WBEZ | Eddie Carranza

Congress Theater gets another pass from the city

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:10:00 -0500

In his third appearance in Cook County Circuit Court Thursday facing a long list of building, health, and fire code violations at the 87-year-old Congress Theater, controversial venue owner Erineo “Eddie” Carranza once again was given the “all’s clear” to continue operating.

During the court appearance, which lasted less than five minutes, attorneys for the city and Carranza updated Judge James McGing on building renovations, including the removal of obstructions from passageways in the corridors and installation of back-up lighting on the upper floors. Another inspection was scheduled for May 22, with another court date the following day.

Judy Frydland, the deputy corporation counsel who is the city’s top building code enforcement official and the attorney prosecuting the case, said that there is a “small show” tomorrow night (the Electric Circus DJ event), but nothing else is scheduled past that date. This, however, contradicts the theater’s list of upcoming concerts advertised on its own website.

Carranza’s lawyer said he wants a “short court date” for May 23, because they only have a few “minor” repairs to go and then they’ll be “ready to rock and roll,” reopening the upper floors and restoring the capacity to one of the largest music venues in the city.

Thursday’s quick hearing comes as no surprise, since after filing a lawsuit on April 12 seeking the immediate closure of the Congress based on a harrowing, 26-item, literally A-to-Z list of “dangerous and hazardous” building, health, and fire code violations, the city flip-flopped a mere 10 days later and declared that the main floor of the venue could remain open, though the second and third floors have been shut since January, and capacity is reduced from over 5,000 to 3,000.

Frydland told this blog on May 1 that the city “tries to work with” venues like the Congress because, “Theaters are like churches… They’re also older buildings with large assemblies.” Of course, crowds dense with 18-year-olds—some of them over-served with alcohol or high on drugs, according to testimony before the Liquor Commission—generally do not dance the night away in most churches.

As Chuck Sudo wrote on Chicagoist on April 23, “Carranza has nine lives, a genie who granted him three wishes, a lucky rabbit’s foot, a backyard full of four-leaf clovers, and a horseshoe planted firmly up his ass.” Well, we now can assume that there also is a rainbow hovering over his Logan Square theater, as well as a stash of wishbones in its basement.

Carranza may not be so lucky on other fronts, however. While the latest Deleterious Impact/Public Nuisance hearing Tuesday found the Department of Business Affairs cautiously optimistic about progress, the owner is awaiting a ruling about whether the Congress can keep its liquor license, following three hearings before the Liquor Commission that included testimony about fights, drug activity, and security’s mistreatment of concertgoers.

The venue owner also may be stymied in his plans to bring more music to another vintage theater at Six Corners on the Northwest Side, the Portage, which he purchased last September, two months before his bank filed a $4 million foreclosure suit (since settled) against the Congress.

On Wednesday, the City Council granted the Portage Theater landmark status, which could frustrate Carranza’s plans for the venue to host live music as well as movies. Ald. John Arena (45^th) has expressed extreme skepticism about Carranza and live music at the venue, and he praised the landmark designation on his Facebook page.

“May the light from the projection booth shine long and bright for generations to come,” Arena wrote.

Earlier reports about Carranza, the Congress and the Portage theaters:

May 7: Congress Theater’s neighbor: ‘Sometimes I feel like I’m monitoring a fifth-grader running the venue’ (By Leah Pickett and Jim DeRogatis)

May 1: Is the Congress Theater safe or not?

April 30: Congress Theater defends itself before the Liquor Commission (By Leah Pickett and Jim DeRogatis)

April 23: Congress Theater allowed to remain open, next inspection scheduled (Alison Cuddy reporting)

April 17: City wants the Congress shut down immediately

March 27: Chicago police official: Congress Theater ‘untruthful’ on night of underage drinking (Leah Pickett reporting)

March 8: The fate of the Portage remains a messy mystery

March 6: Congress Theater hearing rescheduled (Robin Amer reporting)

Feb. 22: Congress Theater restoration underway, but it’s got a long way to go

Jan. 16: Congress Theater liquor hearings begin with undercover cop’s testimony

Dec. 3, 2012: A rally to save the Portage Theater ‘as we know it’

Nov. 29, 2012: Congress Theater defaults on $4 million loan

Nov. 28, 2012: The Portage Theater uses Graham Elliot’s name in vain

Nov. 2, 2012: Congress Theater’s new security chief: An ex-cop with a troubled past

Oct. 31, 2012: Congress Theater police calls rank with Soldier Field, United Center

Sept. 23, 2012: How did things turn so bad so fast at the Portage Theater?

