Roosevelt Theater

Let me try that again
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Here is a 1926-dated drawing of the Roosevelt by Anthony F. Dumas from the Library of Congress.

The age range for teenagers must’ve been different in 1974 ;)…

Chicago Tribune, 10/23/74
2 TEEN-AGERS ARRESTED IN THEATER ROBBERY

Two 7 year-old boys who have admitted obtaining $4900 in an armed robbery of the Roosevelt Theater, 110 N. State st., Friday, were arrested by investigators of the police gang crime unit Tuesday.

Alvin Carr and Silas Wilson, both of 720 N. Laramie av., implicated another boy who took part in the robbery and a fourth who rented a gun to them. The other two are being sought…

Per Paul’s and Bryan K’s comments on the http://members.aol.com/citypan/BLK3791789.JPG photo of “Block 37”, I found an old photo of a CTA bus, which my husband took. In the background can be seen the non-descript “boxes”, which stood on the Roosevelt ’s site circa 1981-1990. The stores were Shifrin-Williams, The Limited, and Kinney Shoes. Why did they bother to build these single-story stores only to tear them down a few years later? Were they supposed to be incorporated somehow into whatever what was supposed to be built there?

All of the structures in the photo http://members.aol.com/citypan/BLK3791789.JPG look like they’re awaiting demolition because of the scaffolding on them. If you look in the distance down Randolph Street (the street that the taxi is not on), you’ll see the blank marquee for the United Artists.

This photo also clearly illustrates the failure of State Street Mall. State Street was converted into a “pedestrian friendly transit mall” circa 1979. It was intended to make the street more walkable and to lure people back. Unfortunately, it was ugly. Critics panned the mall when it was built. Shoppers stayed away. Finally, in 1996 the “mall” was removed. Traffic was again allowed on the street. State Street is vibrant again, despite the loss of Carson ’s. Actually, with the re-opening of the Oriental and the Cadillac Palace and the opening of the Goodman Theatre, this is again a lively corner.

I vaguely remember that this theatre was in the ABC and later Plitt chains. Am I correct?

Here is another.

The october edition of Chicago mag on page 114 very good picture of the ROOSEVELT not to metion all of the very good pictures.

Funny thing, I can’t recall anything on the block the Roosevelt was on either, and I should as many times as I walked by it! I don’t know if your going to get the book or not, but here are some things that I seem to remember from mostly the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. I can remember on the other sides of the block. On the Washington St side was a very fine food grocery store (really to good to be called a grocery store) called STOP AND SHOP. At the corner of Washington Blvd and Dearborn St was a very historic building (I can’t recall what was in it), but it should have never been torn down, SHAME ON CHICAGO! In the middle of the Dearborn St side was a Comonwealth Edison sub station (I guess that’s what it’s called) and it is the only thing that is still standing on the whole block. At the corner of Dearborn St and Randolph St was the United Artists Theatre. Randolph because of all the theatres had the most interesting area. Seems to me there was a resturant or bar called FLO"S that would have a young lady outside on a swing up on the second floor, wired for sound trying to get you to come into “FABULOUS FLO’S”. I think it had a fire and it was a Burger King in the 1970’s. I also remember a magazine store, it might have had books too, but it sure had a lot of magazines. It might have had adult magazines, but I don’t recall, I like trains, so it was the train magazines I was checking out! Accross the street, I think in part of the OLD HIDELBERG they grilled steaks in the window. Remember late at nght when new movies would play the next day. White Way Sign Co. would come and change all the letters and those big boards with info about the movie that just about covered up all the brick. What did they call those boards. Seems to me the PIT AND THE PEDULUM PLAYED at the Roosevelt and they had a wood pedulum that swug back and forth against the building! Help me out, did I get anything mixed up or what can you add. It would be neat to be able to know every business around that whole block anchored by those two great B&K’s!

The book Here’s The Deal covers Block 37 in detail

The Block 37 straddles the Blue Line and Red Line subways. It is also close to the Loop L structure and the Metra Electric and the South Shore Line. So, yes, a transit facility is going in as it would make sense to have it there.

I have always wondered what made the Roosevelt go so early. I don’t think any other vintage buildings on that block went down until everything got leveled during the 90’s. The larger State-Lake and Chicago Theatres continued to operate for a few more years after this (in the same theatre chain as the Roosevelt), which is counter-intuitive.

Well that answers my question,thank you.
Now i see what you mean by a record setting deal.
Thank You.