Glen Art Theatre

Firm should be Betts & Holcomb.

In Popcorn Palaces there is an art deco theatre with curved marquee listed on page 121 called the Glen which also in Glen Ellyn, Illinois at 540 Crescent Boulevard, but it is not this one!

Actually, it is. The facade has been modernized somewhat. http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=6473

Brian: Upon closer inspection I do now see some similarities i.e. the above windows and exterior moldings so these theatres are 'one in the same'!

Brian: After viewing the photos on the cinematour.com site you posted I can see the facade in color much better. I do feel that the former squared-off marquee was in better keeping with the square lines of the tudor style building and that the curved marquee lends itself more to the art deco curves 'look'! So just wonder how this change got approved?

The theater was built by the same firm that built the des plaines, catlow and deerpath theaters, the latter two of which share many exterior similarities. From the looks of it, I would guess the 60s modernization craze took its toll on the Glen. In the photo on this page you can see details like divided-pane windows, scrollwork over the brick, and detailed columns adding to the unusual tudor revival look. In the current photos, the brick has been replaced with plain, non-matching brick, one-over-one windows, storefronts modernized. A shame it's lost so much of its architectual integrity.

The Glen Art's official website is http://glenarttheatre.com/ and includes another early picture of the theatre.
http://www.glen-ellyn.com/photo_gallery/photo_glen_theater-rl.html Shows a night view of the picture, and the ebay offerings gallery on the same page includes the above postcard and an alternate view.

Was the original auditorium entirely gutted or is it hidden behind sheetrock and drapes? The interior of the theatre looks a bit drab and uninviting.

I'd like to know this too. Recently a large number of interior photos was posted to http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=6473 . It looks pretty blitzed to me, but you never know.

In the late seventies, I lived in one of the small apartments above the Glen. Just before film time the smell of popcorn would waft through the building. The projectionist's booth was a short walk across the flat roof. In the theater's basement was a small shuttered bowling alley. That arrangement reminded me of the old Villard theater in Villa Park, designed by the same people, Betts and Holcomb.

whar are the seating arrangements like at this theater? spread out? close together? arm rests?

Here is a recent photo of the Glen Art Theater.

A scene in the movie "Lucas" (1986) was shot outside with 2 clear shots of the marquee and also inside one of the theaters.

A Barton theater organ size 3/10 was installed in the Glen Theater in 1926.

This is a recent close-up view of the Glen.

Here is a photo, circa 1920s:
http://tinyurl.com/2oohrl

Here is another marquee shot for the marquee aficionado.

This is a December 2008 close-up.

Here is another photo:
http://tinyurl.com/deb2fx

Here is a 1982 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/dzxbdw

Here is a night shot from 1982:
http://tinyurl.com/d3ymgw

Here are more 1982 photos:

Photo1

Photo2

Photo3

Photo4

Photo5

This is a 2009 photo.

They should make it back into a 1 screen