walter Bobbie and Ann Reinking.

Still, this “Chicago” is more facsimile than replica of its quarter-century-old inspiration. It’s looking a bit frayed around its sleek, sinewy edges. It remains an entertaining rendition of a brilliant show, but the razzle-dazzle is a few sequins short.

More than anything, the decadent story of “Chicago” (based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins) is a satire on pop culture’s endlessly lurid with fascination with, per the show’s opening line, “murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery and treachery — all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts.”

The plot follows aspiring showgirls and celebrity murderesses Velma Kelly (Logan Floyd) and Roxie Hart (Katie Frieden) through bedrooms, dance halls, gin joints, courtrooms, jails and press conferences, as they navigate the fickle hand of fate, angling for fame and fortune in Roaring ’20s Chicago.

Velma and Roxie become archrivals in the hoosegow, each competing to curry the favor of Matron “Mama” Morton (Christina Wells) and smooth-talking lawyer Billy Flynn (Jeff Brooks).

The Sidney Sheldon-worthy plot is a fine showcase for Kander’s wickedly delightful score, which features deservedly iconic standards including “Mr. Cellophane” (delivered with real pathos by Brian Kalinowski as Roxie’s hapless husband Amos), the ever-popular “Cell Block Tango,” “Razzle Dazzle,” and “When You’re Good to Mama,” which on opening night suffered an audio cut-out; after a seven-minute hold, Wells got a do-over and belted it out with aplomb.

The moral of “Chicago”? Money can buy you freedom and fame; guilt and innocence are beside the point. It’s a lesson another accused murderess, the Hungarian immigrant Hunyak (Liz Lester), learns in the show’s singularly harrowing scene, when her sentence to hang for her crime puts an abrupt — if not unjust — end to her passionate claims of “Not Guilty” and her insistence that Uncle Sam never harms the innocent.

That said, the current crop of headline-hungry, merry murderesses acquit themselves fairly well. Frieden’s Roxie is appropriately bubbly and thirsty, a flapper willing to take on any role — convent schoolgirl, hapless victim, ventriloquist’s dummy, doting mother-to-be — to reach celebrity status. Floyd’s Velma is a hardened sophisticate by comparison, an ill-fated gig in Cicero having opened her eyes to the world’s cruel faithlessness. Both actors are fine if not unforgettable in the long pantheon of Velmas and Roxies.

The ensemble numbers are the showstoppers here, never so much as in “Razzle Dazzle,” which turns a Chicago courtroom into a circus complete with lions, acrobats and clowns. Vocally it’s not impeccable — Billy Flynn’s smooth tenor needs to be velvet and Brooks’ voice is more velour, but the ensemble of glittery grifters drives the point home beautifully.

The choreography for “Chicago” has ever been defined by slick, seamless sensuality and joyful debauchery. Here, the seams sometimes show and the glee seems less than spontaneous. It is workmanlike delivery, solid but not exceptional.

In the end, this “Chicago” isn’t a replica so much as a mimeograph of the original — you can see still the brilliance of the original, but it’s lost some luster and sharpness in translation.

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The old movie place on 79th Street in Avalon Park has sat mostly vacant since 2003, but the theater still looks like something out of a movie set.

“It’s ornate, it’s got beautiful tilework,” says Eleanor Truex, who lives in Flossmoor and occasionally, when traffic is bad, gets off the expressway and drives past the old Avalon Regal Theater, which was built in the 1920s as an eclectic entertainment venue.

This theater has had many names and many incarnations. It opened with live performances, but less than a decade later, shifted to mostly showing films.

Later, it became a church — before coming full circle as a live performing space in the 1980s and 1990s, hosting mostly African American artists, including Ray Charles, B.B. King, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Patti LaBelle and Tupac.

The Avalon Regal Theater closed to the public in 2003 for reasons including low attendance and high maintenance costs.

Since then, there have been a few notable events in the theater, like President Barack Obama’s first Election Night presidential victory celebration. And it’s a regular stop on the Chicago Architecture Center’s annual Open House Chicago tours.

Several owners have tried to restore the building to its past grandeur, including its current owner, Jerald Gary of Community Capital Investment. Gary’s dream is to transform the space into a hub of art and culture on 79th Street.

“I’m taken aback every time I enter the building, and I notice something new every time I walk in to the building,” says Gary, who grew up near the theater.

But getting the Avalon Regal to reopen has been a real saga. His ownership of the theater is hanging by a thread.

