Renovated Harper Theater in Hyde Park brings modern amenities with neighborhood feel
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A South Side classic is premiering a new look, after the Harper Theater in Hyde Park held a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony last month to celebrate their renovation.
The theater is under new management with ACX Cinemas, bringing movies like The Little Mermaid and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse to the century-old theater.
"Hyde Park is a special place, and anybody who visits Hyde Park or lives in Hyde Park understands how special this is," said Bill Barstow, CEO and co-founder of ACX Cinemas. "Harper Theater goes way, way back, and it's had lots of iterations."
The latest is thanks Barstow, and his family's theater management company, ACX Cinemas, which bought and renovated the theater after it closed last November when its former owner retired.
"So we've been open for a few weeks, kind of a soft opening, and had some tremendous success," Barstow said.
They opened with The Little Mermaid at the end of May, followed by Across the Spider-Verse in early June.
"I think we sold out something like the first 18 shows on Little Mermaid, and same kind of response on Spider-Man. So it's one of those things that makes you feel good," Barstow said.
The theater is filled with history.
"We like to think that one of the most special things is that Barack and Michelle [Obama] had their first date here," Barstow said.
The Harper has been standing since before the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences began giving out the famous Oscar Awards, but you wouldn't guess it by the renovated interior.
"One of the biggest things is to make it very comfortable. So we've added these extra-large, comfy, heated recliners; and that's probably the biggest and the best improvement that we made," Barstow said.
The renovations kept the Harper in line with the small, neighborhood theater feel.
"I think you're going to find out that we fit into the neighborhood, but then we also have those kind of amenities that you're going to get at the biggest theaters anywhere in the Chicagolands," Barstow said.
A number of community members came out to show their support for the ribbon-cutting in June, and even the former president and first lady sent over their congratulations.
"It's this beautiful letter by Barack, explaining how significant Harper Theater was, and how excited they are to bring the [Obama Presidential Center] to Hyde Park," Barstow said.
From all the excitement, its easy to see "the Harper is alive and well in Hyde Park," Barstow added.
EDITOR'S NOTE: In the above video, the latest Spider-Man movie is incorrectly referenced as "Into the Spider-Verse," the 2018 animated film, rather than "Across the Spider-Verse," the sequel that released this summer. The written story reflects the correct title.
