Biograph Theater

The Biograph closed in early 2001. The Victory Gardens Theater, which is currently seeking a larger venue, and is located just up Lincoln Avenue from the Biograph, has expressed serious interest in purchasing the Biograph as its new home.

As of yesterday, July 3, the Biograph has reopened as a first-run theatre. It's being run by the Village Entertainment mini-chain.

The Biograph was once known for showing independent films (besides the Music Box and the Fine Arts downtown). It went through several chains from Plitt to Cineplex Odeon to Loews/Cineplex to Meridian to Village Theaters.

The Biograph was a hugely popular art house in the 1970's. So much so that the owner decided to add two smaller theaters upstairs that he called the Ritz and the Roxy. For some reason people became confused by the names and it was soon just named the Biograph 1-3. Every year on the anniversary of Dillinger's shooting the theater would play the same movie (Manhattan Melodrama) that was showing that night. The admission price was the same as it was that evening and customers were encouraged to dress in 1930's clothing. The seat where Dillinger supposedly sat is painted a different color from the other seats and is quite easy to notice (left hand side about two thirds down, first seat off the aisle to the left).The Biograph was also the first place in Chicago to start the midnight showings of "Rocky Horror Picture Show" which lasted a few years. When the theater closed in late 2000 it was dark for over a year with the exception of the occasional film festival. They have since re-opened but one wonders for how long. There are no ads in the Chicago Sun-Times for the Biograph, only in the Tribune. The last time I was there I saw "Rules of Attraction" in one of the tiny theaters upstairs with 4 others. When checking out the big theater, which was showing "Sweet Home Alabama" there were only 2 people in the 7pm show.

The Biograph was built in 1914 and as a single-screen theater, sat about 1000. Its architect was Samuel N. Crowen, who would later go on to design the Art Deco-meets neo-Gothic gem, the Willoughby Tower at 8 S. Michigan Avenue, in 1928.

A 1930s view of the Biograph's exterior (including the long-gone vertical sign) can be seen here.

The Biograph was also owned by my grandfather, Harry Moses Lubliner back in the '20-'30.

The Biograph Theater was built by Henry Ericsson & Co, general contractors. Henry Ericsson also owned the building into the 1920's. (Henry Ericsson was my great-grandfather). He built other theaters in Chicago including the Roosevelt, The Cort Theater, and The Lane Court.

I just returned form a trip to Chicago which included a family reunion and a tour of the Biograph. (My great grandfather built it, owned it until 1922 when it went to a holding company controlled by his wife Lena and brother Charles... and then it was transferred to his 7 children in 1947. My grandmother sold her interest in 1972 - I am curious which relative Mr. Lubliner is?. Part of my documentation includes tax payments (really neat, and cheap by today's standards)and floor plans throughout its history.

The theater is going to be turned into a 'legitimate' theater in the next few months, significantly changing the interior structure (little remains of the original). The main theater will lose half of its seats when a stage is built, and one the upper theaters will be modified with flate (rather than raked) floors. Exploratory tests have shown some original work may be hidden beneath the dropped ceilings, but it is too early to know what can/will be preserved.

Fmtheis, I believe Lubliner & Trinz was the circuit that originally operated the Biograph when it first opened before it was later acquired by Essaness. I haven't heard anything about the Biograph becoming a legit theater in the news here in Chicago, so I'm very interested about this development. I know that when Loews Cineplex closed the Biograph in 2001, there was talk about the Victory Gardens Theatre considering taking over the space, but that obviously never came to pass since it was reopened by Village Theatres in 2002.

I attended "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" at The Biograph from 3/80 to 6/83 and it holds very special memories for me.
Anybody know if the beautifully ornate building a little to the north which once housed Wax Trax records was of any historic signifigence?

Are there any old pa amplifiers from the Biograph available for purchase... That is, of course, if they are not going to be otherwise used.

Michael

You'd have to contact the owner, Village theatres. http://www.villagetheatres.com

The Biograph Theater has now closed. This despite the listings showing it open today. Oh well.

Also, I believe this was a three screen, as there were only three placards and three films booked. But never having been there I can't confirm this.

The Biograph was a three-screen house although, having never seen a film there, I can't attest to the layout.

Brian Wolf & br91975, the Biograph has (or had, as the case may be) three screens: one main one on the first level and two smaller ones upstairs. On thing I found charming was the old-fashioned ticket seller's box.

I only saw one film at the Biograph, back in the early 1970s... A DAY IN THE LIFE OF IVAN DENISOVITCH. Don't remember the last of the film tho; I and the Lady I was with had smoked our brains out on weed before coming in, and we fell asleep! <<grin>>

Back then, the whole area was a hippie hangout; right across the street was the old folk music club, "Somebody Else's Troubles".

