50,000 SF Cultural Center w/ 1,280-Seat Theater

Highlights:

• 50,000 sq. ft. Bldg. w/ 4,950 sq. ft. Parking Lot in Chicago’s Historic Uptown Neighborhood
• Existing 1,280-Seat Auditorium w/ 55-foot Ceiling Height (Floor-to-Slab)
• 2 Floors of Offices & a Mason Hall w/ 27-foot Ceiling above Auditorium
• Finished Basement with 12-foot Ceilings and Existing Commercial Kitchen
• B3-5 Zoning / Alderman Cappleman (46th Ward)
• Located ~1,165 feet from CTA “L” Red Line (Lawrence Stop)
• Taxes: None, property is currently off the tax roll
• ASKING PRICE: Subject to Offer

Description:

Overview
941 W Lawrence Ave is a 6-story, 50,000 +/- square foot building, with a 3-story 1,280 seat auditorium, as well as several other various stages and rooms for theatrical production. The property sits on a 14,840 sq. ft. site including a 4,950 sq. ft. gravel parking lot.


History
In 1925, the Peoples Church broke ground for their new home on Lawrence Avenue. John E. O. Pridmore, a well-known Chicago architect who designed theaters (including the Vic Theatre), churches, schools, commercial buildings and residences throughout the city, was selected to design the new church building.

Pridmore carried the theatrical elements of the congregation’s previous homes into the new building, with theater seating, a large stage framed by a proscenium arch, with choir seating along the back, and rich wood paneling and Romanesque detailing on the interior. The exterior, with its monumental modified temple front rendered in brick with limestone detailing, is similar to the exterior of the Wilson Avenue Theater, the congregation’s first home.

The new building was dedicated on October 10, 1926. By 1940, membership had risen to nearly 3,500 members with many thousand more across the country tuning in to listen on the radio every week.


Uptown Neighborhood
On October 6, 2020, Uptown was named Chicago’s coolest neighborhood by TimeOut Magazine which states: “Scenic lakeside views, a diverse culinary scene and resilient nightlife put Uptown among the world's best communities.”

TimeOut continues to describe the neighborhood as a “historic entertainment district that's home to old theaters like the Aragon and the Riviera, Uptown is a place where venues like Carol's Pub, The Green Mill and the Baton Show Lounge are finding ways to safely stage shows for locals and visitors while most marquees throughout the city remain dark. There's also no denying the breadth of the North Side neighborhood's restaurant scene, which includes Ethiopian food at Demera, sizzling Chinese barbecue from Sun Wah and steaming bowls of pho amid the Vietnamese restaurants on Argyle Street.”

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