Southtown Theatre

THE SOUTHTOWN WAS DESIGNED AS MOORISH CASTLE,THE LOBBY HAD A LARGE FISH POND,WITH DUCKS AND GEESE. THE ENTRANCE WAS SET IN SPANISH TILE. THE CANDY COUNTER WAS OVAL SHAPED AND COULD SERVE PATRONS 360 DEGREES. AS YOU ENTERED,THERE WAS A SPIRAL STAIR CASE TO THE LEFT. AS YOU CLIMBED THE STAIRS ,YOU COULD LOOK DONE TO THE FISH POND AND WATER FALL. THE BALCONY HAD A LONG HALLWAY. SET INTO ONE WALL WAS SEVERAL PICTURE WINDOWS DEPICTING THE HISTORY OF CHACIGO. ALL OF THE DRINKING FOUNTAINS WERE EQUIPED WITH ELECTRIC EYES. THIS IS TO SAY WHEN THE PATRON LEANED FORWARD TO TAKE A DRINK OF WATER,THE BEAM WAS BROKEN AND THE WATER WENT ON. FROM THE TIME THE THEATER OPENED TILL THE 40,S THERE WAS A LIVE STAGE SHOW DURING THE MOVIE INTERMISSION.THE SOUTHTOWN WAS LOCATED AT 63RD AND HALSTED STREETS. ON THE FIRST FLOOR WAS A NURSEY,THERE WAS A SLIDE AND A SMALL MARRY-GO-ROUND LOTS OF TOYS AND SEVERAL CRIBS FOR BABYS AND A ATTENDENT IN A NURSES UNIFORM.ALL THE USHERS WERE DRESSED IN SMART LOOKING UNIFORMS.THE USHERS TOOK THE PATRONS TO THERE SEATS.I HAVE MANY MAGNIFICENT MEMORYS OF THIS THEATER. MY FATHER WAS A PROJECTIONEST THERE AND HE RAN THE FIRST AND LAST MOVIE THAT WAS SHOWN THERE,AND ALL IN BETWEEN.I SPENT MANY HOURS WITH HIM THERE.

I played in the nursery but I wouldn't stay there without my mother. I remember live swans in the pool. I saw "Blackboard Jungle" there.

I managed to see the inside of the Southtown when it was operating as Carr's department store. It was still quite beautiful because much of the theatre was still intact. The balcony was still intact and there where lots of sculptures. There was another theatre less than a block away on 63rd but I can't remember the name.

The exterior of the Southtown is partially visible in this circa-1940s photograph of a street car going down 63rd Street past the theater.

The links Bryan posts are really interesting (this one is) but alot of the others especially the UCLA ones are ones I can't open; thanks anyway, but if Bryan is able to post actual address links it would make people like me here in Australia really happy. the tram link above is a wonderful diversion and supports the comment I made months ago that tram websites often have cinema photos as well as the tram stops were where the cinemas were; as a result thay are a great extra source of cinema photos but are listed as tram photos.

Paul, unfortunately, the UCLA site doesn't allow for linking to the entire photo collection page, only to one of the photographs of the theaters at a time. (I wish I'd have tried checking this out first before I posted a bunch of links!) However, if you want to check out their S. Charles Lee collection, which is spectacular, the website link is:
http://digital.library.ucla.edu/sclee/

Hooray!.....as usual Bryan krefft places something really interesting and well worht researching. Thankyou Bryan, from the other sie of the planet! (where the sun DOES shine) PAUL B.

Anyone have any pictures of it when it was Carr's or a flea market? I am curious whether it could have been restored and what it would have looked like with a department store occupying it.

Neo, David Naylor's 1991 book "American Picture Palaces: The Architecture of Fantasy" has a photo, if I recall correctly, of the Southtown's auditorium was it was being used as Carr's deparment store, circa the 70s. Many libraries have this book but I believe it's out of print.

Forty three wonderful, vintage b/w photos of the SOUTHTOWN during construction, at opening and in other views are in the special issue of Marquee magazine of the 3rd Qtr. of 1982 of the Theatre Historical Society of America. The white neon outlined fish pond with its heron sculptures is pictured along with those unique dioramas (some preserved at the THSA Museum of the American Movie Palace at their headquarters in Elmhurst, ILL.) in situ. While there are not scenes there of its days as a department store, there is a follow up story on a page of the issue of 3rd Qtr. 1996 where two unusual photos of its interior during construction are shown. The first mentioned issue also includes layout drawings as well as the auditorium photo showing faintly the patch in the ceiling where a workman in the attic had stepped off the catwalk onto the plaster ceiling and fell through it to his death. The SOUTHTOWN was a great loss, but at least it can still be relived through the many b/w and sepia full page 26 photos here. There was even an insert detailing its construction costs by item, along with several vintage ads.

PHOTOS AVAILABLE:
To obtain any available Back Issue of either "Marquee" or of its ANNUALS, simply go to the web site of the THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA at:
www.HistoricTheatres.org
and notice on their first page the link "PUBLICATIONS: Back Issues List" and click on that and you will be taken to their listing where they also give ordering details. The "Marquee" magazine is 8-1/2x11 inches tall ('portrait') format, and the ANNUALS are also soft cover in the same size, but in the long ('landscape') format, and are anywhere from 26 to 40 pages. Should they indicate that a publication is Out Of Print, then it may still be possible to view it via Inter-Library Loan where you go to the librarian at any public or school library and ask them to locate which library has the item by using the Union List of Serials, and your library can then ask the other library to loan it to them for you to read or photocopy. [Photocopies of most THSA publications are available from University Microforms International (UMI), but their prices are exorbitant.]

