It takes someone with a sense of humor to put up an LED banner on their new marquee that reads "Broken Hearted No More...." But that's exactly what the new Mayne Stage did for yours truly.
Really thou, I'm not surprised. The new General Manager, Chris Ritter, up until last month, ran a very successful comedy venue called the Lakeshore Theater on Broadway.
I've got high hopes for the new Mayne Stage and the Act One Cafe/Lounge. Chris has been a valued member of our East Lakeview community for years. His comedy shows brought in lots of money to the neighborhood businesses on and around Broadway and Belmont. I'm positive he'll bring the same vibe to Morse he provided us on Broadway.
I'll have a photo of the new marquee shortly. In the meantime take a stroll down to Morse and view it yourself.
Oh, and welcome to the neighborhood, Chris. Good luck with your new project.
25 comments:
This is great to hear! Please do put a photo up when you can, Craig!
A positive post from Craig? About something that brings entertainment to Rogers Park? This must be a fake.
I saw that yesterday! LOL - I looked at www.maynestage.com and don't see any type of schedule yet. Is there another place to look?
Great picture Craig! Thanks for posting it.
Wow a post!
I thought the blog had folded.
Sarcasm aside,
this is very good news
and i knew that this would get
a post from the blog or we would know that it had indeed folded as a blog.
Too bad we dont have a rogers park update like uptown update
Looks like the new owners knew enough to flatter Craig.
But that's OK. I'm just glad to see the investment in a desirable business in our neighborhood.
These people have invested their money in our neighborhood and brought a great entertainment venue that will brighten Morse Ave and, along with a multitude of other promising new businesses, make this area a desirable destination.
These new businesses in combo with suddenly reasonable housing prices will lure more middle class people to this area, to form a solid base of support for upper-middle and upper-bracket housing development in the future. As this process unfolds, you will see badly run slum housing be converted and rehabbed into good housing, and more desirable people will come to the vastly improved area.
It's not an overnight process, but it is definitely happening, and the result will be a solid, valuable neighborhood that stays that way, supported by solid homeowners.
THAT'S how you build a valuable neighborhood- not by artificially inflating house prices through fraudulent lending and socialistic "affordability" programs, and fostering inappropriate, uneconomical development by enabling the theft of taxpayers money by TIF districts.
Thanks for sharing this, Craig.
Does anybody know when this will open?
All I can find is a grand opening date of Spring '10.
Keep dreaming, North Coast. Have you seen the buildings on either side of this place? Across the street? Morse will never become a destination.
P.S.
Your economic theories are shit.
They're having a private, big-bucks shin-dig tonight.
I saw an article from the Loyola Phoenix which says "The café is scheduled to open on May 21, and the theater is planning to begin performances during the week of June 13."
Dial M for Mayne Stage:
Mayne Stage Theater prepares to open its doors
Oh that's super exciting! I certainly was upset when I heard the Lakeshore closed down...
.
BillyJoe'sAsshole said....
"Morse will never become a destination."
.
You have not been paying attention, BillyJoe. Morse has not been a destination for many productive, civilized, or nice smelling people for many years but it definitely has been a destination. We can begin dreaming that a slightly better class of people might be drawn there. As for "the buildings on either side of this place"... The empty restaurant space to the west has been bought by the Mayne owners and the business to the east, Alberto's Pizza, has been thriving for years and years despite what happened to the neighborhood. There are a few other somewhat bright spots that could be mentioned but it is clear that you intend to be negative no matter what....so with all due respect, kindly stay off Morse and go fuck yourself.
Chip's love letter to Morse is touching. Especially the bit about that fine Italian dining spot known as Alberto's (Chip's a perfect example of how JB's greasy food turns brains to mush). Buck up, Chippy...
Great News. Earth to BJ's Brain: Sad views. You need a puppy upper! Where's Lorraine Newman when we need her!
I'm hoping the streetscaping on Morse may remove some of the scumbags that roam it. That street truly does creep me out. Now, if we could just work on the jerks that throw their trash on the ground. I have lived in the city for 15 years(was Lincoln Park and Lakeview) and have never seen so much trash! Were these people up here raised in a cave? If being a yuppie means acting like a civilized human being - well, then I guess I am one!
Well, billyjoe'sbrain, Morse Ave was a destination street 40 or 50 years ago and it will be again.