‘Atmospheric’ design

Built in 1927, the theater was originally called the Avalon Theater. Architect John Eberson, a leader of “atmospheric” theater style, designed the building to make people feel like they were immersed in a magical place. It was inspired by something he found at an antique store.

“He comes across an incense burner from Persia, and he’s looking at this intricate metal work and all of the geometry and detail in this artifact,” says Adam Rubin, director of interpretation at the Chicago Architecture Center. “That was part of the inspiration.”

The floor-to-ceiling mosaics and decorative latticework offer glamorous touches. The ceiling in the main lobby looks like a flying carpet with embedded colorful rocks that sparkle, giving people the impression they are on a movie set.

“It’s kind of something that has a kitsch factor before we use the term kitsch factor,” Rubin says.

The auditorium, where the main stage is, has about 2,300 velvet seats in rows across the first floor and balcony. The awning above the stage evokes a circus tent, giving people the impression they are camped out under the stars.

When Eberson was designing the building, people were moving to big cities like Chicago from the South and Europe. The surrounding area was predominantly German, Swedish and Irish.

Rubin says that Americans who fought in Europe in World War I had seen the destruction of Gothic churches and other historic architecture and that creating theaters like the Avalon was, in part, a way for architects and builders to process trauma from the war.

From animal acts to Westerns (1920s-1960s)

“Because the big theaters were so important, the major companies made them opulent to attract patrons, not simply through the films being shown but through the promise of an exciting moviegoing experience,” Kristin Thompson and David Bordwell write in their book “Film History: An Introduction.””The architecture of the picture palaces gave working- and middle-class patrons an unaccustomed taste of luxury.”

According to advertisements in the Chicago Daily Tribune, the theater showed films and live performances in its early years. An ad from 1929 announced a screening of the Western film “In Old Arizona,” with stage performances by singer Roy Detrich and vaudeville performer Charlie Crafts.

In 1935, the theater hosted vaudeville entertainer “Little Jackie” Heller, an animal act featuring Proske’s Royal Bengal Tigers and a screening of the film “Imitation of Life” starring Lana Turner, according to an ad.

By the 1940s, the theater shifted almost exclusively to showing movies, from musical comedies to adventure war films.

Regal rebirth (1980s-2000s)

After a brief stint as a church in the early 1980s, the theater took on a new life once again.

That’s when Soft Sheen business owners Edward Gardner and Bettiann Gardner bought it and poured money into the theater to revive it as a cultural gathering space. The neighborhood around 79th Street then was largely African American.

“We spent a lot of money there, but it was to bring art entertainment into the inner city,” Edward Gardner said in a 1993 interview archived by The History Makers website. “It’s certainly not a money-maker.”

The Gardners renamed the venue the New Regal Theater in honor of a popular music spot in Bronzeville that had been torn down. The building was designated a Chicago landmark in 1992.

Robert Howell, who is in his 50s and is the theater’s current caretaker, grew up in this area and remembers the thrill of attending events there, including seeing Tyler Perry and George Clinton perform.

“Every time we came here was a new adventure,” Howell says. “Every time I came here was somebody iconic that I wanted to see.”

After 18 years of live shows, the Gardners closed the theater in 2003. Attendance had been dwindling for years as people moved away from the neighborhood and businesses closed. Since then, the building largely has sat dormant.

Uncertain future

Jerald Gary has been on a mission to reopen the Avalon Regal Theater since he purchased it for $100,000 in 2014. He says he believes the closing of the theater played a big role in the decline of the neighborhood.

“The area was bustling when the theater was open,” he says. “As you can imagine, there were a number of different businesses that rely on the building being in operation. And, at this time on the block, the only business that is open is a liquor store.”

Gary’s vision is to help turn 79th Street into a version of Beale Street, the entertainment district in Memphis known as the home of the blues. He wants the theater to be an arts community center.

But buying the building and dreaming about the possibilities is the easy part.

Gary has been tackling issues including renovations, repairs and meeting building code requirements.

It’s a lot more difficult to restore an old theater than it is to build a new one, says Jerry Mickelson, who runs the Riviera and Vic theaters. Mickelson has been trying for years to reopen the Uptown Theatre, a 1920s jewel.

In general, rehabbing old theaters is complicated, Mickelson says. First, there are all of the costs for electrical, plumbing, elevators, air conditioning and heat. Then comes the city’s permitting process. And then you have to raise all of the money, he says.

