Sleepy and underused Thalia Hall at 18th and Racine would get juiced should Empty Bottle owner and restauranteur Bruce Finkelman launch another of his adrenaline-fueled ventures. Finkelman has a contract with Ridgestone Bank to buy the foreclosed landmark structure which houses eight apartments, a vacant theater, and retail spaces. It opened as a pioneering mixed-use structure in 1892, with the stage theater (and assembly hall) as centerpiece. A music venue would be a sturdy anchor for Pilsen's commercial growth, but hurdles include the need for a neighboring church's approval. Their up or down means everything, with or without aldermanic support. [Crain's]
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