The alley where Dillinger was shot no longer exists as a building was built over it. I saw Rocky Horror there as well in 1978-79. The show was well established and regulars brought all the props. The show was always packed. I maybe confusing locations, but wasn't there a small "Arts" theater called the Three Penny across the street?
I recall a revival theater opening off the Argyle "EL" stop. I saw The Wizard of Oz on the big screen there for the very first time. I was thrilled to see details I never saw on all the years I'd seen it on tv.
Living on the northside in what was then called "New Town", Belmont was my EL stop and I often saw films at the Lakeshore Theater.
I worked in an old theater on Clark Street that had been converted into an mini-indoor shopping center. The ornate white stone facade was all that was left and it was called The Century. Anybody know anything about it?
Ken Raney

Ken, the Three Penny is directly across the street from the Biograph. Regarding The Century, it continues to expand and there are now seven movie screens on the top floor of the mall; they show artsy and foreign films these days.

The Dillinger alley is still there, the buildings around it have just changed. http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/B/BiographTheater3.html This shows a diagram of the Dillinger Shooting; the grocery was demolished recently and a coldstone and qdoba now occupy its site. The 3 Penny is still there, twinned. As far as I know, the only theatre just off Argyle was the Argmore, but that closed in the 50s. Perhaps you're thinking of the Bryn Mawr, directly next to the Bryn Mawr stop? The Century Centre, and all the other theatres you mention are all listed on this site.

A brief story in today's Chicago Tribune notes that Victory Gardens' renovation of the Biograph is now to be completed by fall of 2006 rather than fall of 2005.

The thing I can’t understand is how can 3 Penny keep surviving but Biograph seemed unable to stay afloat? It is not like I want 3 Penny to close anything but the Biograph is across the street and people seemed like they just didn’t want to go to Biograph .

I don't think it really was about that. It was open right up til Victory Gardens announced their purchase, and they had been investigating it for a long time. And the ownership shuffle probably didn't help, but that was largely a matter of bankruptcies. Granted, VG has seemingly done very little renovating so far (funding?). It's good to see it in the hands of someone who will use it rather than tear it down, even if their plan isn't totally ideal. It should at least look better.

As has been an annual tradition for years, the JOHN DILLINGER DIED FOR YOU SOCIETY will convene outside the Biograph on the evening of July 22, 2005. The public is invited. Also, Dillinger's alley is still there. Contrary to popular belief. tho, the telephone pole there has been replaced many times.

Village Entrainment is the biggest dumb as*es working in the theater exhibitor business today. Village has no public relations first of all. They do no advertising what so ever. There are no newspaper ads and not even the Village Entrainment web site works anymore
http://www.villagetheatres.com The Webmaster had some kind of falling out with Village, which am sure was over money. Village has grown over the years but does not have the money to keep theatres running, either because they don’t have the financial backing or they simply don’t want to spend the money. Biograph Theater was sentence to death under Village’s name. Village sentenced Water Tower Theatre to death. That is just to name a few. Note to big chains if you want to destroy a theatre without a bad mark on your name sell it to Village Entertainment. Landlords want a reason to use a theatre space for other use rent it to Village! At Village Entertainment will kill them all!! No theatre is too big! 1,2,3, 4 screens even 5. Heck give us 20 we kill them too!

True story: I was watching The Prince of Tides here a few years ago. I was sitting toward the back and was there pretty much by myself. In front of me I was watching various audience members look down once in a while into the aisles. Shortly afterward I heard a loud squeeking. I looked down and about 12 inches from my feet was a very large rat. I jumped out of my seat and ran into the lobby. I asked for a manager and he told me that there was a big rat infestation in the theater because there was some kind of renovation work going on next door. I had him retrieve my coat and got my money back. Believe it or not, I did go back to the Biograph but sat with my feet tucked under me for the entire movie.

I have to agree with markh cause I attended The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Biograph too from 79 to 83 and it also brings back great memories too and I also remember Trax Wax too mark near the Biograph. It was great growing up there.

This is a 2003 photo of the Biograph Theater.

This is a vintage photo of the Biograph Theater.

The 2000 film, High Fidelity, starring John Cusack, filmed in front of the Biograph. John does monologue about Dillinger being shot by the FBI because of his (expletive) girlfriend tipping them off (going along with the theme of the movie).

Interior demolition recently began. The lobby is now essentially gutted. Sad, I had thought they would try to restore it.

There was very little in the lobby to preserve. That area of the theater had no detailed plaster work of any kind. There was one small wood section that had some painted detail, and a short run of carved wood that appears to have had lights in it at one time, but other than that, it was pretty much concrete and ductwork. The original bricks on the walls will be exposed and cleaned, it should be a nice restoration from the current drywall.

I personally grabbed a couple chunks of ornamental, albeit relatively simple, plaster from the dumpster last week. Certainly it's been remodeled a number of times in its history, and this was probably covered over, but it did exist. Are either of those wood sections to be maintained? And what about the main theater, or the upstairs? And yes, I agree it will probably be an improvement over the most recent appearance, and it will look nice, but it's not really restoration. Brick does fit with the Victory Gardens aesthetic from the current location, which I do like. Why was the 'Biograph' over the doors removed? And why is the white pediment over the entrance missing in the renderings? Is the marquee going to be repainted correctly, with the proper typeface and striping missing in the present paint scheme?

