Des Plaines Theater renovation to include speak-easy Bourbon 'N Brass

Editors note: This article has been updated to reflect renovation costs and the relocation of Evanston's Bourbon 'N Brass to Des Plaines.

The historic Des Plaines Theater will get more than a facelift from the reported $8 million renovation currently under way.

On Friday, operator Ron Onesti announced he will relocate his Evanston speak-easy - Bourbon 'N Brass - to the theater, which is slated to reopen in the fall. The second-floor speak-easy will offer food and more than 100 bourbons and whiskeys.

Like Club Arcada, located above Onesti's Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Bourbon 'N Brass will feature a 1920s decor that will reflect the Prohibition Era origins of both venues and maintain "the historic nature of these vintage buildings," Onesti said in a phone interview.

"The city has been working tirelessly on the infrastructure," he added.

In a prepared statement, Onesti, the CEO and president of Onesti Entertainment, expressed his excitement about the new venue and the reopening of the theater, located at 1476 Miner St.

"I look forward to bringing world-class entertainment and a unique dining experience to such a historic landmark," he said in the release. "I am currently booking phenomenal live acts for the fall, and can't wait to announce an opening date soon!"

Designed by architect William B. Betts - who also designed the Glen Theatre, known as the Glen Art Theatre in Glen Ellyn - the Des Plaines Theater opened in 1925 as a vaudeville and movie house. It became a first-run movie theater in 1935 when members of the Balaban family purchased the building. At the time, the firm Pereira and Pereira added art deco touches, including the marquee.

A 1982 fire severely damaged the theater, which opened several years later as a twin movie house.

In November 2011, renovations returned the theater to a single auditorium.

The theater closed in January of 2014 and remained shuttered until the current renovations began last year.