Gentleman Unafraid

The church group trying to purchase the Portage Theater and consecrate it to God vis a vis demolishing its marquee and replacing its Art Deco interior with God knows what kind of cheesy rehabbing, is supposedly circulating petitions to garner support from neighbors who might not know any better. I’d love to hear corroboration on this; I’d especially love to receive a scan of the petition. Alderman John Arena and others have suggested other locations that won’t screw up a charming old building and displace local businesses (not to mention derail ongoing efforts to revitalize the Six Corners area), but apparently that’s not good enough for the Chicago Tabernacle folks, who seem determined to alienate their potential neighbors.

As a side note, the church leader’s short-sightedness about what the people want is alarming. Why worry about losing a rare venue for independent, silent, and other film? They’re bringing an Easter pageant!