The plaster pieces you refer to were from the auditorium, not the lobby and I was responding to your comment about the lobby. Much of the plaster like what you pulled from the dumpster had water damage, and more of it was damaged in earlier renovations. They did try to salvage it by prying it off the wall, but the pieces literally pulverized in the effort. (Please note - the debris in a dumpster is very unstable and it can be quite dangerous to dig around in one). I don't know about the Biograph over the door - are you referring to the faux deco lettering that was added in the 80s? The renderings that you mention are conceptual sketches only and do not represent a completed design. Hope this helps!

Yes, that's the lettering I refer to. I had assumed it was an 80s renovation too initially because the deco style didn't seem to ring true, but it's present in 1939 photos I saw on ebay (I have these saved to disk, in case you'd like me to email them). I've seen similar signage above doors in other deco remodels. It is strange that the lettering there didn't originally match the marquee. In these photos, the colors were reverse of the more recent style and the marquee was painted awkwardly, as well. The underside of the marquee was also white in these. The poster cases were also somewhat larger. Don't get me wrong, i'm very excited to see the Biograph put to a greater use, and I think it's an excellent project - i'm just a bit concerned about what might be lost. Plaster can always be re-cast! And don't worry, I wouldn't be so foolish as to climb in a dumpster, it was right on top. I go to Depaul, so I will be watching this project intently. If any volunteer labor is desired, don't hestiate to contact me. I also have pdfs of the 1914 Tribune articles announcing the theater.

I would love to see the photos! Early photos of the Biograph are very hard to come by and they would be most useful. As to your earlier questions about the second level - that space is in a separate building, and the two theories I have heard are that there was a ballroom or a pool hall up there. There will be a rehearsal room now and there is a studio theater to be built in a future project. Glad to see you're being careful. Unfortunately this is a union project, so we cannot use volunteer labor. Please shoot me an email with the pics when you get a chance. Thanks!

Brian, could you post a link to access the pdfs of the 1914 Tribune article for the rest of us? Thanks!

There is a terrific early view of the Biograph's auditorium here, the fourth photo from the bottom.

Sure, just send me an email with your address and i'll send my materials right over - or I can put them on a CD and drop them by VG since i'm by there all the time. My address is in my profile. I do seem to recall reading that it was a ballroom, billiards, dance studio, and storage at times, but I don't have time to look up all the articles I had seen at the moment to confirm.

There's not really anywhere I can post them, and it would be copyright infringement to post them elsewhere. However, if you'd like to look up the microfilm at your library, or if you have access to the tribune archives by having a Chicago Public Library card, you can look for April 16, 1914, p17 and a correction in April 19, p11. There is little information in it- only a couple of paragraphs, without any new info, essentailly just sketching the basics - but it is of historical interest. I do encourage people with CPL cards to go on the CPL website and poke around until you find the Chicago Tribune historical archive database, there is an enormous wealth of information out there, and you can really hone your searching skills.

Bryan, that is a great view. Never having actually been in the Biograph myself, can anyone say what, if anything was/is left of this?

Bryan, the last time I went to the Biograph was in 1999 to see "The Sixth Sense". It looked completely different than the photo I posted yesterday. I guess I was in one of the smallish auditoriums carved out of the old balcony space. It looked fairly much like a generic 80s multiplex to me, from what I recall.

Well, the Roxy and Ritz were not balcony theaters at all- they were in adjacent former loft/ballroom/billiards/meeting space above the storefronts, added in mid-1983. The main auditorium, as illustrated by your picture, is clearly too low to have had a balcony. I'm surprised to see that picture; it looks like the acoustics must have been horrible when talkies hit. Gene Siskel seems to have loved the theaters; in a 1984 article comparing multiplexes, he said "these three lovingly-designed theaters are among my favorites anywhere in the metropolitan area," and "the two upstairs mini-theaters are without qualification the prettiest mini-theaters in town; in fact, to call them mini-theaters is to do them a disservice." Of course, the comparison was to Chestnut Station, Water Tower Place, and the Fine Arts 4. He was a bit wary of the takeover from Larry Edwards to Plitt.

Here is an article from today's Chicago Tribune about the current status of the Biograph's renovation project.

Another update about the progress being made on the Biograph from today's Chicago Sun-Times can be seen here.

Another update . . . from yesterday's Daily Southtown:

http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsnews/123abn5.htm

Other than to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show, I'd been to the Biograph only once. It was in 1984 and it was to see the full-length version of "Once Upon A Time In America." The Biograph was the only theatre in the Chicagoland Area to show this version--the other cinemas showed the chopped-up 2 hour version. Right before the show, the usher walked up on stage to warn people that this was a 3 1/2 hour movie and that there would be an intermission.

The Biograph was, for a time, the Near North's "Art" house. As time went on and as Cineplex-Odeon gained control, the Biograph showed more and more general fare and abandoning all "Art" films all together. "Rocky Horror" eventually ceased playing there as well. And if memory serves me correctly, towards the end of Cineplex/Loews-Cineplex ownership, the Biograph was actually showing lousy fare.

