Before it was gutted, it was run by Cineplex/Plitt. They were rather upset about being thrown out. Their plans had been to twin or quad the original auditorium. They also wanted to move the Esquire name to 900 N Michigan after they were booted.
When originally announced, it was said to have a 2,200 seating capacity with a mezzanine and balcony. Seating figures usually weren’t that inflated; was the balcony plan scrapped? It also was said to have a working stage.
I see a Jan 18, 1925 article describing a theater being built for Schoenstadt at Archer and Damen (close enough) by Hooper and Janusch, called the New Archer. Is that in fact the Midwest?
The original twin opened June 26, 1970 with “Paint Your Wagon” and “A Boy Named Charlie Brown”. It featured rocker seats and the architects were Edward Cohon and Associates. This must be one of the only theaters of this era still operating in Chicagoland.
I suggest the possibility of Eberson because the facade is an amazingly blatant knockoff of the Aragon. I know that at the Aragon, contemporary news articles, and even more recent ones have mistakenly attributed the design to Huszagh & Hill, who were always named as the architects, sometimes mentioning “with John Eberson associated.” My suggestion is that perhaps this was an Eberson design, maybe with some financial restraints causing a reuse of facade treatment, and attributed to architects Peacock & Frank just as the Aragon is attributed to Huszagh & Hill. This is all purely conjecture, and I am very likely wrong – I have know idea how deeply researched the theater is – but I think more research might be warranted, since the Eberson name could go a long way to saving the building.
Here is a photo of the building being washed down, probably as part of being remodeled as a theater. It is here identifed as Morrison Theater, 1920, so it probably had not opened yet. This also gives you a good idea of how sooty the loop got at that time, and the effectiveness of terra cotta in staying bright.
I very strongly wonder if this was actually an Eberson design. The exterior is quite clearly a knockoff of Eberson’s atmospheric Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, which, of course, was attributed not to Eberson but to local architects Huszagh & Hill with Eberson associated. Could this be the case here?
There are references to a theater here as early as 1912, as the Maplewood; architects were named as Grossman & Proskauer; and it seems very unlikely that a 299 seat cinema would open in 1927.
It was closed by 1945 and was purchased by an urn bag company, two years later, it sold again. After succeeding in getting a demolition order for the symphony theater, an austin community group in 1965 sought the same here. They succeeded in at least cleaning up and boarding the exterior.
Don’t forget Stratford Square, Belvidere in Waukegan (not listed here for whatever reason), and Singing River in Gautier, MS. Village seems to be a ‘kiss of death’, if you will.
Also, the Village is listed as an orange-rated building (second tier, from Red) on the Chicago Historic Resources Survey, which means that it is subject to a 90-day delay on issuance of a demolition permit, during which time it is researched to decide if it is eligible for landmark protection.
Yep, the same principals.
Before it was gutted, it was run by Cineplex/Plitt. They were rather upset about being thrown out. Their plans had been to twin or quad the original auditorium. They also wanted to move the Esquire name to 900 N Michigan after they were booted.
I’m really surprised Bigelow didn’t develop homes on the property.
When originally announced, it was said to have a 2,200 seating capacity with a mezzanine and balcony. Seating figures usually weren’t that inflated; was the balcony plan scrapped? It also was said to have a working stage.
Architect was E.P. Rupert.
It opened February 7, 1942 for Lucas management and the architect was Roy B. Blass
The Coral looks like it was the twin of the Arlington in Arlington Heights. Same operator too.
The firm is Gallup & Joy, like the Admiral, i’m pretty sure.
I see a Jan 18, 1925 article describing a theater being built for Schoenstadt at Archer and Damen (close enough) by Hooper and Janusch, called the New Archer. Is that in fact the Midwest?
They had the Howard Bowl at Clark and Howard for years, too. I thought I read somewhere they were getting back into movies again.
The original twin opened June 26, 1970 with “Paint Your Wagon” and “A Boy Named Charlie Brown”. It featured rocker seats and the architects were Edward Cohon and Associates. This must be one of the only theaters of this era still operating in Chicagoland.
I suggest the possibility of Eberson because the facade is an amazingly blatant knockoff of the Aragon. I know that at the Aragon, contemporary news articles, and even more recent ones have mistakenly attributed the design to Huszagh & Hill, who were always named as the architects, sometimes mentioning “with John Eberson associated.” My suggestion is that perhaps this was an Eberson design, maybe with some financial restraints causing a reuse of facade treatment, and attributed to architects Peacock & Frank just as the Aragon is attributed to Huszagh & Hill. This is all purely conjecture, and I am very likely wrong – I have know idea how deeply researched the theater is – but I think more research might be warranted, since the Eberson name could go a long way to saving the building.
Here are a few more photos of the exterior:
123
Here is a photo of the building being washed down, probably as part of being remodeled as a theater. It is here identifed as Morrison Theater, 1920, so it probably had not opened yet. This also gives you a good idea of how sooty the loop got at that time, and the effectiveness of terra cotta in staying bright.
I very strongly wonder if this was actually an Eberson design. The exterior is quite clearly a knockoff of Eberson’s atmospheric Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, which, of course, was attributed not to Eberson but to local architects Huszagh & Hill with Eberson associated. Could this be the case here?
Here is an architects' perspective of the building, and here is a photo
Whoops. Try again: here is another exterior from UMinn, and here is another
[url=http://snuffy.lib.umn.edu/image/srch/bin/Dispatcher?mode=600&id=atc3615c]Here[/ur;] is another exterior from UMinn
hahahahahahahahaha
There are references to a theater here as early as 1912, as the Maplewood; architects were named as Grossman & Proskauer; and it seems very unlikely that a 299 seat cinema would open in 1927.
It was closed by 1945 and was purchased by an urn bag company, two years later, it sold again. After succeeding in getting a demolition order for the symphony theater, an austin community group in 1965 sought the same here. They succeeded in at least cleaning up and boarding the exterior.
Architect was D.S. Pentecost
Don’t forget Stratford Square, Belvidere in Waukegan (not listed here for whatever reason), and Singing River in Gautier, MS. Village seems to be a ‘kiss of death’, if you will.
How odd, Village NEVER takes down the old owner’s signs!
Also, the Village is listed as an orange-rated building (second tier, from Red) on the Chicago Historic Resources Survey, which means that it is subject to a 90-day delay on issuance of a demolition permit, during which time it is researched to decide if it is eligible for landmark protection.