Earlier this week, the legendary Music Box Theater at 3733 N. Southport Ave announced that, as part of its 95th birthday celebration, it will shut down for part of the summer to undergo massive repairs.
Called "Music Box: Revive at 95," the project will involve the temporary closure of the movie theater's primary auditorium from August 12 through September 5. According to Block Club Chicago, during that time, the second on-site theater and smaller garden ones will stay in operation.
This will be the first time that the space, first erected in 1929, will close for renovations since 1982.
Block Club Chicago reports that the revamp will include a slew of repairs, seat replacements in the main auditorium (the new ones will—finally!—feature cup holders as well!), upgrades to accessibility measures for the deaf and hard-of-hearing and more.
General manager Ryan Oestreich tells the outlet that the renovations will cost an estimated $750,000—which is why the Music Box is accepting contributions.
You can read more details about the program as a whole right here, but you should know that, to incentivize fans of the venue to help with the renovations, the Music Box is offering some pretty awesome rewards. When gifting $100 or more, you'll get some branded merch, for example. Feeling extra generous? Opt to sponsor a seat for $750 instead (a pair will cost you a modestly discounted $1,400). Your name and contribution will be permanently engraved on a plaque on the seat for the rest of times. Talk about making the city your own.
The repairs and upgrades have been a long time coming. Throughout the past few years, in fact, Oestreich was able to renovate the on-site bathrooms, replace the marquee outside and improve the space's air conditioning system but, it turns out, larger scale revamps have been necessary for quite some time—and they're finally coming.