And here's a 2003 photo from the Cinematour website. The carpet definitely says "1980s Cineplex-Odeon."

http://www.cinematour.com/picview.php?db=us&id=26192

Yeah, I remember that carpet at Burnham Plaza and McClurg Court. I was going to go to the Biograph a few years ago, but it never happened.

The poster cases, concession stand, and marble tile are also very CO.

The Depaulia newspaper printed an article on the Biograph project this week; it is not online yet, but it included several photos showing the project. The theatre is indeed 100% gutted. Quote VG's head, Dennis Zacek, "We are doing our best to move forward past this particular period in Chicago history." Which begs the question, Why move into a historic landmark?

Because if Victory Gardens didn't move in, it would be likely that the former Biograph would be torn down or gutted for retail use (i.e. not used for theatrical purposes).

No, it is not. It is on both the National Register of Historic Places (since 1984) and is a designated Chicago Landmark, giving it two layers of protection for the exterior, so it could not have been torn down easily at all, and earlier plans for its city landmarking would have landmarked the lobby as well. Who knows what political deals led to that part being dropped. Who cares if it's used for theatrical purposes? The Biograph was always first and foremost a movie house. Biograph, after all, was one of the top silent film studios. If it's gutted either way, with nothing left of the old interior, what's the difference? Look again at The Chicago Landmark page. It says that in addition to the Dillinger connection (though the building he was actually shot at was torn down in the last 5 years; there's a Qdoba there now) it was chosen as typical of early theater construction. For the Natipnal Register, it was named as significant in the areas of Performing Arts (as an early movie house) and Social History (Dillinger). The Biograph has lost what made it historically interesting as a movie house and now Zacek wants to ignore anything that made it historic in the gangster era. So I ask again, why move into a historic landmark if you're only interest is in destroying that history? It's almost the same thing as what happened at Soldier Field.

Here is the article from when it was recieving city landmark status.

Brian Wolf,

I see your point, and yes there is a lot of history attached to the Biograph. And I'll not dispute you that Soldier Field looks terrible (it looks like somebody plopped one stadium down into another).

But as your message states, there probably was a lot of political wheeling and dealing going on. This same sort of wheeling and dealing has done in other supposedly landmark buildings too and my point was that I'd rather see the place used as a performing arts facility of some sort rather than be demolished or turned into condos.

Also a lot of former cinemas have enjoyed successful second lives as live theatres.

In an earlier message by you, you state that the ownership shuffle didn't help either. As you know, the place went from Cineplex Odeon to Loews-Cineplex to Meridien to Village.

As far as I know, the only declared Chicago Landmark that has been demolished was the McCarthy building on Block 37. The Chicago landmarking should prevent issuance of permit without review to certify that it would not destroy the character of a landmark (which I would argue has happened here, which i'll explain shortly). The interior of the Biograph, for whatever reason, is NOT among the protected interiors list [url=http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/Tours/Interiors.html]here[/url}. Notice the Chicago, Uptown, and New Regal are. National Register protections prevent federal or state encroachment on historic properties, I believe. But in any case, the exterior should be protected. One of the things removed when the lobby was gutted inculded a deco "BIOGRAPH" sign above the doorway, which had been enclosed in the 80s when the doorway was moved forward to include the box office. It was an exterior component, though, and I think that may constitute an exterior alteration.

Brian W, I am sure that more than one Chicago Landmark has bitten the dust. One was a farm house that was on the NW side near Devon and Milwaukee. It was about as old as the Clarke House on Indiana Ave. It actually had an "Indian Escape" room. In the late 1970s, it was bulldozed in the middle of the night so that the property owners could build a Dominick's Foods.

But I digress. On another note, do you know if Victory Gardens is going to keep the Biograph name and the marquee? I think we can agree that at least THAT should be retained.

Oh, they will. They've always used the marquee in their campaigns, etc, and continue to. And that is also protected under the landmarking. I'll look into the farm house thing, that sounds totally unfamiliar to me. And I suppose i'll drop my objection to the remodeling of the entrance, because poking my head inside I now see an ornate metal ceiling (or maybe just part of the original marquee) is visible where that had been.

This has nothing to do with the Biograph, but since we're discussing chicago landmarks, I think it's appropriate. I think I found the house you were talking about. The first designated landmark demolished, the 1851 Rincker house, which stood opposite of Superdawg - now a parking lot for a dunkin donuts, I think - was demolished in 1980 following a suspicious, probably-arson fire (which only destroyed the interior of the salvageable building). It was the second-oldest in the city, and the only remaining example of German Gothic Revival architecture in Chicago, built of thick mud brick faced in timber. Interestingly, the demo permit for that was only issued as a result of an address mix-up, the same thing that happened with the Hayes-Healy gym on depaul last year (although that was not a landmark). 25 years, and they still haven't figured out to list every concievable address of landmarks. As a footnote, prior to the present landmarks commission, an earlier 1957 organization with no enforcement power had designated 38 landmarks, 7 of which were later destroyed (Sullivan's Garrick, Sullivan house, Meyer, and Stock Exchange; the Edison shop; the Cable building; and the Leiter I.)

