April 2, 2002
For Immediate Release

Congressman Kirk Presents $1.4 Million Check for Renovation of Historic Genesee Theater

Waukegan, IL -- Standing in the lobby of the historic Genesee Theater in downtown Waukegan, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) presented Mayor Richard Hyde with a check totaling $1,496,700. The federal funds, from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will be used for architectural planning and construction costs related to renovation of the Genesee Theater.

“I am very pleased to join with Mayor Hyde and his team to rebuild this community,” said Congressman Kirk. “We will witness a rebirth of Waukegan as a renovated Genesee Theater reenergizes the arts and unlocks the economic potential of our downtown area. My thanks to Joe Galvan and our partners at HUD for their support, guidance and much-needed funding. I want to also thank Ray Vukovich for his leadership and Congressman John Porter for securing funds to move this project forward.”

Kirk recognized the key role of the ‘Friends of the Historic Genesee Theater’ who championed the Genesee Theater cause in partnership with the City of Waukegan. The group hopes to not only restore the theater for area residents, but to fill it with diverse programming and audiences drawn from the rich variety of the region’s evolving community.

“This majestic theater was once called ‘the amusement Mecca of the North Shore’,” said Kirk. “We look forward to a day when the Genesee Theater is once again the anchor of Waukegan’s social and cultural life. Over a million people live within 25 miles of the Genesee Theater. A revitalized Genesee Theater will be the downtown attraction in a planned redevelopment of Waukegan’s lakefront. We are on our way to rebuilding Waukegan as the ‘Queen City of Lake Michigan’. The theater will be a hub of cultural activity accessible to school children, local arts groups and theater goers, and a much-needed economic boost to Waukegan’s downtown commercial district.”

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