Locals try to revive Ramova Theater
Once biggest cinema in Bridgeport, Ramova has been shut for 26 years
By Alexandra Chachkevitch, Chicago Tribune reporter
February 7, 2012
With its ornate terra cotta facade, the 1,400-seat theater once attracted thousands of moviegoers to its exquisite Spanish-courtyard-style auditorium, with cozy balconies nestled on the inside walls and a vaulted ceiling painted with a fresco of a night sky.
Once the biggest theater in Bridgeport, the grand Ramova Theater is now a ghost in the neighborhood, closed for more than two decades.
But the community is hoping its old friend at Halsted and 35th streets can step into the limelight again.
Maureen Sullivan, who was raised in Bridgeport, said she went to the Ramova weekly as a teenager, watching everything from "Bambi" as a child to "Jaws" and "American Graffiti." In an effort to save it, she has gathered signatures, created a Facebook page, teamed up with students from the Illinois Institute of Technology and even enlisted the help of a local serviceman who plans to run a marathon in Kuwait this week to support the renovation.
"It was the place parents sent their kids," said Sullivan, who is now in her 40s. "You always knew everyone when you went there."
Built in 1929 and named after a Lithuanian word for "peaceful place," the Ramova was originally owned by a Lithuanian family and was built as a bigger version of Lakeview's Music Box Theatre. It was long a gathering place for the surrounding community, which was mainly made up of Polish, Lithuanian and Irish immigrants.
But the neighborhood changed over the decades. Residents migrated to the suburbs. The theater's owners fell behind on its upkeep. The Ramova closed in 1986 and was eventually taken over by the city in 2001. A neighborhood that once had 12 movie theaters now has none.
The theater's floors, once sticky with spilled soda pop, are now covered in bird feces. The smell of popcorn has been replaced by a lingering aroma of damp plaster and mold. The Ramova's tall green neon sign pierces the sky above South Halsted, the only reminder of the theater's former glory.
Sullivan's first attempt at raising awareness of the theater resulted in about 4,000 signatures of support in 2005. But the effort failed to take off without finances and a restoration plan.
Invigorated by the continuing interest in the community, Sullivan founded Friends of South Halsted in late 2011 to start fundraising. Currently, the theater's Facebook page has more than 2,800 likes, and Sullivan said about 7,000 people signed the online petition on SavetheRamova.com. Her goal for the group's first fundraiser, set for Saturday, is to collect about $3,000 to cover initial paperwork to establish the group as a nonprofit.
"The desire is there," she said. "And a theater like ours is an economic engine if set up the right way."
Sullivan's efforts eventually caught the attention of another local, Canaryville native Ryan Brazel, who contacted her about a year and half ago when he came across the theater's Facebook page. Though he barely remembers going to Ramova as a child with his older brother, he can almost picture its inside from hearing the people in the neighborhood reminisce about the times they've had in the theater.
In December, Brazel, who is a Navy petty officer second class, decided to step up his support for the theater. On Saturday, the day of the fundraiser, he will run a marathon in Kuwait, where he is stationed. Organizers plan to stream live updates of his run to people attending the fundraiser in Chicago.
Brazel said he is running because of his passion for the building and its history.
"I'm a grounded, realistic person, but I'm getting the fuzzies just thinking about (opening the Ramova again)," said Brazel, 28.
Ray Shepardson, a restoration specialist, said the Ramova has aged well despite being abandoned for 26 years.
"The fact that it's still standing is fantastic," said Shepardson, who has inspected the Ramova, inside and out, three times at the city's request. "I expected it to be in a worse condition."
The theater shows mainly damage from water leakage, which breaks up plaster, but for the most part it is intact, he said.
The cost for the restoration could be $12 million to $20 million, depending on what purpose the theater will serve, said Shepardson, who has worked on about 50 historic theaters in the U.S., including the Chicago Theatre and Cleveland's PlayhouseSquare theater.
In Shepardson's eyes, the best scenario would be to add a stage to the auditorium, restore the interior and develop parking, creating a multipurpose space for movie showings, theater performances and community use.
"It's a great neighborhood, and there is so much potential," he said.
The city, which has owned the property since 2001, had seen interest in the theater come and go.
It has attracted dozens of inquires and proposals for redevelopment, but none has moved forward, said Peter Strazzabosco, spokesman for the city's Department of Housing and Economic Development.
If a solid plan were to emerge, the city might provide financial backing, possibly including tax increment financing, Strazzabosco said. The city also would be open-minded about the purpose of Ramova's space.
"The building lends itself to entertainment and cultural uses, but other uses would be just as viable," he said, adding that the city has performed some maintenance work on the building to provide protection from the elements.
But when it comes to planning redevelopment, Strazzabosco said one of the Ramova's main burdens aside from finances is its unknown market demand.
To address this problem, the Illinois Institute of Technology's interprofessional projects program teamed up with Sullivan about a year ago to develop a business plan.
The IIT program, which is a required course for undergraduate students, brings majors from different disciplines, such as architecture, engineering and marketing, together to brainstorm on ways to solve real-life problems, said Tom Jacobius, director of operations for the program.
"It's a great opportunity for students to create value and work with a real stakeholder that cares about the problem," Jacobius said.
The groundwork may take a long time to finish. But Sullivan is optimistic.
"It's the prime time to do this," she said, adding that she is planning to hold more fundraisers for the Ramova in the future.
For now, the theater remains closed — an old mystery and challenge for Bridgeport.