This really was the best turn of events for the long term future of the theater. There was no practical way that anyone was going to be able to keep it as a movie theater. Sure, they could restore it as a movie theater, but it would of cost a fortune to do so, and once the novelty wore off, it would of gone right back to being a failing business. Noone was going to take that on.

As for the inside being gutted, it's not like there was all kinds of ornate interiors to be saved. The place had been done over so many times, there really wasn't even anything left to save. The marquee was really the only thing that was ever that striking about the place, and as long as that is restored and maintained, I feel it's a win-win-win, for the Theater, for the Victory Gardens, and for the neighborhood. To me, the only options were for a project such as the current one to be undertaken or for the theater to have remained vacant and continued to fall into further and further disrepair.

For those who were talking about Village's short reign, my favorite part was when they left after their half-ass rennovation, they took everything they could with them -- even the lightbulbs. If you look at the marquee today, you can see that all of the lightbulbs except for the top few rows were pulled out. The only reason that the top row's still there is that the workers they had doing it couldn't reach them from their scaffolding. It was pretty funny, I was watching them doing it.

Here is a profile from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency's HAARGIS system. It includes a small picture.Here is another that seems to be describing another building entirely but includes another picture.

Here is a profile from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency's HAARGIS system. It includes a small picture. Make sure to click the background information link to fully understand WHY it was put on the Register. Here is another that seems to be describing another building entirely but includes another picture.

Just receved news about the Biograph the marquee(as seen in picture in description) is being removed and the theatre is to be renamed something like Victory Gardens At the Biograph. A new marquee is to be installed work crews were out their to day removing it.
I saw it on WGN-TV ch9 on the 9pm news cast.
The Chicago Historical Musueium from what i understand is in talkes to buy the marquee. The Biograph is on the National Regestary of Historical Places. Just thought you might want to know that information thank you for you time :)

Brian, the photos at that link looks like it was taken before CO took over.

Here is a story about the work. Looks like they're at least going to try fixing some historic features. I just don't really even care anymore.

Here is an article with one of the better historical views of it that i've seen.

Here is a set of photos on flickr taken during the demolition. I think these are the features Tracy N referred to earlier. I think one part of these is still there, although now hidden partially by black paint and a 'cloud' ceiling decoration. Otherwise none of the original interior remains except for a terra cotta statue that was salvaged.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47636110@N00/77617714/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47636110@N00/5591005/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47636110@N00/5591004/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47636110@N00/5590995/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47636110@N00/77617713/

It is true that the interior has been completely redone and those features are gone (except for the two pieces Brian refers to above - the terra cotta statue he refers to is the last link he included in his comment, the lady with the shield - it is still in it's original location. The facade is a different story - we are working to restore it in a historically accurate manner to the 1930s look. We are replacing the black tile that was added in the eighties with storefront as it originally was. The rest will be cleaned and repaired as needed to get us back to that 30s look.

The facade is already looking far better with the cleaning and tuckpointing. Could you tell us a little more about what was found with the three marquees? The first one I assume was a plain canopy, and the third the one that is familiar to us, but what was the second? I was volunteering there saturday and no one seemed to know. I also somehow missed the Terra Cotta statue, where is that located? And is the blacked-out ceiling moulding in the entry vestibule one of the pieces in the above photos? Thanks.

Also, if you e-mail me i'd be happy to provide you with the photos I have.

It's too bad there wasn't more to be salvaged, but there are at least a handful of similar theaters around that are more or less still there, like the Calo, Lakeshore, Logan, Lakeside, Rosewood, Pickford, and Peerless.

Well as it turned out there was only ever on front face of the marquee, it was just painted over again and again. The sides and bottom were basically added onto twice, and punched through to get to the electrical feed. Those seem to have been recreated pretty close to what was there before, looking the same, but making the marquee wider and lower. The interior was very badly damaged from years of faulty roof drainage running through it. There was quite a lot of rust and it was structurally unsound. Interestingly, it was not actually attached to the building. It was mainly held up by the cables from above and the whole marquee slid into a pocket in the face of the building and just rested there.

The statue is in the electrical room in the south east corner of the building. We did not have a certificate of occupancy for that portion of the building, so you couldn't get to it. It will not be in a public area, but I could walk you through if you'd like. And yes, that is the same area as the photos.

Sorry to have missed you Saturday, I was there from 3:30 on.

I remember going here to see that Eddie Murphy/Red Fox gangster movie. Can't remember the name now. It was after Cineplex Odeon spent some money on the place. Lobby was modernized (with smooth surfaces and lots of neon decoration) but the large auditorium still retained it's original details (albeit under grey paint). New seating, new carpet. I think they added two cinemas in what had been a ballroom upstairs. Classic marquee and box office were still there. Sound was good in the main auditorium. One of my better movie-going recollections from the old days.