Sept. 22, 2012: New Owner of the Portage Theater moves to evict current operators

Sept. 16, 2012: Congress Theater splits with development partner

Sept. 11, 2012: The Portage Theater: What’s Eddie up to?

July 26, 2012: Congress Theater partners up… and looks to expand

April 18, 2012: Chicago officials scrutinize public safety, other neighborhood concerns at Congress Theater (Robin Amer reporting)

April 14, 2012: More trouble at the Congress Theater

March 28, 2012: Critical of Congress security, headliner brings his own

March 25, 2012: Congress Theater responds to complaints

March 22, 2012: City to Congress Theater: Clean up your act!

Chicago police official: Congress Theater 'untruthful' on night of underage drinking

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:15:00 -0500

A Chicago Police Department official has accused the Congress Theater of failing to cooperate with officers during an investigation into underage drinking at the venue.

Sgt. Joseph Giambrone testified that Congress staffers lied about serving alcohol when his unit arrived to investigate suspicions of underage drinking during a DJ Rusko set in the early hours of May 6, 2012.

Giambrone’s testimony came during a disciplinary hearing at City Hall Tuesday morning, the second conducted by Chicago’s Liquor Control Commission looking into alleged illegal activities at the Congress.

During his testimony, Giambrone described a call from the emergency room of Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center in Wicker Park that reported several concertgoers “of various ages” arriving from the Congress Theater via private ambulance with symptoms of extreme intoxication, many of them “barely breathing.”

Giambrone said that when officers arrived on the scene, Congress managers Atieh Abdelhadi and Ahmad Mahidi met him outside the venue and denied serving alcohol during the show.

Next, Giambrone said he observed Mahidi talking on his radio in “a language that wasn’t English,” and then witnessed Abdelhadi running ahead to unscrew taps in the lobby bar and place cups upside down over the spigots as officers entered the venue.

Once inside, Giambrone claimed to see employees “activating tap devices” and serving “amber-hued” liquid to patrons by the stage.

Giambrone said he was also present at the Congress on the night of April 13, 2012, when his unit responded to a large fight during a Chief Keef show. The venue did not call 911 to report this incident; defense attorney Harlan C. Powell hypothesized that venue staffers may have tried to call out to police officers already on the scene.

Powell questioned the credibility of the city’s investigation, calling the allegations against his client “grossly prejudicial.”

To support his claim, Powell brought up a meeting that took place between Giambrone and the Congress Theater following these incidents. Powell said that during the meeting, venue personnel said they understood that any calls made to the police by the Congress would not be brought up in disciplinary actions.

However, Deputy Hearings Commissioner Robert Nolan rejected Powell’s argument, stating that the events at issue occurred before any alleged conversations took place.

Tuesday’s hearing was originally scheduled for March 6. But Powell – the third attorney to represent venue owner Erineo “Eddie” Carranza since his troubles with city agencies began in March of 2012 – requested more time to review the case from Deputy Commissioner Nolan.

The next hearing is scheduled for April 30.

Prior reporting by Jim DeRogatis. Research assistance by Jennifer Grandy.

Earlier reports about Carranza, the Congress and the Portage, from Jim DeRogatis:

March 8: The fate of the Portage remains a messy mystery

March 6: Congress Theater hearing rescheduled

Feb. 22: Congress Theater restoration underway, but it’s got a long way to go

Jan. 16: Congress Theater liquor hearings begin with undercover cop’s testimony

Dec. 3, 2012: A rally to save the Portage Theater ‘as we know it’

Nov. 28, 2012: The Portage Theater uses Graham Elliot’s name in vain

Nov. 2, 2012: Congress Theater’s new security chief: An ex-cop with a troubled past

Oct. 31, 2012: Congress Theater police calls rank with Soldier Field, United Center

Sept. 23, 2012: How did things turn so bad so fast at the Portage Theater?

