Windsor Theatre
1225 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60610
1225 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60610
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Balaban, H & E, Lubliner & Trinz
Architects: Hal Pereira, William L. Pereira, Cornelius Ward Rapp, George W. Leslie Rapp
Firms: Pereira and Pereira, Rapp & Rapp
Styles: Art Deco
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The Windsor Theatre was opened September 20, 1886. The theatre suffered two major fires, and was rebuilt in 1914, opening as part of the Lubliner & Trinz circuit on May 9, 1914. It was one of the earliest projects from the architectural firm of Rapp & Rapp. The theatre was later run by the H & E Balaban chain. It was located on N. Clark Street near E. Division Street, in the Gold Coast neighborhood.
The Windsor Theatre was remodeled by the architectural firm Pereira & Pereira in 1936. The Windsor Theatre operated into the late-1950’s, and was razed by 1961.
Today the site is occupied by condominiums and retail.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 16 comments)
The principals of Pereira & Pereira, the firm that did the 1936 remodeling of the Windsor Theatre, were William Pereira and Hal Pereira. Percival Pereira was an older architect who was never a member of this firm.
I used to go to the Windsor when I was a kid in the “old neighborhood”. Saw “Imitation of Life” with Lana Turner and the whole audience was sobbing at the end. LOL. Was also there the last day it was open – they had a really bad magician on stage.
Movies I saw at the Windsor;
King Kong
Rodan
The Giant Claw
I lived on Wells street when I was a kid back in the 1950’s
We would walk to the Windsor on Saturday afternoon.
Does anyone have any photo’s of the outside…or the inside?
The Chicagology page has one exterior photo. Copy & paste to view.
http://chicagology.com/goldenage/goldenage040/
An article about the closing and impending demolition of the Windsor Theatre appeared in the May 14, 1961, issue of the Chicago Tribune (Tribune archives.) The original Windsor opened on September 20, 1886, and later suffered two major fires. It was after the second fire that the house was rebuilt and reopened as a movie theater in 1914.
https://books.google.com/books?id=1qFXAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22george%20l.%20rapp%22%20theater&pg=PA130#v=onepage&q=%22george%20l.%20rapp%22%20theater&f=false
Looks like this would have been one of the earliest Rapp & Rapp theaters with a cantilevered balcony.
January 8, 1938 marquee photo in an Adler Sign print ad added, courtesy of Frank Dutton.
Here is a THSA photo of the art deco exterior.
September 20th, 1886 and May 9th, 1914 grand opening ads are in the photo section.
Article. There are plans to move the archives to newspapers.com.
Found on Newspapers.com
Circa November 1935 photo courtesy David Sadowski in below link. Scaffolding for then upcoming art deco facade completed by 1937.
https://theclarktheater.wordpress.com/2020/08/01/the-windsor-theater/?fbclid=IwAR3syZ-XI4G94o_b-g9ih-9aqJUH0UJyoaQlyNS-56op1mCUZJ4Iq07dGDg