The marquee is now up and windows are in. The re-lighting ceremony will be tonight. Unfortunately, I don't think it is quite historically accurate. These are the issues I saw: The new typeface for 'Biograph' is correct, but the outer ribbon as shown in Dillinger-era photos was evidently two distinctly colored thin ribbons, as opposed to the one thick one it is now. I'm guessing one ribbon was likely red and one yellow. The underside of the canopy is done in black semi-corrugated metal, as in the last iteration, but old photos as well as uncoverings during the removal of the old marquee show it was smooth and white. The Essaness lettering was neonized; the Victory Gardens lettering is not. The lettering boards are white movable lettering where the originals were reverse lettering. The new box office is in again and looks pretty good. So do the windows. The poster area is dark gray textured cement over sheetrock where vintage photos show what is likely glazed brick and poster cases. Maybe they'll be putting up poster cases over that tomorrow, but that wouldn't be accurate to the Dillinger-era anyway. The bases of the support piers should be green pulsichrome terra cotta to look like granite, but are instead painted. Overall it looks nice, and fresh, and certainly a major improvement, but it's disingenuous to call it historically accurate, because it just isn't.

Thanks for your feedback, Brian. There are a couple of points I would like to clarify. I am not sure what "ribbon" you mean, but it is my understanding have researched this that we have detailed it to the 30s look. The underside of the canopy is again a recreation of the 30s look. From all photos I saw the Essaness lettering did not look neonized, so we did not include neon in the Victory Gardens lettering. The lettering boards are an exact replica of the original lettering boards and use black channel letters that hook onto the sign. White letters would not show against the white background. No letters have been put up yet, as they arrived at the site approximately an hour ago. The areas that you refer to as gray texturized cement are not yet complete, so the current look does not relfect the finished look. The final look will be a black cement plaster with a high gloss finish, and yes, the poster cases are going back up. I don't know where you saw the green pulsichrome terra cotta, there certainly was no evidence of it existing when we removed the metal panels that had been added in the eighties, and as we only have black and white photos available from that time, we can't really speculate whether it may have been green at some point. Hope this helps!

Thanks again for the reply, Tracy, I really do appreciate it. I'll be there tonight, and i'll bring photos, so we could perhaps discuss it? I wear a green jacket.

Brian - so sorry I missed you! I will be around the theater today at about noon - perhaps you can come by? I will also be around next week most days as well- I know you still want to get in the electrical room and see the plaster lady. I still have some facade work that will occur over the next few weeks, and would love to see the photos you have before I finalize. Thanks! Tracy

Per the free newspaper SKYLINE (which is a neighborhood newspaper run by Pioneer Press), the marquee was lit on September 28, 2006.

No matter what some of the above posters have said, I'm GLAD that Victory Gardens took over the Biograph. It is wonderful that it will be used for performing arts instead of being converted to condos or retail or demolished. Let's be real, the Biograph had been losing money for years as a cinema and that's what would have happened to it had Victory Gardens not stepped in. I can't wait to attend a play here.

Agreed.

My 1984 night-time photo of BIOGRPAH
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/266599732

Not sure if this was posted here yet, but here is a view of the newly restored marquee of the Biograph.

You know what? Entertain all the historical accuracy arguments you want. It looks pretty damn cool! Well done!!!

Well yeah! I agree it looks cool. I'm just saying is all.

This is another recent photo of the Biograph Theater.

Good article in the WA POST on the grand re-opening and festivities.

That article is here

This theater certainly has interesting history with its connection to the infamous Dillinger name!

Here are my photos of the Biograph.

Brian is correct about the Marquee orginally having ribbons with two colors. If you look at http://egov.cityofchicago.org/Landmarks/B/BiographTheater2.html you can see a picture that claims to be right after Dilliger was shot. Also Brian is right about the lettering on the old sign being different. In the photo it is a black background with white letters. This being said I do like the new marquee. It is a very good job, glad to see the used actual light bulbs! Only compaint is that I think they could have made the Victory Gardens a little bit bigger on the sign.

In July, 1934, crowds started gathering outside the theatre as soon as news circulated of Dillinger's death. A woman in the center foreground of this photo is already displaying a newspaper "late extra" with the front-page headline, "DILLINGER SLAIN":
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/biomelo.jpg

My close up black and white photo of the BIOGRAPH.

www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/349822888

Didn't a short-lived chain called Meridien (or something like that) operate the Biograph for awhile?

Meridian, yes, from 1998-2000.

The Dillinger police shoot-out was not the only one that took place in, or near, a Chicago movie theatre, as the following news item explains:

Chicago Daily News, Thursday, August 18, 1955, p. 5, c. 9:

DILLINGER, DURKIN, AMEDEO
RECALL OTHER HUNTS FOR COP-KILLERS

The biggest--and bloodiest--manhunts in Chicago history have always been staged in the tracking down of cop killers. The search for Richard Carpenter recalls other names: John Dillinger, Martin J. Durkin, Gus Amedeo. The search for Durkin ended in his capture. The hunts for Dillinger and Amedeo ended with their deaths.

