A long-shuttered landmark on Chicago’s South Side is back in line for exterior masonry work. The city’s Department of Planning and Development announced a recommended $249,500 Adopt-A-Landmark grant for repairs at the Avalon Regal Theater, 1645 E. 79th St., a 2,200-seat Moorish Revival venue that has sat vacant for 16 years.
According to the city, the funding is aimed at “critical masonry repairs,” including rebuilding the exposed brick substructure of a tower at the theater’s northwest corner. The scope also includes selective removal and resetting of displaced masonry, isolated repointing, temporary supplemental stabilization, and targeted work on the front facade.
For mason contractors, that project list reads like classic stabilization work for aging brick buildings: secure loose units, restore mortar joints where movement and moisture have taken a toll, and keep the structure stable while longer-term rehab plans move ahead. The city said the owner must submit updated drawings and project specifications within two years to receive the funds.
The Avalon Regal is one of three Chicago projects recommended for a total of $666,400 under the Adopt-A-Landmark program. The other two are Stone Temple Baptist Church, 3622 W. Douglas Blvd., set for a $167,000 award tied to parapet repairs and other building work, and Monumental Baptist Church, 729 E. Oakwood Blvd., recommended for $249,900 for a new roof, downspouts, and masonry work.
The theater, built in 1927 and designed by John Eberson, has seen previous preservation attention. Landmarks Illinois awarded the current owner, Community Capital Investment Partners President Jerald Gary, a Preservation Heritage Grant in 2016 for emergency exterior masonry repairs. Preservation Chicago also named the building one of the city’s seven most endangered in 2012.
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