McClurg Court Cinemas
330 E. Ohio Street,
Chicago,
IL
60611
330 E. Ohio Street,
Chicago,
IL
60611
20 people
favorited this theater
Showing 101 - 125 of 155 comments
My Plan to buy this place has been put on a big hold. Most of the investors I’ve talked to didn’t want to take a chance, “would be risky”, “would be this and that” etc… Hell, Baum Realty didn’t call me back. I don’t know what’s going on with this place now, but I promise everyone this, if I don’t ever reopen McClurg Court, I’ll try and build another art-house in the area with a huge screen like McClurg. Now I know my plans sound like a dream, but I do know that AMC will not give in to people’s demands to put more art fare at River East. They may show an art film here and there, but not enough like the Landmark Century for example.
Anyway, as long as they don’t gut this place and turn it into shops, I’m a happy camper. I love McClurg Court to death, and I’ll protest if they try and put a TJ Maxx or some shop in there.
Thanks to all for the updates on the McClurg. As I mentioned above, I lived in the area and enjoyed the theater in the mid to late seventies. I sure hope they re-open. I’ll follow your posts with interest. A gazillion people live within walking distance. Surely the place would make money.
I was in the area this morning, and drove around the block a few times. The For Lease sign is down, and most of the windows are covered in paper. The one window I could see through I saw the poster display cases were still up. The neon bulbs were even still in there. Does anyone know if someone bought this place? I hope it reopens in some form as I never got to see a movie here and it sounds like it was the place to be. Growing up in Oak Park, there were so many theaters nearby (which are mostly gone too like Hillsides, Oak Brook, Bricktown Square, Harlem-Cermak and Forest Park) that we never really ventured downtown to see movies. What happened to one of the above users plans to buy this theater?
I did in fact drive by again today. The attraction sign has definitely been stripped of all neon. Seems like an odd step to take. I don’t know why they wouldn’t just rip the thing off the front of the building.
I wonder what’s going on with this place?
Some of the neon was missing from the sign when I happened to drive by last week. It might be that it was hidden underneath the FOR LEASE banner or they might be stripping the sign. I have to travel back to Streeterville next week & will try to remember to take a look.
Episode II is Attack of the Clones. I believe the red-faced villain you are referring to is Darth Maul who was introduced in Episode I, The Phantom Menace.
Which one was Episode II? Was that the one with villain who had the bright red face? I worked with a guy at the time who attended the opening of the red-faced villain Star Wars movie. He got his picture in the paper because he was wearing a costume of the red-faced villain (complete with colored contacts) that was near perfect.
The FOR LEASE sign is down.
I also fondly remember waiting to Star Wars Ep II at McClurg. Except I didn’t make it there for the midnight showing the first night. If I recall correctly, they didn’t announce that there would be midnight showings at McClurg until rather late in the game. Weeks earlier, they had announced showtimes for the first full day at McClurg. So assuming that would be the best I could do, I bought tickets for the primetime evening show at McClurg and went elsewhere for the midnight show the first night. Of course, when they announced the digital midnight show after it was too late, my friends gave me a lot of lip for poorly planning the events which I had bought them all tickets for and badgered me for depriving them of the opening night digital presentation at McClurg!
Waited for many hours for the midnight premiere of Star Wars Episode II in digital format on the wide screen. It was a night to remember. Every television station from Chicago was on hand. Some of our friends camped out in front for over two weeks.
The second movie in the 2002 picture was the remake of “Rollerball”.
Barney, I belive “Adventures in Babysitting” played at the McClurg until 8/5/87. That was the opening day of Stakeout. McClurg played that in 70MM. “Babysitting” might have been in 70MM too. I’ll look it up next time I go to the library.
Does anyone recall whether the local premier of “Adventures in Babysitting” was shown at McClurg Court Theater in Chicago? My husband worked on the filming (expressway scenes) and thus, we were given invited to the premier. I remember it being at the McClurg Court Theater and my husband remembers it being somewhere else. It was a wonderful Theater and I hope it reopens. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Right now, I’m in contact with some people in getting funding for my corporation. After that, I’ll be contacting Baum Realty(I belive they own the theater space) about reopening this and taking a look inside. I know this will be a tough journey, but we need a place to see art-house films after Esquire is gone and this would be perfect. Keep in mind that I know the dangers of going toe-to toe with River East. But, I have some plans to make this a winner again.
