Belpark Theatre

The Belpark Thatre was the largest theatre built in Chicago without a balcony. It also served as a department store before becoming a banquet hall. I believe the store's name was Steinberg & Baum.

Edward P. Steinberg, who designed the Belpark, was also the architect of the Genesee Theatre in the northern Chicago suburb of Waukegan, which is currently under restoration.

Have the banquet hall people shown respect for the building's interior?

I found a tribune article announcing a theater at this location designed by Rapp and Rapp, with a rendering that looks similar to the theater but different in a few ways. Chicago Tribune, September 20, 1925 A15

The facility is currently a bingo hall only. When I first saw it in the early 80's.. the auditorium was wide open and HUGE. The last time I was in there was several years ago... and they had installed a low 10 - 12 foot ceiling.

It was remodeled by Roy B. Blass in the 1940s

Here is a recent photo of the former Belpark Theater, now a bingo hall.

Richard G.may well be correct November 25, 2003 post. There was indeed a store called Steinberg-Baum. I vaguely remember that when I was a little girl, my Dad would buy something called "Sand Soap" there!

I even more vaguely remember that S-B had another location in Niles or Morton Grove or something, but I could be wrong.

Here's the website for the bingo hall:

www.goldentiarabingo.com/

I worked at the BelPark as an usher in the late forties. The pay was .45/hr. Being the head usher, I got to wear a tuxedo. Double features and daily matinees were constantly featured. My friends and I on occasion would play Phanthom of Opera back stage making use of the cat walks and spiral stair cases left over from Vaudville days.
I made a habit of saving the stills when the billing changed. Regretably, I lost them them all in a basment flood back in the sixties. At he time my wife and I were living at 15 S. Prospect in Park Ridge. This is right next door to the Pickwick.
I will always have fond memories of the BelPark; however, now our theatre of choice is the Pickwick. We do make an occasional run down to the Logan in Chicago for a special.
John Pitt
Park Ridge, IL

The BELPARK would be a stone's throw from the LUNA theatre, that is when the latter was there. The old BP bldg still seems to enjoy a lot of Bingo type vitality w/ the local seniors. Next door (north)to it used to be a popular bowling alley, but that unfortunately was torn down some years ago to make way for an auto dealership (this is Cicero Ave after all), which has now vacated (that part I don't regret).

But an earlier BELPARK post mentions the old Stienberg & Baum Dept. Store once occupying the BP bldg, which I don't believe's correct. The S&B store address was 3319 N. Cicero--now (and for some years) the site of the Irving Pk branch U.S. Post Office. All about 1/2 blk north of the BELPARK on the same side of Cicero. Recently the I.P. P.O. spruced-up their Cicero-side facade, and in doing so removed and replaced a covering over the old Steinberg & Baum store sign.

P.S.: it is true the S&B store bldg was torn down & rebuilt in the early '60s, but not at the BELPARK theatre site.

To clarify the last post and why many people still think the Theatre was the store.

You are Correct -- The Steinberg & Baum store was located one block north - on the same site of the Post Office.

The Bel Park was used as Steinbergs warehouse.

After Steinberg closed - The theatre was cleaned up and opened as The Golden Tiara Banquet Hall. I assume it failed to attract banquet business due to parking limitations ( no private parking lot). Thus - since the 80's - its been exclusively a Bingo Hall.

Listed as the Bel-Park in the 1953 Chicago phone directory. Phone number was PEnsacola 6-7379.

The auditorium kept some elements of decoration near the proscenium but the original decoration is still intact behind the drop ceiling.
Here are three pictures taken recently :
http://striped.online.fr/ct/chicago_belpark-theater-ceiling.jpg
http://striped.online.fr/ct/chicago_belpark-theater-lobby.jpg
http://striped.online.fr/ct/chicago_belpark-theater-orchestra.jpg

Nice photos Yves. Thank you for sharing.

I've always wondered what this place looked like.