Sept. 22, 2012: New Owner of the Portage Theater moves to evict current operators

Sept. 16, 2012: Congress Theater splits with development partner

Sept. 11, 2012: The Portage Theater: What’s Eddie up to?

July 26, 2012: Congress Theater partners up… and looks to expand

April 14, 2012: More trouble at the Congress Theater

March 28, 2012: Critical of Congress security, headliner brings his own

March 25, 2012: Congress Theater responds to complaints

March 22, 2012: City to Congress Theater: Clean up your act!

Leah Pickett blogs about pop culture for WBEZ. Follow her on Twitter @leahkpickett.

Congress Theater restoration underway, but it’s got a long way to go

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:27:00 -0600

Following in its tradition of surprisingly gullible and shortsighted reporting on Chicago’s most troubled music venue, DNAinfo.com declared in a headline yesterday that “Congress Theater Owner Wants Venue Restored to Its 1920s Glory,” adding in the lede of the story: “The days may be numbered for anyone who loves to complain about the dismal bathrooms.”

Well, controversial venue owner Erineo “Eddie” Carranza may indeed want the historic theater restored to its prime. But as is made clear in the city Building Department’s ongoing legal proceedings against him, which cite a daunting list of 37 violations, he’s got a long way to go to get there.

In fact, city inspectors recently ordered the Congress closed to the public for eight days, from Jan. 31 to Feb. 7, because of the lack of quick-release “panic bars” on exit doors—a situation that proved fatal during the notorious stampede at the E2 Nightclub in 2003.

Furthermore, the violations on the upper levels of the building have resulted in the second and third floors being sealed off to concertgoers. The only exception is that patrons are allowed access to the second-floor bathroom—the dismal state of which remains open to debate.

Carranza and the Congress are doing battle with the city on three fronts, any one of which could result in shuttering the venue. Hearings before the Liquor Commission could result in the loss of the theater’s liquor license; the next session takes place on March 5. Hearings on the building code violations, which are being prosecuted by an attorney from the Law Department’s Drug and Gang House Enforcement Section, opened on Jan. 31 and resume on May 9. Finally, there are the much-publicized Deleterious Impact/Public Nuisance proceedings, which resume on May 7, and which prompted the other two, potentially more serious lawsuits.

While DNAinfo reporter Victoria Johnson cheerfully quotes Carranza’s optimistic promises for a spiffy Congress development that will include a community center, a premium bar, a café, a restaurant, an ice cream shop, a grocery store and a second, smaller nightclub, and her photographs show a fresh coat of paint being applied here and there, the substance of the 37 building code violations or the recent closures at the venue are not addressed.

“There are serious problems at the Congress,” a city official told this blog. “While the owner seems intent on remedying them, it is going to take a ton of money just to bring the building up to code.”

Lighting repairs alone top $100,000, the official added. “And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

Meanwhile, Carranza has had no further word on the mysterious corporate partner and savior he promised DNAinfo in early January. As this blog earlier reported, representatives of the monopolistic national concert giant Live Nation met early in the new year with city officials and discussed an interest in leasing and operating both the Congress and the Portage theaters, though there has been no action in that regard in the last seven weeks.

Live Nation has so far declined to respond to requests for comment today and in mid-January.

Earlier reports about Carranza, the Congress and the Portage:

Jan. 16: Congress Theater liquor hearings begin with undercover cop’s testimony

Dec. 3, 2012: A rally to save the Portage Theater ‘as we know it’

Nov. 28, 2012: The Portage Theater uses Graham Elliot’s name in vain

Nov. 2, 2012: Congress Theater’s new security chief: An ex-cop with a troubled past

Oct. 31, 2012: Congress Theater police calls rank with Soldier Field, United Center

Sept. 23, 2012: How did things turn so bad so fast at the Portage Theater?

Sept. 22, 2012: New Owner of the Portage Theater moves to evict current operators

Sept. 16, 2012: Congress Theater splits with development partner

Sept. 11, 2012: The Portage Theater: What’s Eddie up to?

July 26, 2012: Congress Theater partners up… and looks to expand

April 14, 2012: More trouble at the Congress Theater

March 28, 2012: Critical of Congress security, headliner brings his own

March 25, 2012: Congress Theater responds to complaints

March 22, 2012: City to Congress Theater: Clean up your act!