The bloodiest of manhunts was staged for the notorious Dillinger. Sixteen men lost their lives in the months he was being sought. Several of the dead were policemen, jail guards and an Ohio sheriff. Others were hoodlums and Dillinger himself. Dillinger was shot down by FBI men July 22, 1934, as he left the Biograph theater, 2433 Lincoln. This is three miles from the Biltmore theater, where policeman Clarence Kerr staged a gunfight Wednesday night with Carpenter.

Gus Amedeo was shot 13 times last Oct. 29 by police who had searched the city for the cop killer. He died in a gun duel at Clark and Berwyn, where police intercepted him, a few minutes after he left a movie at the Calo theater, 5401 Clark. Amedeo was wanted for the slaying of Detective Charles Annerino, who tried to arrest the killer in a saloon.

The hunt in 1925 for Durkin, slayer of federal agent Edwin C. Shanahan and once indicted for the slaying of Police Sgt. Harry Gray, was staged by hundreds of police and FBI men. It led from Chicago to Hollywood and back to St. Louis, where Durkin was captured and sent to prison.
_____________________________________________

Please see under Calo and Biltmore theatres for information concerning the Carpenter and Amedeo shoot-outs.

Ad for the Biograph, Chicago Tribune, Friday, July 22, 1960 (theatre section):

BIOGRAPH, 26th anniversary of Dillinger's killing in front of the Biograph! See it now at this theatre where it happened! James Stewart "The FBI Story" plus Myron Healy as John Dillinger in "Guns Don't Argue" Open 1:30 Cool!

Some video of the restored marquee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS3ZHnVokHM

The Biograph was extensively modernized by Cineplex-Odeon (refer to my above post. For additional views of the auditoriums in the post C-O era, click on here http://www.mekong.net/random/cinema4a.htm and then find the set that has the Biograph.

All of the Cineplex-Odeon details are present. Look at the carpet, the zig-zag patterns on the wall (Cinemark Fan would enjoy that, he's asked me if several former C-Os had that pattern). It was true that a lot of historic details were lost. But it was an attempt by C-O to modernize its theatres and it didn't look too bad (or more accurately it didn't look as bad as some "modernizations") Cineplex-Odeon entered the Chicago Market with good intentions, however the company really over-extended itself.

This link will take you directly to the Biograph http://www.mekong.net/random/cinema14.htm however, I recommend using the link in the above post to check out many good pictures of Chicago Cinemas. Just keep clicking on "next set" after you view each set of photos.

The building looks great. Very uplifting. Every time I drive through that intersection it catches my eye.

The cornice has recently been repainted to match the terra cotta and the old lighting sockets in it were covered over, so it's unlikely we'll ever see that lighting function again. I'm not sure if the color is historically accurate or not.

Here is a recent photo of the Biograph Theater.

Currently, the recently built building two doors down (home to a Qdoba) from the Biograph is receiving a false floor facade, presumably for the John Dillinger biopic starring Johnny Depp. It looks quite faithful to the actual grocery store that used to be there, and I hope they keep it up as it looks a lot better with it. Ironically, this may mean the insignificant grocery two doors away from the Biograph will have a more historically accurate appearance than the Biograph itself. It's a shame the interior wasn't restored for other scenes...

In other news, the debt Victory Gardens incurred in the extravagant Biograph work has forced it to sell its longtime home down the street. In another irony, the sale includes a covenant that it remain a theater for 25 years; the Victory Gardens, then, will be preserved in the way the Biograph wasn't.

That should read a false front facade. The other two nearby buildings are getting them too, and they are temporary, unfortunately.

Supposedly filming for "Public Enemies" will happen on the 20th. So far, scenes have been shot at the Pittsfield Building, Clark and Newport, Union Station, a church at 2259 S Damen, 18th & Throop, 106th & Torrence, 35th & King (Probably the Bronzeville Cultural Center)

More historic Dillinger sites: http://www.uptownupdate.com/2008/04/notorious-uptown.html

http://chicagoist.com/2008/05/16/public_enemies_1.php Has a nice view of the temporary facades

More photos of the filming:
http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa188/ffrraann/PublicEnemies/
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v228/kissthesky4371/Public%20Enemies/
http://s303.photobucket.com/albums/nn144/star_gazing_photos/
http://goneelsewhere.wordpress.com/2008/05/23/michael-manns-public-enemies-shooting-in-chicago/
http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/2508/exclusive-hollywoodchicagocom-photographs-biograph-set-for-john-dillinger-killing-in-public-enemies

Here is a July 24, 1934 photo of the "Dillinger death site" with the Biograph in the background. It's really amazing how accurately the false facades were created for the Dillinger movie to mimic the actual old buildings, especially the National Food store.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=27775172&blogID=399853708

My mom grew up in the Biograph's neighborhood. We drove by recently during the "Public Enemies" 1934 street recreation, and she bolted from my car to take pictures for her brothers. She said it was exact down to the street car tracks laid down the middle of Lincoln. She then remembered as a child in the `40's, that on the Dillenger anniversaries, someone would loosely paint footsteps of where Dillinger ran from the Biograph and down the alley, where he met his demise. Neighborhood kids would run the same path while playing.

