page_title: Davis Theater
section_title: Planned demolition
hierarchical_section_title: Davis Theater / Planned demolition
caption_attribution_description: English: Photograph of the Davis Theater, facing southeast down Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, Illinois.
context_page_description: The Davis Theater, originally known as the Pershing Theater, is a first run movie theater located in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago. Built in 1918, the theater has operated in different capacities in its history, showing silent films, German-language films, and various forms of stage performance. In 1999, the Davis was planned to be demolished to build residential condos, but the plans were cancelled in part due to a negative response from the community. It is one of the few operating neighborhood movie theaters in Chicago. Its building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
context_section_description: In October 1999, the Davis was put up for sale at an asking price of $1.6M with the description, "This ornate theater is waiting to be developed into a shopping mall". The realtor, Edward Vanek, showed the property to several interested developers who considered turning the complex into condominiums, a mall, or even a theater with food and liquor services.  The Davis was eventually sold to developer Jim Jaeger later that year, who was rumored to be planning its demolition and replacement with residential housing.
  Soon after, a "Save the Davis" campaign was organized to prevent the theater's demolition, and included a community meeting at the Conrad Sulzer Regional Library, where over 500 people voiced opposition to the demolition of the theater. Participants in the meeting argued that demolishing the building would be a historical loss and expressed frustration that useful small businesses had been lost to the community in order to build more residential units. The campaign was supported by alderman Eugene Schulter, who refused to rezone the property to accommodate the redevelopment plans.
  The property was bid on in December 1999, and acquired by a non-profit, Davis Theater Preservation Corporation, headed by community resident Mary Edsey. The property was sold to Special Real Estate Services in 2000, and thereafter the theater began to show first run films once again.
caption: Photo of the Davis Theater sign, facing southeast on Lincoln Avenue
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