Hal T, I had a 70MM film festival idea already in mind. It’s good to know that I wasn’t the only one with that idea. And last time I was here, this place look very well keept, but the bathrooms were another story.
Hey! I’m all for re-opening this house too! But as the above individual noted, you better find out what shape it’s in first before you geet too excited about it! Knowing how well Cineplex was keeping up their theatres toward the end, especially their older ones, the inside could be a real nightmare! I always felt this could be a great film festival house along with art/specialty bookings, and as long as we are “dreaming” how about turning it back into a single screen while we are at it? The big curved screen that used to be in there would be great for a 70MM retro festival! I’m thinking Roger Ebert’s “Overlooked Film Festival” would be great here! Frankly, I think this is all wishful thinking, but what the heck, if you are going to dream, you might as well go for broke!
CinemarkFan….have you contacted the person in charge of selling the theatre ? Have you taken a tour inside to see how much work needs to be done ? When do you think you can have it open by? I really hope you reopen this theatre.
After reading today’s sun times, if I reopen this, I won’t be up against the Esquire for art house movies because Esquire will be closed and torn down soon. And we all know how well AMC books art house movies, so maybe I might have a shot. Plus, I’ve got so many ideas on how to keep this place profitable that people would love to come here.
DEPRESSING:
My girlfriend and I walked past this place on our way to Navy Pier recently. One of the windows was not frosted over and we peeked inside. The place still looks relatively intact, “Cineplex-Odeon-Mid-1980s-Carpeting” and all!
I regret that I never saw a movie here.
I was in the neighborhood on business today. It is indeed still quietly sitting there, with a “retail space for lease” sign out front.
What a bummer. I can remember going to this place with a gang of friends to see some premier when I was youger. The screen was huge, the sound was great, and the theatre was packed. Don’t remember the movie. But this would have been the mid-90’s. It was great. One of my best movie-going experiences ever.
Lubliner & Trinz was long, long gone by the inception of the McCLurg; however, Lubliner was one of four owners named at the McClurg’s opening, and Lubliner was named as the man selling it, and it was mentioned in conjuction with the Edens several times, so i’m sure Center and Edens would have been the same entity. Also, CinemarkFan should check the Tribune’s November 20, 1986, Tempo p12 microfilm- there should be a picture of the McClurg there. Other microfilm i’ve seen from the Trib shows parts of the lobby’s art and a fisheye photo of the entry, as well as overhead renderings of the entire McClurg Center complex.
The McClurg Court was a Lubliner/Trinz theatre. I was still in Illinois when it opened, and I vaguely remember hearing a story that the McVickers was made available for the stage presentation of “Fiddler on the Roof” with the stipulation that it get the motion-picture when it was made. While the McVickers continued to run legit stage shows, the McClurg Court was built specifically to do the first run of the movie “Fiddler”. That was the only movie I saw there since I left to come to New York not too long after the “Fiddler” run opened, but I do remember being impressed that at intermission the entre'act music was piped through to speakers in the lobby/concession area so the audience would know that the 2nd half was about to start. I was actually working part time as a projectionist at an Essaness Drive-In and in towns with Plitt Theatres and neither circuit was involved with the McClurg when it opened.
Then this was not a part of Plitt or Essaness? I thought that at one point it was. I plan on getting over to the Chicago Public Library (Harold Washington Library) to research old movie ads between 1975 and 2005. That way, I can determine who owned what.
It’s a shame what Cineplex-Odeon and Loews-Cineplex did to once fine theatres such as the McClurg, the Biograph, Chestnut Station, the Fine Arts, etc in their final years (i.e. showing sub-standard fare).
It had 1250 seats as a single for the Center Theaters chain who also owned the Edens), and opened November 10, 1972. It was billed as a ‘Return to Elegance’ and early reports said the lobby would be decorated in “funky 1930s Roxy-theater style complete with swans swimming in the pool.” The lobby also featured various artworks meant to evoke classic movie palaces. Incidentally, one of the owners was named Robert Lubliner. I’ll bet he was a relation of Lubliner & Trinz. Cineplex took over Lubliner’s Center Theaters (McClurg and Edens) in 1987.
Cinemark Fan,
I thought that you could call your chain “Cinemart”, a combination of “cinema” and “art.” But that sounds too much like the convience store on the SIMPSONS, “Kwik-e-mart.” However, you could split the words and call it “Cinema Art.”