Which triggered my memory that up until 1980-something, the theater itself had one seat painted silver inside. Supposedly where Dillinger sat.
I'm pretty sure it was still painted when I saw "Tucker" there in 1988.
My last film to enjoy at the Biograph was "The Nightmare Before Christmas".
A freebie a friend had gotten passes too. NBC's local critic Norman Mark sat in a previously taped off seat in front of us.
I asked him if Dillinger sat there, and got my smile for the day.

P.S. The Three Penny Cinema across the street from the Biograph, was already closed down prior to the recent filming. A vintage, prop hotel sign was hung off the front.

I just saw pictures of the new Victory Garden Theatre. I can't believe it. I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry.

Here is a recent night photo.

I don't know if these photos have been posted before.

Does anyone have info on the rose dish set they gave away for dish night?

FYI. Trailers for "Public Enemies" are now starting to appear. Brief glimpses of the Biograph's 1934 transformation from their time shooting here, are in edited into some of them.
Since everyone pretty much knows the story ends there, they are likely using the Biograph footage sparingly for the promos. Just the right amount of tease. Having witnessed some of the Biograph/street scene build-out, I can't wait to see how it transfers to film.

1982 Photo

Another photo can be seen here.

Wow, that pic must be from last week. Depp & crew were just here for the premiere at the AMC theatres down on Illinois Street. WGN's Dean Richards interviewed Depp the day of. I didn't realize they did another promotional stint actually at the Biograph.
I didn't think the renovated Biograph?Victory Gardens space included provisions for showing films.

Here's one of my pictures of the Biograph from last year (right after PUBLIC ENEMIES was filmed).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bruce_theatres/3553040692/

I saw a clip from "Public Enemies" last night; there's a scene shot in the interior of the Aurora Paramount which may be standing in for the interior of the Biograph.

Me too...From watching the scene, the theater looks authentic.

This is a nice close-up shot.

I went to rocky horror from 79-81 and im wondering if anybody out there went at that time too at the biograph my name is john u I had some great times back then please let me know if you remember me I was just wondering if anybody does remember those days

The Paramount in Aurora was not used as the interior of the Biograph. They never mentioned what theatre Dillinger was supposed to be in when he was in the Paramount. I believe they used the Portage Theatre (in Chicago) for the interior shots of the Biograph. At least it looked like the Portage to me.

Hey John, I was a regular at the Biograph for RHPS but not until the early 1980s. You were before my time.

I remember it was late 1981 and I was perfoming on stage in the preshow during touch me somebody told me dont put his hands on my crotch but on my chest like normal but of course I didnt listen and I got kicked out of the biograph Ah sweet memories

I have to admit, I had never heard of this theater until I saw the film, PUBLIC ENEMIES, this summer.

Larry Edwards loved this theater. He reopened it in the mid 70's and ran it til the late 80's. He brought back great art film exhibition to Chicago and did very well with it. Competition from the Fine Arts theaters and CO opening mega-theaters in the area led him to sellout to CO. Larry's wife petitioned for the historical site status after the remodeling in the 70's. Some history was fabricated at that point i.e. the gold painted un-upholstered chair and its location. There was NEVER a balcony and the Ritz / Roxy (small screens built with proceeds from RHPS). Where in the dance school above the store fronts, NEVER part of the Biograph theater.

I saw my first movie at the Biograph in the summer of 1975. My grandfather took me to see THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD and the theatre was packed. 29 years later, on Tuesday, September 7, 2004, I was the last manager/projectionist to put on the Biograph's last picture show. The movie was DE-LOVELY. It was the end of an era.--Tim O'Neill

Victory Gardens pretty much ruined this theatre

I was a regular at RHPS between 77/78 and 82. And while I remember MarkH very well, I'm not so sure about JohnnyU.

I do remember you BamB Im sorry you dont remember me I was the one that made those nasty Kurtis T-shirts and I was the one who stole Kurtis routine along with Dave during science fiction and of course he got angry I beleieve they called me Janet John hope you remember

I'm working with my son on a school project about the Biograph Theatre. Wondering if anyone knows if a model/model kit exists of the theatre or if anyone has suggestions about building a replica of the theater?

I might have some tips natejam depends on if you are doing the Essaness version, regular version, or the new version.

Thanks. Haven't yet settled on a particular version, but we're open to any suggestions you have!

What are you needing help with?

Just trying to find a way to make a replica/diorama of the theater for a presentation. I'll take a look at some vintage photos in order to create a model.

Oh i can help.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uber-tuber/2547409930/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sftrajan/2070281587/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/angienaron/4220617658/
http://www.dpcaltd.com/projects/individual/victory_gardens.html
http://www.dpcaltd.com/projects/individual/flash/vgardens_flash.html

Thank you! This helps a lot!

A 2/7 Wurlitzer was installed in the theatre in 1914?