Portage Theater Closes Over Liquor Dispute

After a dispute over a liquor license and poor management, the Portage Theater reportedly padlocked its doors and closed indefinitely.

Ald. John Arena allegedly blocked current owner Eddie Carranza’s inheritance of theater’s liquor license after reviewing Carranza’s rocky history with the Congress Theater, according to DNAinfo.com.

City officials revoked Carranza’s liquor license at the Congress after illegal incidents deemed the theater a “nuisance” and Arena doesn’t want that history to travel into the family-oriented Six Corners shopping district, the website reported.

The closure will affect the Northwest Chicago Film Society, eliminating their regular screenings of classic films, including a showing of Douglas Sirk’s “All I Desire,” which was scheduled for Monday and the 1967 documentary “Portrait of Jason” scheduled for Wednesday. The status of these screenings remains unclear.

The movie house is located at 4050 N. Milwaukee Ave. in the Portage Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side.
 

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