Letters: What ‘saving' the Uptown Theatre and Uptown neighborhood would mean

Chicago Tribune

2 days ago

Reviving the Uptown Theatre is a worthy endeavor ('Why I bought the Uptown Theatre and fight for its restoration,' Aug. 17). But please be very, very careful because this 'is about more than saving the Uptown'; it's about what saving Uptown the neighborhood really means.
Jam Productions co-founder Jerry Mickelson, citing a Urban Land Institute report, says in his op-ed that 'this theater could be the catalyst for the economic development of the Uptown community.' Pitching this project as a catalyst for the economic revival of Uptown is fraught with danger for those who live there now. Uptown is not blighted; it remains one of the few communities on the North Side with a significant African American population. The economic process, including using tax increment financing, would cause gentrification. And that's OK, but only if it's dealt with that at the same time as the theater is renovated.
Just reviving the Uptown Theatre is a monumental undertaking. But if it has the economic impacts that are anticipated, then there's a responsibility by Jam Productions and local elected officials to deal with the impacts on housing and businesses that would come with those economic impacts, especially if Mickelson wants public tax dollars to finance it. The only way to do that is to act now, before the Uptown is renovated, before the deal is set, before land prices and rents explode, and before the current population is displaced.
Also part of the plan should be a community land trust, tenant protections, a community benefits agreement and affordable housing projects that would provide replacement housing for the people who would be displaced by gentrification — financed by the same TIF pot of gold needed for the Uptown Theatre rebuild. That has to be done now, before the prices reset to the new reality that is envisioned.What happens when our monuments of the past are erased from consciousness? When a building that has hosted so many people over the century of its existence is erased? The Uptown Theatre harks back to the history of Chicago as an entertainment capital when the theater was first built and now faces being removed or, most hopefully, restored to its former glory, shining in a neighborhood that has weathered so much abuse.
The building holds so much potential for our city, especially the neighborhood of Uptown, to become a wonder and a meeting place to be used by the diverse community in which it resides. Rethinking and renovating the building into a hub for 21st century usage without destroying its historical integrity and intent as a gathering place is the stuff our great thinkers and architects in Chicago should embrace.
Thank you to Jerry Mickelson for keeping the theater alive. How can those of us who don't have deep pockets help?I was excited to see my grade school playlot on the front page of the Tribune on Aug. 12 ('From gray to green'). I am a proud 1975 graduate of Virgil Grissom Elementary School. I still have many relatives and friends who live in Hegewisch. I am glad that flooding in their basements will be lessened because of the Space to Grow transformation of the Grissom schoolyard. It is too bad that they had to wait 50 years.
In 1975, there were four grade schools in Hegewisch; we recently had a 50-year reunion for all four schools. The reunion got me thinking about how things have changed in these 50 years. In 1975, when I graduated: No one trusted the government because of Watergate, and no one trusted the Soviet Union because of the Cold War. Overpopulation was going to destroy the earth, and mass starvation would occur in certain parts of the world. Climate change was an existential threat because the next ice age was around the corner, and air, water and land pollution was destroying the earth. I still remember the teardrop running down the American Indian's face in those iconic commercials. No one could afford to buy a home because interest rates were 9%. (I heard this from my parents.)
Somehow, my classmates and I survived these last 50 years, and I believe America will survive the next 50 years.I grew up in Chicago's Back of the Yards area in the 1940 and '50s. When summer came, our basement and that of our neighbors would flood. Many other Chicago neighborhoods suffered the same annual problem.
In 1972, the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan was adopted. We knew it as the Deep Tunnel project, and it began construction in 1975. The massive project was designed to alleviate sewage and flooding overflow issues. Those of us who lived in the flood areas cheered!
The project is scheduled to be completed in 2029. Will more than 50 years of Deep Tunnel digging finally help those areas that continue to flood in Chicago?In a world bombarded with negativity, where headlines scream division, disaster and despair, it's easy to feel powerless. But hope is not a passive concept — we cultivate it through action. And nowhere is this more evident than in the hands of volunteers who show up when it matters most.
Volunteers have long been the backbone of communities in times of crisis, from disaster relief to social justice movements. In the United States, this spirit of service is deeply embedded in our history. Jane Addams' Hull House helped transform immigrant communities in Chicago. The American Red Cross has mobilized volunteers to provide disaster relief and emergency assistance. Lions International continues to address global challenges such as hunger and vision impairment through grassroots action. These organizations prove that individuals can make an extraordinary impact even in the darkest times.
But volunteerism isn't just about large-scale organizations. It's about neighbors helping neighbors. It's about organizing a beach cleanup, mentoring a struggling student and the community rallying to support a family after a house fire. These acts of service are powerful reminders that change starts with us.
At a time when political divisions feel insurmountable, volunteering is one of the few things that transcends party lines. We may disagree on policy, but we can all agree that children shouldn't go hungry, that disaster victims deserve help, and our communities should be places of support and care. Volunteerism is a quiet yet radical act — it refuses to accept the status quo of suffering and inaction. It offers a solution when cynicism says there is none.
Fred Rogers once recalled his mother's advice to 'look for the helpers' in times of crisis. But we must go further: We must be the helpers. The need has never been greater. Mental health struggles are on the rise, polarization is deepening and social safety nets are fraying. Yet, studies show that volunteering helps those in need and benefits the volunteer, improving mental and physical well-being. Giving back isn't just good for society. It's good for the soul.
Hope is not found in waiting for change — it is built through action. In a time of uncertainty, volunteering offers a tangible way forward. It reminds us that, despite our differences, we are all part of the same human story. So, let's step up. Let's serve. Let's show the world that hope is alive and well.