Eleanor Truix lives in South Suburban in Flosmore.

She usually takes the expressway to work, but occasionally, when traffic is bad, she drives an alternate route.

And every time she takes that one other route, she's amazed by this one thing.

There is a beautiful building that looks like it was

built in the 1920s. It's ornage. It's got beautiful tile work. It looks to me, Middle Eastern,

even Arabic. There's no name on the building. I don't know, you know, how to figure out what it was for.

It doesn't look like it's in use now.

So Eleanor is curious about it.

She wants to know what exactly that Middle Eastern-looking building is.

And why was it built there in the South Shore neighborhood?

The building with its cupolas and colorful tile stands out on 79th Street.

The surrounding area is dotted with bordered up homes and businesses.

And Ailerner goes on and on about all the things she has noticed about this unusual building.

And the tower has a green tile roof. It's very... all the things she has noticed about this unusual building.

And the tower has a green tile roof.

It's very pale green.

It's not even apple green.

It's more of a muted, almost a mint green.

And that has a tree growing in it.

So I have a feeling that building's deserted.

The building Eleanor is talking about is an old theater. She's right. It was built in the 1920s. And yes, there is a small tree growing out on the roof. What she doesn't know is that it's not deserted, but it has fallen on hard times. About 100 years ago, the theater was a live performance venue, presenting lots of plays and musicals.

The theater has gone through many phases over the years, and since the early 2000s, it's been mostly close to the public due to a number of issues, including low attendance and the need for funding to pay for expensive renovations and ongoing maintenance. Gerald Gary, who bought the building

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