Hyde Park's renovated Harper Theater eyes reopening next month
CHICAGO (CBS) – Even though the doors have been closed, the Harper Theater in Hyde Park has been busy for months.
New operators revamped the historic building and are getting ready to reopen. CBS 2's Noel Brennan got a sneak preview of what's to come.
Consider this a preview for a coming attraction. It's one Hyde Park has seen before.
"For 110 years, in different iterations, this has been a space where Hyde Park has been able to come to and share communal experiences," said Mike Barstow, of ACX Cinemas. "That has taken many forms, whether it was live performances or movies."
The Harper Theater closed its doors last November when the operator called it quits, but a family business is banking on a sequel.
"We've heard about the demise of our industry for the past 100 years, and we anticipate we're going to hear about it for the next 100 years," Barstow said.
He gave the old movie house a makeover with paint, carpet and flooring. Brand new chairs let you rest your feet and turn up the heat.
"It's definitely a nice luxury to have and I think people are going to love them," Barstow said.
If the seats don't entice you, Barstow hopes the menu will.
"Some flatbread pizzas. We're looking at chicken strip baskets, maybe a chicken sandwich," he said. "We've got chefs and bar guys and beverage people in our company that are paying immense attention to what our concession offerings are."
The staff is busy prepping for opening day.
"Our goal is we're targeting May 5, which is, Marvel has the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie coming out at that date," Barstow said.
This is just a preview of the big premiere.
"I think we're all just itching to finally unlock the doors and kind of let it start operating," he said.