Chicago restaurateur Amy Morton

Aurora officials and a noted Chicago restaurateur have announced that a new, upscale eatery is set open this fall next to the downtown Paramount Theatre.

Located at 5 E. Galena Blvd., the restaurant will be a cornerstone of the newly redeveloped John C. Dunham Aurora Arts Center, a building that most recently housed Waubonsee College’s downtown building.

Chicago restaurateur Amy Morton, Tim Rater, President and CEO of the Aurora Civic Center Authority, and Aurora Mayor Richard C. Irvin made the announcement last week.

Amy Morton’s unnamed restaurant is expected to cater to theater patrons and locals alike with a wide-ranging menu focusing on steaks, pasta and value. 

The restaurant will inhabit the historic 1920’s art deco building once home to the famous Bloch and Kuhl department store.

Design plans call for it to be open and filled with light. The space is being restored as both classic and contemporary, enhanced by a modern take on Pullman booths and spectacular fixtures.

The brass-topped bar, with a bead-board façade, will be the restaurant’s central hub, located to attract an after work crowd for happy hour, drinks before the show and for a casual lunch or dinner.

“Aurora is putting its money where its mouth is and has clearly committed to revitalizing the city,” said Morton. “We look forward to debuting Paramount’s ‘sister restaurant’ this fall, ready to welcome the theater’s 41,000 subscribers to downtown Aurora, four times a season, eight shows a week, at times filling its gorgeous, 1,800-plus seat theater.”

An innovative, veteran restaurateur, Morton is already known for her current, critically-acclaimed restaurants FOUND Kitchen and Social House, a shared-plate, farm-to-table concept in Evanston; The Barn Steakhouse, a North Shore steakhouse and a nod to her father and legendary Chicago restaurateur Arnold Morton, also in Evanston; and Patty2, a healthy burger joint on the Northwestern University campus.

“Amy Morton isn’t just one of Chicago’s top restaurateurs. She is a visionary with a mission,” said Rater. “In addition to serving delicious food in a terrific space, Amy and her team are committed to restoring the architectural and economic significance of downtown Aurora by redeveloping one of the most prominent properties in the city into one of the top dining destinations in Chicago’s western suburbs.”

While announcing two new restaurants in the same block – Altiro Latin Fusion and Mora Asian Fusion – during his State of the City address last month, Aurora Mayor Richard C. Irvin hinted at a third upscale restaurant also coming to Galena Boulevard in the heart of downtown Aurora.

“I am beyond excited for Amy Morton to join the Aurora community and for her new restaurant to become part of downtown’s growing entertainment and dining tapestry,” he said. “We have worked on these plans for months and it is clear why Amy Morton is one of the best restaurateurs in the industry. She is innovative, enterprising and committed.” 

A life spent in the industry has empowered Morton with an inherent sense of hospitality and design, which plays out across her restaurants in a way that welcomes guests and emulates a sense of belonging with dining rooms that feel more like her living rooms than eateries.

Likewise, Morton’s new Aurora outpost is expected to have a great vibe and top-quality food and service, with an estimated average check price per-person including beverage of $35 for dinner and around $20 for lunch.

The new John C. Dunham Aurora Arts Center is a project by The Community Builders Inc., a non-profit developer, in partnership with Paramount Theatre, the city of Aurora, Invest Aurora and the Illinois Housing Development Authority.

The 80,000-square foot mixed-use development also brings to downtown Aurora 38 affordable, loft-style apartments on the second and third floors designed to attract and support working artists in downtown Aurora, and a street-level gallery to display residents’ works of art.

Aurora officials and a noted Chicago restaurateur have announced that a new, upscale eatery is set open this fall next to the downtown Paramount Theatre.

Located at 5 E. Galena Blvd., the restaurant will be a cornerstone of the newly redeveloped John C. Dunham Aurora Arts Center, a building that most recently housed Waubonsee College’s downtown building.

Chicago restaurateur Amy Morton, Tim Rater, President and CEO of the Aurora Civic Center Authority, and Aurora Mayor Richard C. Irvin made the announcement last week.

Amy Morton’s unnamed restaurant is expected to cater to theater patrons and locals alike with a wide-ranging menu focusing on steaks, pasta and value. 

The restaurant will inhabit the historic 1920’s art deco building once home to the famous Bloch and Kuhl department store.

Design plans call for it to be open and filled with light. The space is being restored as both classic and contemporary, enhanced by a modern take on Pullman booths and spectacular fixtures.

The brass-topped bar, with a bead-board façade, will be the restaurant’s central hub, located to attract an after work crowd for happy hour, drinks before the show and for a casual lunch or dinner.

“Aurora is putting its money where its mouth is and has clearly committed to revitalizing the city,” said Morton. “We look forward to debuting Paramount’s ‘sister restaurant’ this fall, ready to welcome the theater’s 41,000 subscribers to downtown Aurora, four times a season, eight shows a week, at times filling its gorgeous, 1,800-plus seat theater.”

An innovative, veteran restaurateur, Morton is already known for her current, critically-acclaimed restaurants FOUND Kitchen and Social House, a shared-plate, farm-to-table concept in Evanston; The Barn Steakhouse, a North Shore steakhouse and a nod to her father and legendary Chicago restaurateur Arnold Morton, also in Evanston; and Patty2, a healthy burger joint on the Northwestern University campus.

“Amy Morton isn’t just one of Chicago’s top restaurateurs. She is a visionary with a mission,” said Rater. “In addition to serving delicious food in a terrific space, Amy and her team are committed to restoring the architectural and economic significance of downtown Aurora by redeveloping one of the most prominent properties in the city into one of the top dining destinations in Chicago’s western suburbs.”

While announcing two new restaurants in the same block – Altiro Latin Fusion and Mora Asian Fusion – during his State of the City address last month, Aurora Mayor Richard C. Irvin hinted at a third upscale restaurant also coming to Galena Boulevard in the heart of downtown Aurora.

“I am beyond excited for Amy Morton to join the Aurora community and for her new restaurant to become part of downtown’s growing entertainment and dining tapestry,” he said. “We have worked on these plans for months and it is clear why Amy Morton is one of the best restaurateurs in the industry. She is innovative, enterprising and committed.” 

A life spent in the industry has empowered Morton with an inherent sense of hospitality and design, which plays out across her restaurants in a way that welcomes guests and emulates a sense of belonging with dining rooms that feel more like her living rooms than eateries.

Likewise, Morton’s new Aurora outpost is expected to have a great vibe and top-quality food and service, with an estimated average check price per-person including beverage of $35 for dinner and around $20 for lunch.

The new John C. Dunham Aurora Arts Center is a project by The Community Builders Inc., a non-profit developer, in partnership with Paramount Theatre, the city of Aurora, Invest Aurora and the Illinois Housing Development Authority.

The 80,000-square foot mixed-use development also brings to downtown Aurora 38 affordable, loft-style apartments on the second and third floors designed to attract and support working artists in downtown Aurora, and a street-level gallery to display residents’ works of art.