“It’s very expensive,” Mickelson says. “I just spent last year $5 million on the Riviera Theatre to do some work, and I’m not done.”

Gary has had a similar experience at the Avalon Regal Theater. He’s been working to raise money for years with some success, including getting about $600,000 from rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. He’s also received federal money under the Payment Protection Program and rental fees from production companies that have filmed there.

But he says that isn’t enough to pay for upkeep or the investments the building requires. Also, he owes about $650,000 to Cook County in back property taxes, with a payment due in March to avoid the possibility of losing the building.

He says funding is difficult to get, especially in predominantly Black neighborhoods.

“I think the stigma is … a negative perception that people have on investing in Black communities, except for Black people themselves,” Gary says. “And even, at times, there are folks who live in the community that, because of the despair they see … and all of the boarded-up businesses, want to give up.”

The corridor on 79th Street that Gary wants to help revitalize has been selected by the city as an area for investment. But that hasn’t proved to be a boon to the theater. The city has turned down several applications from Gary for assistance.

Peter Strazzabosco, deputy commissioner of the city Department of Planning and Development, says, “Priority is given to proposals that demonstrate a high level of project readiness, ownership experience, private financing and other factors.”

Mickelson says there should be more support for old theaters like the Avalon Regal.

“Our buildings are the art that we’re trying to preserve,” Mickelson says. “And it’s not art hanging on a wall. It’s art in a ceiling, it’s art in a floor. It’s art in the way the washrooms are designed. It’s art in any aspect of these beautiful, old movie palaces.”

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The old movie place on 79th Street in South Shore has sat mostly vacant since 2003, but the theater still looks like something out of a movie set.

“It’s ornate, it’s got beautiful tilework,” says Eleanor Truex, who lives in Flossmoor and occasionally, when traffic is bad, gets off the expressway and drives past the old Avalon Regal Theater, which was built in the 1920s as an eclectic entertainment venue.

This theater has had many names and many incarnations. It opened with live performances but, less than a decade later, shifted to mostly showing films.

Later, it became a church — before coming full circle as a live performing space in the 1980s and 1990s, hosting mostly African American artists including Ray Charles, B.B. King, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Patti LaBelle and Tupac.

The Avalon Regal Theater closed to the public in 2003 for reasons including low attendance and high maintenance costs.

Since then, there have been a few notable events in the theater, like President Barack Obama’s first election night presidential victory celebration. And it’s a regular stop on the Chicago Architecture Center’s annual Open House Chicago tours.

Several owners have tried to restore the building to its past grandeur, including its current owner Jerald Gary of Community Capital Investment. Gary’s dream is to transform the space into a hub of art and culture on 79th Street.

“I’m taken aback every time I enter the building, and I notice something new every time I walk in to the building,” says Gary, who grew up near the theater.

But getting the Avalon Regal to reopen has been a real saga. His ownership of the theater is currently hanging by a thread.

‘Atmospheric’ design

Built in 1927, the theater was originally called the Avalon Theater. Architect John Eberson, a leader of “atmospheric” theater style, designed the building to make people feel like they were immersed in a magical place. It was inspired by something he found at an antique store.

“He comes across an incense burner from Persia, and he’s looking at this intricate metal work and all of the geometry and detail in this artifact,” says Adam Rubin, director of interpretation at the Chicago Architecture Center. “That was part of the inspiration.”

The floor-to-ceiling mosaics and decorative latticework offer glamorous touches. The ceiling in the main lobby looks like a flying carpet with embedded colorful rocks that sparkle, giving people the impression they are in a movie set.

“It’s kind of something that has a kitsch factor before we use the term kitsch factor,” Rubin says.

The auditorium, where the main stage is, has about 2,300 velvet seats in rows across the first floor and balcony. The awning above the stage evokes a circus tent, giving people the impression they are camped out under the stars.

When Eberson was designing the building, people were moving to big cities like Chicago from the South and Europe. South Shore was predominantly German, Swedish and Irish.

Rubin says that Americans who fought in Europe in World War I had seen the destruction of Gothic churches and other historic architecture and that creating theaters like the Avalon was, in part, a way for architects and builders to process trauma from the war.

From animal acts to Westerns (1920s-1960s)

“Because the big theaters were so important, the major companies made them opulent to attract patrons, not simply through the films being shown but through the promise of an exciting moviegoing experience,” Kristin Thompson and David Bordwell write in their book “Film History: An Introduction.””The architecture of the picture palaces gave working- and middle-class patrons an unaccustomed taste of luxury.”

