Congress Theater
The Congress Theater in 2008
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| Address | 2135 N. Milwaukee Avenue Chicago, Illinois United States |
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| Coordinates | 41°55′12″N 87°41′32″W / 41.92°N 87.69222°W |
| Owner | Eddie Carranza |
| Designation | Chicago Landmark |
| Type | theater |
| Capacity | 4,900 |
| Current use | live music venue |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1926 |
| Years active | 1926-present |
| Architect | Fridstein & Company |
| Website | |
| http://www.congresschicago.com/ | |
| Designated | July 10, 2002 |
| Designated | January 6, 2017 |
The Congress Theater is a historic movie palace in Chicago. It was built by Fridstein and Company in 1926 for the movie theater chain of Lubliner and Trinz. It features ornate exterior and interior design work, in a combination of the Classical Revival and Italian Renaissance styles. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.
In its heyday, the Congress Theater could seat over 2,500 moviegoers and also had storefronts facing the streets. More recently, the theater operated as a 3,500-capacity live music venue. The theater was also used for professional wrestling shows by Dragon Gate USA beginning in 2009.
Under the ownership of Eddie Carranza, the venue undertook an "ambitious" renovation designed by CBD Architects in 2012. It was a source of controversy due to issues such as liquor violations, a notoriously tough security team, and lax building upkeep. In April 2013, the theater was shut down and had its liquor license revoked due to numerous safety code violations.
In early 2014, it was reported that Carranza would sell the theater to developer Michael Moyer. Moyer plans to spend $55 million restoring the theater, with the goal of reopening the Congress in 2017.
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