Nortown Theater
6320 N. Western Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60659
6320 N. Western Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60659
19 people
favorited this theater
Showing 51 - 75 of 230 comments found
“…doing the salvage on the Nortown”
DID I think you meant to say, It’s my understanding the theater was already gone some time back, I saw the last part of it’s demolition photos on flickr.com I believe, it’s “history” now, no more salvaging left to do.
Randall,
Randall’s Lost New York City.
Sculpture studio and web gallery of historic lost NYC buildings and ornaments.
I have pictures and 35 mm slides of the exterior and interior of the Nortown from the late 70’s and early 80’s taken when I worked there. They are currently on loan to the owner of Urban Remains Chicago, the company doing the salvage of the Nortown. I will contact him and see if I can get them back in time for the Historical Society.
By the way, Batwoman, I also lived a block from the Nortown. West Ridge was used by some of the community organizations in the area. Technically, there is not a West Rogers Park and an East Rogers Park. It is West Ridge and Rogers Park. I grew up in both areas.
I decided on the size of my models to replicate the Nortown frieze panels, the two with the comic and tragic faces as well as the plain Art Deco design, so it will be nice that these will live on and be more widely enjoyed.
The orignals on the theater facade were almost 31" wide and 20" high, as well as about 6" thick, and that’s HEAVY.
My clay models will wind up a nominal 21-1/2″ by 14-1/4″ and maybe 2" thick which is a practical size to display on today’s modern walls.
I expect to be starting on the first one in a week or two.
Randall,
Randall’s Lost New York City.
Sculpture studio and web gallery of historic lost NYC buildings and ornaments.
huh, I have never heard it called west ridge before. I’ve always and only known it to be West Rogers Park. In fact, there’s a marker by Loyola that says Rogers Park. granted it’s not right there by the theater, but I did grow up across the street from nortown.
sadly, I have no pictures of the place. wish I did! Would love to seen any and all pictures people have of the old place.,
West Ridge has been a seperate community area since the 1890s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Ridge%2C_Chicago
west ridge? that must be new. it’s always been west rogers park as far as I know.
west ridge? that must be new. it’s always been west rogers park as far as I know.
For those who live in West Ridge (home of the Nortown), our Historical Society is currently seeking photos and memorabilia of historic interest for a new book called Images of America: West Ridge. The deadline is October 15, 2007. For more information contact: or call 312.545.7792.
Could be.
I think that C-O put its logos in its new theatres and the ones it renovated such as the McClurg Court and Lakeshore/Broadway. I have a feeling that C-O knew it was getting rid of its older non-renovated properties.
not that I remember. I lived across the street from the Nortown until 10 years ago.
The Will Rogers was closed within a year after the Cineplex-Odeon takeover and some people stated that they never saw C-O logos at that theatre (the Plitt/Plitt-Essaness/CO-Plitt name continued for about a year after that, say into 1986). Did Cineplex-Odeon ever place its logos at the Nortown, which lasted about 5 years after CO took over?
that picture really doesn’t do it justice.
View link
Seen some of the interior around in a Google search for the theater name Cubby, though the quality of some were pretty poor- like newspaper photos scanned.
Randall,
Randall’s Lost New York City.
Sculpture studio and web gallery of historic lost NYC buildings and ornaments.
Does anyone have pictures of the Nortown Theatre from the 1960’s and 1970’s? I would love to see them posted.
Re Salvage
I am glad to see saved what could be be saved, I have one of the plaster deco’s from the interior, nothing special about it and its somewhat crumbly, but I like it.
I like the 30"x20" alternating Art Deco facade panels, as a sculptor who specializes in re-creating Victorian and Art Deco elements, I decided to sculpt at least one model of the 3 different Art Deco panels if not all 3, but in a smaller more apartment/home friendly size, I’ll start on a clay model soon as I decide on the size to make it. These are simple designs but attractive, these designs will continue to live on.
Randall,
Randall’s Lost New York City.
Sculpture studio and web gallery of historic lost NYC buildings and ornaments.
Batwoman, what is your Brother’s Name? if you would like you can respond to my email address to remain private, I think I might have an idea.
88 and 91 myself
my sister… 76 and 80, my older brother 80 and 84….
Class of 79 and 83 respectively
Stone and Senn. Yeah we went there.
Just a couple of thoughts about the demise of the Nortown. I too was raised in the neighborhood directly across from the Nortown, (Oakley) and lived there from 1974-1991 until I moved to NYC, although my parents lived in the neighborhood until last year. I think a few of the posters here tend to look at the demise of the theatre as maybe a little bit a destruction of a bygone era, possibly their youth.
But you have to face the facts the neighborhood changed, the times changed, the medium of how we experience films have changed. Direct TV, Video, Video on-demand, etc. has effected how we watch film. The Nortown was probably losing money for the owner the last 5 or so years it was opened, even with the split in a multiplex. The demographics of the neighborhood was also changing and as neighborhood ages less people go to the movies (I think my parents last film at the Nortown was “Comes a Horseman”). The neighborhood could not simply support a facility that large. Also, you have remember when it was built there was a limited amount of avenues to spend your free time, (what is Television?) and about 80% of the population would go to the movies.
With that said it is a real shame that year after year, one by one these great structures are being demo’d to make room for more cookie cutting condos. But before I go here are my favorite memories of the Nortown.
Midnight Movies â€" I don’t remember how many times I saw “A Song Remains the Same”.
Star Wars opens in the spring 1977, for any pre-teen a high water mark growing up. However, by late summer, I was praying that they would change the Movie!!!, remember only one screen.
“The Greek Tycoon” not much of a film but I saw my first movie Boobie!
Seeing Blazing Saddles with Jonathan Blintstein, didn’t “get” half the jokes but that campfire scene, whoa!
Finally, remembering all the times and faces of my friends who went to Stone and St. Henry’s, Mather and Senn, etc.
thanks for the pictures. I must be a sadist because I keep wanting to see pictures of demo since I couldn’t get down there for it, yet it’s so heartbreaking to see her go like that.
Some photos of the Nortown demolition can be seen here. Click each photo to expand it.
Antioch isn’t a palace but an old movie house, still 1 screen, little place kind of like the old Skokie theater. Complete with balcony. Best part of all this is they are a first run theater with prices you haven’t seen since the 70s, if not 60s.