The vertical sign of the Majestic Theater can be seen in this 1914 photo of the corner of State and Monroe.
On a side note, I wonder if that great terra-cotta detail advertising the North American Restaurant on the North American Building is still there, just covered up.
Now that the Chicago Tabernacle Church has thankfully given up its quest to buy the Portage Theater this article in the Chicagoist mentions the church possibly taking over the old Belpark (currently home to the Golden Tiara bingo hall).
CBS Channel 2 News reports on the Tabernacle Church’s abandoning of its attempt to buy the Portage here.Mention has been made again of the church possibly acquiring the former Belpark Theater (now Golden Tiara bingo hall).
According to this article in today’s Daily Herald, a new 12-screen theater is being built at the Hawthorn Center Mall, bringing movies back to the mall after a long absence.
The Will Rogers can just be seen on the right in this photo from November 1964 from the corner of Belmont and Major Avenues. The Walgreens is still there (not sure if it’s the same building).
Maybe the management of the Patio could work out some sort of deal with the BMO Harris Bank down the block to use their parking lot during the evening hours to help relieve the parking issue?
Bobby, I have been looking for quite some time for a photo of the Patio with the vertical sign. I remember when I was very little, in the early 70s, going to the Patio with my grandparents, for some reason I have a vague recollection of not only the marquee lit up at night, but also chaser lights on a vertical marquee. Maybe I’m thinking of another theater, but the only ones we usually went to in the neighborhood were the Portage, the Patio or, rarely, the Gateway.
Thanks for adding that photo of the marquee in the primer coat Brian. You’re right, so much more detail is visible in darker color. I have seen the Pickwick marquee so many times up close, and even standing nearby, whitewashed it doesn’t have the dramatic appearance like this, especially those faces.
The article does mention returning the marquee “as close as we can” to the original colors of black, white and some red. Was Ianelli responsible for the exterior decor as well? I didn’t know that. I always thought he just did the interior design.
This article talks about the current restoration of the Pickwick, to be completed by September, and includes a photo of the marquee, which has been stripped of several layers of paint.
More on the efforts to reopen this theater in this article in today’s Daily Herald.
The theater’s namesake is donating more money towards the theater according to this story in the LA Times.
This same story was just posted last week on 7/22.
A great 1966 view of the Shubert can be seen here.
From the 7/24 Park Ridge Herald-Advocate, more on the restoration of the Pickwick, including the search for the original color scheme of the marquee.
In other Congress Theater news, the Congress will be undergoing a renovation beginning this fall according to this article.
According to this article in the Chicagoist, the owners of the Congress may be interested in purchasing the Portage Theater.
According to this article in the Chicagoist, the owners of the Congress Theater are interesting in buying the Portage.
The vertical sign of the Majestic Theater can be seen in this 1914 photo of the corner of State and Monroe. On a side note, I wonder if that great terra-cotta detail advertising the North American Restaurant on the North American Building is still there, just covered up.
Now that the Chicago Tabernacle Church has thankfully given up its quest to buy the Portage Theater this article in the Chicagoist mentions the church possibly taking over the old Belpark (currently home to the Golden Tiara bingo hall).
CBS Channel 2 News reports on the Tabernacle Church’s abandoning of its attempt to buy the Portage here. Mention has been made again of the church possibly acquiring the former Belpark Theater (now Golden Tiara bingo hall).
More here on the Patio reaching its fundraising campaign target from TimeOut Chicago.
According to this article in today’s Daily Herald, a new 12-screen theater is being built at the Hawthorn Center Mall, bringing movies back to the mall after a long absence.
The Will Rogers can just be seen on the right in this photo from November 1964 from the corner of Belmont and Major Avenues. The Walgreens is still there (not sure if it’s the same building).
Maybe the management of the Patio could work out some sort of deal with the BMO Harris Bank down the block to use their parking lot during the evening hours to help relieve the parking issue?
Per this article in Hollywood Chicago, the Patio has reached its Kickstarter campaign goal and will remain in operation. Great news!
Bobby, I have been looking for quite some time for a photo of the Patio with the vertical sign. I remember when I was very little, in the early 70s, going to the Patio with my grandparents, for some reason I have a vague recollection of not only the marquee lit up at night, but also chaser lights on a vertical marquee. Maybe I’m thinking of another theater, but the only ones we usually went to in the neighborhood were the Portage, the Patio or, rarely, the Gateway.
Photos of the Patio’s vertical sign from 1960 and 1964
The Howard can be seen in this photo from 1975.
More about the closing of the Arlington Theaters and its impact on downtown Arlington Heights in this article in today’s Daily Herald.
Thanks for adding that photo of the marquee in the primer coat Brian. You’re right, so much more detail is visible in darker color. I have seen the Pickwick marquee so many times up close, and even standing nearby, whitewashed it doesn’t have the dramatic appearance like this, especially those faces.
The article does mention returning the marquee “as close as we can” to the original colors of black, white and some red. Was Ianelli responsible for the exterior decor as well? I didn’t know that. I always thought he just did the interior design.
This article talks about the current restoration of the Pickwick, to be completed by September, and includes a photo of the marquee, which has been stripped of several layers of paint.
More about the closing of the Arlington Theater here in an article from today’s Daily Herald.
The Chicago Reader reminisces about why it misses what it calls “Chicago’s worst movie theater”.