Parkway Theatre

Although I do not know very much history in regards to the early years of the Parkway, in its last years it was primarily a place to see classic films. It also had the shortest lobby of any theatre in Chicago...less then 6 feet deep! It has since been converted into retail space, shoe store I am pretty sure.

The Parkway opened in the late teens, and was a popular neighborhood house between the Covent to the south and the Century (formerly the Diversey) to its' north. It hit its' peak in the late 70's/early 80's when it was part of the Landmark theater chain, with classic film programming. It also had a strange stroke of "luck", when it just so happened to been playing a Hitchcock film as part of the scheduled series of films in their regular program, when the Master of Suspense died. talk about your timing. When video and cable TV came in a big way, the theater closed, but the building still stands, its' main floor gutted by a Lens Crafters. I believe the balcony, small as it was, is still intact, just gathering dust, sealed shut these many years

The Parkway opened in 1910, as the Drury Lane, and sat over 750. It originally featured both vaudeville and other live acts, as well as movies.

I seem to recall seeing somewhere that the Parkway closed when Landmark opened the Century Centre, but i'm not certain.

From Russell Phillips' Galleries:

Parkway Lobby, 1985

I think that Landmark Century complex opened in the 90's. The Parkway went under in the 80's. I've heard the entire ceiling of the Parkway still exists.

October 28, 1984 to be exact

The Parkway was a great place to show old movies - revivals or foreign films - in the late '80s. I recall Diva (a French film) and Hepburn/Grant's Bringing Up Baby. And I got to see all of Marilyn Monroe's films there.

Correction: I wasn't at the Parkway in the late '80s. I think it was closed or remodeled for an eyewear store. It was the early '80s that featured a new double feature daily usually with a theme or genre.

The balcony space has been converted to a Bikram Yoga studio. Some of the decor remains intact, although it looks like substantial renovation was necessary. Their website is www.bycic.com but does not mention the theater.

And the corrected link to the old lobby photo above is here

Here's a bit more on the yoga studio - "Mike and John are hopeful that their second studio, located in Lincoln Park, will open during the first quarter of this year. The new studio will occupy the second floor of the old Parkway Theatre on Clark Street at Diversey Avenue. The Parkway was built in the early 20th century as a vaudeville stage and later became popular as a movie theatre for classic, foreign and independently produced films. The partners are committed to restoring as much of the original building as possible. The studio features old oak floors, Ionic columns and a 20-foot ceiling with elaborate decorative plaster work. A dropped greenhouse roof will capture natural light while protecting the original plaster details from the heat and humidity. The new studio also will have a locker room and showers." - http://www.yogachicago.com/jan04/bikram.shtml

Also this page features a Photo of the space.

Russell Phillips Photos:

Lobby

I managed the place when Ladmark took it over in 1980. Here's a photo from 1979 just before Landmark "restored" it.

http://img121.imagevenue.com/aAfkjfp01fo1i-26377/loc329/25088_parkway_theatre_122_329lo.jpg

That link doesn't seem to work.

Try this:

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/4294/25088parkwaytheatre1223qu5.jpg

Very cool! Did they take the balustrade along the top down during the "restoration"? What did their work consist of?

I know that they added more to the marquee in order to list the days attractions. It was an operating grind house just prior to Landmark's purchase. They spruced up the marquee, painted the lobby, added neon to the lobby and kept the auditorium the same lovely dump it always was. Best thing was a small hole in the manager's office that allowed you to watch the movie while chowing down on a burger from next door's Super Bowl Grill.

Sanborn fire insurance maps show a seating of 800 with a horseshoe-type balcony. Interestingly, dressing rooms were provided in a narrow structure adjacent to the stage.

My brother and I would go to the Parkway Theater, Covent or the Century, as kids in the '50's. We lived on Fullerton Pkwy. and we had access to the Biograph and the Crest, going the other direction.

It was wonderful having so many theaters, from which to choose.
I remember winning a doll, at the weekly give away, at the Parkway.
My brother also won a chalk board. I believe we paid a quarter for a double feature. Oh, the memories!

I saw Arsenic and Old Lace in the '80's. The seats, well everything, was tiny.

Here's a photo from 1980 when it was a revival house owned by Landmark.

http://emulsioncompulsion.com/wp-gallery2.php?g2_itemId=6774&g2_fromNavId=x2b5ff360

you bet this was a great Grindhouse. I remember at the age 14 going with my very twisted British friend Martin for his birthday to see a triple Saturday feature of Alligator, The Howling and The Brother From Another Planet.

