exceptionally rare c. 1920's largely intact ornamental cast bronze illuminated "mens lounge" flange sign, salvaged from the extant uptown theater. the remarkably ornate wall mount electrified sign retains the original opalescent white glass panels with a delicate patinated copper foil surface containing cutout lettering. the double-sided sign was likely fabricated for the chicago stage lighting co., chicago, il. the uptown theatre, also known as the balaban and katz uptown theatre, is a massive, ornate spanish baroque style movie palace in the uptown neighborhood of chicago, illinois. the theatre opened its doors august 18, 1925, billed as "an acre of seats in a magic city." literature encouraged patrons to "come for the most awe-inspiring sight of your life." the grand opening of the uptown theatre was accompanied by a "central uptown parade" of over 200 floats and a grand ball at harmon's arcadia in uptown. over 12,000 people stood in line to be ticketholders in the very first audience. several women collapsed because of exhaustion. designed by rapp and rapp and constructed in 1925, it the last of the "big three" movie palaces built by the balaban & katz theatre chain. the uptown theater is considered the largest theater in chicago, with a 4,381 seat auditorium. the interior volume is said to be larger than any other movie palace in the united states, including radio city music hall in new york. the mammoth theater has an ornate five story entrance lobby with an eight story facade. the uptown theatre has been closed to regular events since the winter of 1981 when, due to the owner having turned off the heat, a frozen water pipe burst and caused extensive damage to the interior. in subsequent years, deferred maintenance and vandalism have led to further debilitation of the structure and ornament, both inside and out. since 1981, the theater has been used as a location for scenes in movies such as the academy award-nominated ron howard movie, backdraft, the julia roberts and nick nolte movie, i love trouble, and the john hughes-chris columbus sequel home alone 2: lost in new york. in the 1990's, the theatre lobby was host to the "hearts party" (a gay "circuit" party), which raised money for an aids charity. measures 22 x 10 x 5 inches.