Book Talk: The UPTOWN

Journey through a pictorial history of the Uptown Theatre with Robert Loerzel and James A. Pierce, co-authors of the new book, The UPTOWN: Chicago's Endangered Movie Palace.

Published by CityFiles Press, "The UPTOWN" offers a fully illustrated look inside the building, which opened 100 years ago and has been vacant for 40-plus years. It gathers the work of a dozen contemporary photographers alongside vintage blueprints, renderings, concert stills, and iconic photographs. Original records and firsthand accounts help tell the history of a theater "built for all time." In their talk, Loerzel and Pierce will offer insights into the building’s past and future potential with a comprehensive view of the theatre and an evolving neighborhood, city, and nation over 10 decades.

Purchase your copy at the CAC Design Store or online at shop.architecture.org, and stick around after the talk for a signing with the authors!

Keynote speaker

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Phasellus leo nulla, porta a ligula ut, commodo ultrices quam. Suspendisse non mollis odio.

Sed vestibulum ut arcu vel feugiat. Morbi iaculis augue risus, at pharetra nibh blandit nec. Etiam feugiat volutpat nunc vel aliquet. Maecenas mollis turpis at odio fringilla, eget iaculis tortor congue.

Speakers:

Journalist and jazz radio host Andy Pierce has spent more than 30 years in Chicago media, government, nonprofits and historic preservation. You may recognize his voice from WDCB 90.9 FM “Chicago’s Home for Jazz” and his volunteer advocacy work as one of the founders of Friends of the Uptown Theatre. In 2025, he led the staging of his third “Uptown Community Portrait” in recognition of the endangered theatre’s 100th anniversary. He also published a new history of the Uptown with co-author Robert Loerzel and CityFiles Press. Both the book and the portraits are featured in an exhibit at the Chicago History Museum.
Pierce began his career in Chicago in 1995, as a reporter, photographer and editor for the Lerner neighborhood newspaper chain. Beginning in 2001, he served eight years in the City of Chicago Department of Buildings and for three years as Chief of Staff for the 2nd Ward. He currently serves as the executive director of Friends of Historic Second Church in the South Loop, and is a longtime member of Landmarks Illinois, Preservation Chicago, and Theatre Historical Society of America.
He and his wife Beth restored their 1925 home in Hegewisch, winning two Chicago Bungalow Association Richard M. Driehaus Awards.
Journalist and jazz radio host Andy Pierce has spent more than 30 years in Chicago media, government, nonprofits, and historic preservation. You may recognize his voice from WDCB 90.9 FM “Chicago’s Home for Jazz” and his volunteer advocacy work as one of the founders of Friends of the Uptown Theatre. In 2025, he led the staging of his third “Uptown Community Portrait” in recognition of the endangered theatre’s 100th anniversary. He also published a new history of the Uptown with co-author Robert Loerzel and CityFiles Press. Both the book and the portraits are featured in an exhibit at the Chicago History Museum.
Pierce began his career in Chicago in 1995, as a reporter, photographer, and editor for the Lerner neighborhood newspaper chain. Beginning in 2001, he served eight years in the City of Chicago Department of Buildings and for three years as Chief of Staff for the 2nd Ward. He currently serves as the executive director of Friends of Historic Second Church in the South Loop, and is a longtime member of Landmarks Illinois, Preservation Chicago, and Theatre Historical Society of America.
He and his wife Beth restored their 1925 home in Hegewisch, winning two Chicago Bungalow Association Richard M. Driehaus Awards.