According to advertisements in the Chicago Daily Tribune, the theater showed films and live performances in its early years. An ad from 1929 announced a screening of the Western film “In Old Arizona,” with stage performances by singer Roy Detrich and vaudeville performer Charlie Crafts.

In 1935, the theater hosted vaudeville entertainer “Little Jackie” Heller, an animal act featuring Proske’s Royal Bengal Tigers and a screening of the film “Imitation of Life” starring Lana Turner, according to an ad.

By the 1940s, the theater shifted almost exclusively to showing movies, from musical comedies to adventure war films.

Regal rebirth (1980s-2000s)

After a brief stint as a church in the early 1980s, the theater took on a new life once again.

That’s when Soft Sheen business owners Edward Gardner and Bettiann Gardner bought it and poured money into the theater to revive it as a cultural gathering space. The neighborhood around 79th Street then was largely African American.

“We spent a lot of money there, but it was to bring art entertainment into the inner city,” Edward Gardner said in a 1993 interview archived by The History Makers website. “It’s certainly not a money-maker.”

The Gardners renamed the venue the New Regal Theater in honor of a popular music spot in Bronzeville that had been torn down. The building was designated a Chicago landmark in 1992.

Robert Howell, who is in his 50s and is the theater’s current caretaker, grew up in this area and remembers the thrill of attending events there, including seeing Tyler Perry and George Clinton perform.

“Every time we came here was a new adventure,” Howell says. “Every time I came here was somebody iconic that I wanted to see.”

After 18 years of live shows, the Gardners closed the theater in 2003. Attendance had been dwindling for years as people moved away from the neighborhood and businesses closed. Since then, the building largely has sat dormant.

Uncertain future

Jerald Gary has been on a mission to reopen the Avalon Regal Theater since he purchased it for $100,000 in 2014. He says he believes the closing of the theater played a big role in the decline of the neighborhood.

“The area was bustling when the theater was open,” he says. “As you can imagine, there were a number of different businesses that rely on the building being in operation. And, at this time on the block, the only business that is open is a liquor store.”

Gary’s vision is to help turn 79th Street into a version of Beale Street, the entertainment district in Memphis known as the home of the blues. He wants the theater to be an arts community center.

But buying the building and dreaming about the possibilities is the easy part.

These days, Gary’s been tackling issues including renovations, repairs and meeting building code requirements.

It’s a lot more difficult to restore an old theater than it is to build a new one, says Jerry Mickelson, who runs the Riviera and Vic theaters. Mickelson has been trying for years to reopen the Uptown Theatre, a 1920s jewel.

In general, rehabbing old theaters is complicated, Mickelson says. First, there are all of the costs for electrical, plumbing, elevators, air conditioning and heat. Then comes the city’s permitting process. And then you have to raise all of the money, he says.

“It’s very expensive,” Mickelson says. “I just spent last year $5 million on the Riviera Theatre to do some work, and I’m not done.”

Gary has had a similar experience at the Avalon Regal Theater. He’s been working to raise money for years with some success, including getting about $600,000 from rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. He’s also received federal money under the Payment Protection Program and rental fees from production companies that have filmed there.

But he says that isn’t enough to pay for upkeep or the investments the building requires. Also, he owes about $650,000 to Cook County in back property taxes, with a payment due in March to avoid the possibility of losing the building.

He says funding is difficult to get, especially in predominantly Black neighborhoods.

“I think the stigma is … a negative perception that people have on investing in Black communities, except for Black people themselves,” Gary says. “And even, at times, there are folks who live in the community that, because of the despair they see … and all of the boarded-up businesses, want to give up.”

The corridor on 79th Street that Gary wants to help revitalize has been selected by the city as an area for investment. But that hasn’t proved to be a boon to the theater. The city has turned down several applications from Gary for assistance.

Peter Strazzabosco, deputy commissioner of the city Department of Planning and Development, says, “Priority is given to proposals that demonstrate a high level of project readiness, ownership experience, private financing and other factors.”

Mickelson says there should be more support for old theaters like the Avalon Regal.

“Our buildings are the art that we’re trying to preserve,” Mickelson says. “And it’s not art hanging on a wall. It’s art in a ceiling, it’s art in a floor. It’s art in the way the washrooms are designed. It’s art in any aspect of these beautiful, old movie palaces.”

Read More