Here's a link to a complete Parkway schedule from April 5 to June 7 1981.

http://www.emulsioncompulsion.com/gallery2/v/parkwaytheatre/PARKWAY+SCHEDULE+_April+5+-+June+7_+1981_.jpg.html

Recent photos of this theatre are HERE

I managed the magnificent Parkway for Landmark Corp. from 1980 to 1984. A few
things: It was built in 1911, as a vaudeville house. Charlie Chaplin, by the
way, lived right down the street. Might he have performed there? The furnace
and air conditioning system were maintained from 1911. The 35 mm. projectors
were the originals.
The house held 950, including the (non-horseshoe shaped) balcony. The ceilings
behind the screen went up 4 or so flights, to accommodate the levels used to
let down backdrops for the theatrical productions. The flights were connected by
ladders, only.
Also, behind the theatre was an attached, unheated, never-having-been-heated,
room the size of a large garage. This was where the vaudeville troops would
live while they performed there. There was no plumbing, either.

With Landmark, the theatre was always, most always, packed. We ran films from
noon every day to 12 midnight, double bills, changing every day. That's about
730 films per year! The films cans (35mm and heavy) would have to be taken up
to the projection booth 3 floors up, and then, down. A lot of carrying!

The lobby wasn't THAT short, although it was way too small to accommodate the
huge crowds who would cluster there to smoke and discuss the films. There was so
much interaction then!
The office was under the stairs, in what should have been a broom closet. It
featured a secret window into the theatre.

Landmark Theatre hired a Californian drug dealer to renovate, in 1982, and that
destroyed much of the original beauty, making the place look like a Mexican
restaurant. But the films remained, the audiences remained, and they did not
stop coming when home video came along. Instead, Landmark joined forces with a
real estate company from Denver, and the place went corporate. They closed the
Parkway because it cost more to heat a theater in Chicago than in Los Angeles,
so our expenses were too high. And that was that.Before, this had been a really
progressive film company in California, run by Gary Meyers and programmed by
Jan Klingelhoffer who were both brave and brilliant people.
The programming was brilliant indeed! Well known repetory, obscure foreign
films, directors' festivals, any number of possibilities.
Another thing of note: the staff would choose a "saying" to put on the marquee
every night, along with the film titles. This meant climbing out the bathroom
window, often in very icey conditions, and applying the letters upside down.
These sayings were often quite intelligent (as was the staff, which did not
consist of teenagers trying to make extra money but of film scholars and
aficionados.)
I heartily miss the Parkway.

Strangely we were only in the Parkway a few times. Once in the early `70's for the sequel to "Chariots of the Gods", whatever that was. And once for a rare theatre showing of "Guide For The Married Man" after the Parkway had become a revival house.

I seem to remember the Parkway maquee's italicized font, was the same as that of Parkway Drugs on Diversey East of the Ravenswood stop.
The Parkway Drugs signage I believe being the old ceramic, enamel panel tiles type.

FYI. This is off topic, but I noticed the Lincoln Tap Room on Lincoln Ave., just restored their original ceramic enamel wall signage/panels. Covered for years by paint. If anyone else enjoys seeing the old renewed as I do.

Jeramy, I'm Terry G. and I worked for you at the Parkway from mid-1980 to 1981. I remember well climbing through the bathroom window to put up a clever slogan for the next days' films. I was great watching all of the great classic films on my off hours. I remember making the fresh popcorn for the customers. There needs to be more Reperatory Film Theaters around. I live in Cincinnati and we have nothing. Here's to great classic films and the old Parkway!

The current occupant is Lenscrafters. Function should be retail.
http://tinyurl.com/5ak7tx

Most of the Chicago Tribune stories from the teens and twenties place the theater at 2736 N. Clark.

A chicago lot is about 20 feet wide. Most theatre buildings and entrances span at least 2 lots. So addresses are interchangeable.

That's understandable. If you're searching through net archives for news articles, though, you will get more hits if you use 2736 instead of 2738.

Reactivate notification status.

Here's one of my pictures of the Parkway from May 23, 2008:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bruce_theatres/3553162486/

I lived in this neighborhood in the mid 70s but I never went to this theater. I remember hearing that it was a real dump. By the time Landmark took it over I was long gone.

My first memory of the Parkway was seeing a line around the block for Harold and Maude. My first film there was Swept Away by Wertmueller in 1980. I think I saw Dr. Strangelove there 10 times. The other movie I loved seeing was Marat/Sade - I never missed it. There was once a film about Mahler...oh my god if I keep thinking of the films I saw there I'll cry. Dr. Caligari...Strawdogs...2001...I DREAM that I am riding the 22 bus and I see that the Parkway has been reopened!!!!!!

I spent my teen years going there. I'd love to keep in touch with others who loved this place. I'm Dan - vincetquipatitur@yahoo.com if you want to drop me a line. I live in New York City now and work as a teacher here.