Friends of South Halsted will kick off its first fundraiser as part of its Save the Ramova campaign at Bernice's Tavern, 3238 S. Halsted St., from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $30 and will include three drinks, appetizers and raffles.
achachkevitch@tribune.com
But the community is hoping its old friend at Halsted and 35th streets can step into the limelight again.
Maureen Sullivan, who was raised in Bridgeport, said she went to the Ramova weekly as a teenager, watching everything from "Bambi" as a child to "Jaws" and "American Graffiti." In an effort to save it, she has gathered signatures, created a Facebook page, teamed up with students from the Illinois Institute of Technology and even enlisted the help of a local serviceman who plans to run a marathon in Kuwait this week to support the renovation.
"It was the place parents sent their kids," said Sullivan, who is now in her 40s. "You always knew everyone when you went there."
Built in 1929 and named after a Lithuanian word for "peaceful place," the Ramova was originally owned by a Lithuanian family and was built as a bigger version of Lakeview's Music Box Theatre. It was long a gathering place for the surrounding community, which was mainly made up of Polish, Lithuanian and Irish immigrants.
But the neighborhood changed over the decades. Residents migrated to the suburbs. The theater's owners fell behind on its upkeep. The Ramova closed in 1986 and was eventually taken over by the city in 2001. A neighborhood that once had 12 movie theaters now has none.
The theater's floors, once sticky with spilled soda pop, are now covered in bird feces. The smell of popcorn has been replaced by a lingering aroma of damp plaster and mold. The Ramova's tall green neon sign pierces the sky above South Halsted, the only reminder of the theater's former glory.
Sullivan's first attempt at raising awareness of the theater resulted in about 4,000 signatures of support in 2005. But the effort failed to take off without finances and a restoration plan.
Invigorated by the continuing interest in the community, Sullivan founded Friends of South Halsted in late 2011 to start fundraising. Currently, the theater's Facebook page has more than 2,800 likes, and Sullivan said about 7,000 people signed the online petition on SavetheRamova.com. Her goal for the group's first fundraiser, set for Saturday, is to collect about $3,000 to cover initial paperwork to establish the group as a nonprofit.
"The desire is there," she said. "And a theater like ours is an economic engine if set up the right way."
Sullivan's efforts eventually caught the attention of another local, Canaryville native Ryan Brazel, who contacted her about a year and half ago when he came across the theater's Facebook page. Though he barely remembers going to Ramova as a child with his older brother, he can almost picture its inside from hearing the people in the neighborhood reminisce about the times they've had in the theater.
In December, Brazel, who is a Navy petty officer second class, decided to step up his support for the theater. On Saturday, the day of the fundraiser, he will run a marathon in Kuwait, where he is stationed. Organizers plan to stream live updates of his run to people attending the fundraiser in Chicago.
Brazel said he is running because of his passion for the building and its history.
"I'm a grounded, realistic person, but I'm getting the fuzzies just thinking about (opening the Ramova again)," said Brazel, 28.
Ray Shepardson, a restoration specialist, said the Ramova has aged well despite being abandoned for 26 years.
"The fact that it's still standing is fantastic," said Shepardson, who has inspected the Ramova, inside and out, three times at the city's request. "I expected it to be in a worse condition."
The theater shows mainly damage from water leakage, which breaks up plaster, but for the most part it is intact, he said.
The cost for the restoration could be $12 million to $20 million, depending on what purpose the theater will serve, said Shepardson, who has worked on about 50 historic theaters in the U.S., including the Chicago Theatre and Cleveland's PlayhouseSquare theater.
In Shepardson's eyes, the best scenario would be to add a stage to the auditorium, restore the interior and develop parking, creating a multipurpose space for movie showings, theater performances and community use.
"It's a great neighborhood, and there is so much potential," he said.
The city, which has owned the property since 2001, had seen interest in the theater come and go.
It has attracted dozens of inquires and proposals for redevelopment, but none has moved forward, said Peter Strazzabosco, spokesman for the city's Department of Housing and Economic Development.
If a solid plan were to emerge, the city might provide financial backing, possibly including tax increment financing, Strazzabosco said. The city also would be open-minded about the purpose of Ramova's space.
"The building lends itself to entertainment and cultural uses, but other uses would be just as viable," he said, adding that the city has performed some maintenance work on the building to provide protection from the elements.
But when it comes to planning redevelopment, Strazzabosco said one of the Ramova's main burdens aside from finances is its unknown market demand.
To address this problem, the Illinois Institute of Technology's interprofessional projects program teamed up with Sullivan about a year ago to develop a business plan.
The IIT program, which is a required course for undergraduate students, brings majors from different disciplines, such as architecture, engineering and marketing, together to brainstorm on ways to solve real-life problems, said Tom Jacobius, director of operations for the program.
"It's a great opportunity for students to create value and work with a real stakeholder that cares about the problem," Jacobius said.
The groundwork may take a long time to finish. But Sullivan is optimistic.
"It's the prime time to do this," she said, adding that she is planning to hold more fundraisers for the Ramova in the future.
For now, the theater remains closed — an old mystery and challenge for Bridgeport.
Friends of South Halsted will kick off its first fundraiser as part of its Save the Ramova campaign at Bernice's Tavern, 3238 S. Halsted St., from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $30 and will include three drinks, appetizers and raffles.
achachkevitch@tribune.com
Copyright © 2012, Chicago Tribune