It's in much better shape than the commercial strips in Wicker Park were 30 years ago, and the surrounding neighborhood is infinitely better than what Wicker Park was, or even still is.
I've seen too many retail strips in this city emerge from utter slumhood, far worse than Morse, and become really hot areas, to lose hope for Morse.
As for my economic theories, they've been proven correct. I said on this blog in 2005 that the housing market was overpriced and was a government policy driven bubble that would burst with awesome consequences, and that has proven true.
The only thing I did not foresee was that the taxpayers would be footing the bill for 10 years of housing and lending lunacy.
So I'll make another couple of related predictions and in my view they are really easy calls and other people with more knowledge than me are making them: In 2012, the oil supplies will fall off the cliff, as predicted by EIA charts and we will be paying $5 or more per gallon of gasoline- and middle class people from rapidly failing suburbs will be flooding into the city, and this area will be inundated with good solid buyers who can no longer afford 3 cars and 50 mile per direction commutes. Not only that, but many neighborhoods now completely blighted and stuffed with boardups will experience stunning revivals. The outer suburbs and exurbs will totally collapse- they are already failing as evidenced by their loss of value relative to closer-in burbs and the city.
Every square foot of property in this neighborhood and neighboring Edgewater and W. Ridge will be selling at a substantial premium over outer neighborhoods, and anything with access to public transit will be valued over anything with no access to transit.
Graffiti was removed at 1319 w morse and put back again.
Atleast this time its not so noticeable.
Hopefully after 311 calls it will be expunged.
I like your optimisim north coast.
And I think that bjs brains is wrong as well.
Note to Razldazlrr: I agree totally--this area is a pig sty. I think it is the filthiest ward on the north side. I am constantly in touch with Greg Wagner about it but nothing seems to change. Sheridan Road is an embarrassment. I imagine that the new flower boxes on Morse will turn into repositories for bottles and chip bags.
There are some really negative and bitter people on this blog at times.
I truly believe Rogers Park will turn around, and I know this because folks do care here. The ones that bitch and moan don't do anything for their community. Who on this blog actually went to the Spring Clean Up? Make a difference people! If you don't like living here, don't come here. This is a very affordable living and so close to the lake. People are waking up to this area and its potential. The Farmers Market is coming soon, isn't anybody else excited to support it? Start looking at the positives in Rogers Park, and if all you see is negative, I feel sorry for you.
Rogers Park is better than most Chicago neighborhoods. I've already lived in Andersonville, Bowmanville, Ravenswood, and Streeterville. Pick up, put up, or move! The less trash on the ground, the more intimidated others are about dropping it. There will always be 0-1.5% who attract rats and upset others. You have to decide how you will cope with it. I just pick it up and it goes away for a while.
It is up to neighbors and property owners to deal with it just like grafitti. Those in the suburbs either pick it up themselves, pay others, or depend upon dedicated public workers. Frankly, a few northern suburbs look like bigger messes than many areas of Rogers Park these days. Has anyone closely looked at the tagging and trash in Evanston?
Still think the name is kind of strange, but we'll take it. Good to have a (re)addition like this to the 'hood.
First, this is not a love-it-or-leave-it post, but just curious... for the folks who live in Rogers Park and think it will NEVER turn around despite additions like this theater, why do you remain? Do you own a home there and can't sell it? Do you rent and if so why are you hanging around then? Other people have mentioned places like Wicker Park that have were once pretty run down (I personally remember that) and have turned the corner. So why can't it happen in RP (other than because of the current leadership)? Anyway, just curious because my recent move to Denver, I miss my Uptown/Edgewater/Rogers Park area, scab, blemishes and all.
Man, give it a chance. The damn place hasn't even (re)opened yet.
I agree the name is pretty cheesy. Rather low-rent. Doesn't do the space justice at all.
Of course, if they hadn't totally screwed over the man with the original idea - who had the vision, balls, and work ethic to transform that space in the first place, and attract the class acts that played there - they would have still had a classier, more appropriate name.
I'm glad the space is open for business, for the sake of the neighborhood. I'm not going to patronize it, given my conflicted feelings...
I have a hard time giving money to scumbags. Even if it's good for the neighborhood. I'll wait for the next round of ownership, thank-you.
June 16 2010 - RedEye has a 1-1/2 page profile of Mayne Stage in today's paper. Pages 30-31
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