Note: Most any photo in any of their publications may be had in large size by purchase; see their ARCHIVE link. You should realize that there was no color still photography in the 1920s, so few theatres were seen in color at that time except by means of hand tinted renderings or post cards, thus all the antique photos from the Society will be in black and white, but it is quite possible that the Society has later color images available; it is best to inquire of them.

Should you not be able to contact them via their web site, you may also contact their Executive Director via E-mail at: execdir@historictheatres.org
Or you may reach them via phone or snail mail at:
Theatre Historical Soc. of America
152 N. York, 2nd Floor York Theatre Bldg.
Elmhurst, ILL. 60126-2806 (they are about 15 miles west of Chicago)

Phone: 630-782-1800 or via FAX at: 630-782-1802 (Monday through Friday, 9AM--4PM, CT)

We kids (early 1950s) always went to the Southtown on Sunday; seemed like everybody in the neighborhood was there. It was beautiful. I remember the duck pond, the plush carpeting with lounging sofas, the little playroom, and the dioramas of Chicago history in the balcony foyer. That of the Chicago Fire was always the favorite diorama. Strangely, I saw the kids' playroom only opened once during that time. Maybe they only opened it during evening performances. The Southtown had a parking lot on both sides of the theater. Rarely did they have cars in it as the theater was within walking distance for most everybody.
One Sunday in 1952, I saw a kid run across the stage during a movie. About half the audience laughed and applauded him. It turned out to be my 10-year-old brother. Somebody dared him to do it for 25 cents and he was, of course, up for it.
A few little-known items about the Southtown: At the top of the exterior tower was a mooring set-up for dirigibles if the airship's crew wanted to stop and see a movie.

However, directly across from the Southtown, a most notorious building once occupied the SE corner (where the post office now stands). In that building housed the infamous "Dr. Holmes' Murder Castle." He had a hotel constructed there in 1893 for out-of-town tourists attending the Chicago World's Fair of that year. It came with secret panels, hidden rooms, and trap doors that eventually led to the basement acid vats. Guests checked in but never checked out. By the time the Chicago Police Dept. uncovered his gruesome deeds, more than 100 persons had been killed. While on trial in Philadelphia (for murders he committed there), the hotel mysteriously burned down. He went to the gallows in 1896 at a Philadelphia prison. Dr. Holmes (real name: Herman Mudgett) is considered America's first mass murderer. For more details, consult "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. This book was on the national best-seller list while in hard cover and remains in 3rd place on both L.A. Times and N.Y. Times current paperback best-sellers (46 consecutive weeks).
I was only in the Southtown once (in 1962) after it became Carr's department store. Most everything was still there except the seats in the auditorium. In their place stood card tables with piles of clothes just tossed on them, not sorted or laid out. I drove by the site of the old Southtown when I visited Chicago last year. Now even the building's gone, replaced by some sort of hardware store. What a beautiful theater that was.

--GerryC

I noticed that the Southtown had "unknown" in the above notation for "Chain:". I remember that (in the 50s) all persons working at the Southtown had "Balaban & Katz" embroidered someplace on their uniforms.

You are right it was a Balaban&Katz theatre as was the Chicago.It was one of seven theatres in the Englewood Neighborhood and the grandest.As a kid I lived directly across the street and could look down on the front and ticket office.I remember it being so busy that they would have a usher out front with a drum major hat and a cape yelling 45 minute wait for all seats and there were lines all the way to the China Clipper restaurant midway between Lowe ave, and Union ave. as the Southtown was really at 63rd. and Lowe. It was the first to give up the stage shows in the forties. but two other theatres the Stratford and Englewood continued till the early fifties.They played two features newsreels coming attractions and a cartoon for the admission of 9 cents for a kid and you could watch them over in air conditioning.The Southtown was truly a master piece in decor luxury and in the stage era they always had a live orchestra in the pit.I will always remember that show as we called them with fondness in a neighborhood that was a kids dream!
Chuckie Z.

Chuckie,

Great to read your post. I hope you read all the posts for the Southtown. I have two others prior to this one that you'll find my experiences very similar to yours.

I forgot to mention the increase from nine-cent admission price to twenty-five cents to theaters in 1953 (or 'shows' as we also referred to them). I think that worked out to a 277% increase. No small amount for those times. Our mother used to give us fifteen cents for the show: Nine cents for admission and six cents' worth of candy from the Ace Department Store at 63rd & Halsted Sts. I felt devastated by that hike. I thought I'd never get into those shows ever again.

You mentioned the Southtown 'was one of seven theaters in the Englewood Neighborhood . . .' I remember only six (63rd St.: Southtown, Englewood, Stratford, and Linden; and Halsted St: the Empress and Kim). I know there were others in Englewood further out that had closed down earlier (the Harvard at 63rd & Harvard St. being one). What was the seventh? Speaking of the Harvard, do you remember it?

I'd like to hear more about your Englewood experiences. I have postings on all of the theaters in the Englewood district. The posting I have on the Ace Theater (you and I knew it as the Kim but it's listed here as the Ace) that you might appreciate. I exchanged postings with a another Englewoodian named Quixote. You can read them on the Ace Theater site. His experiences were quite similar to mine.

Your last sentence reflects my feelings about Englewood exactly: '. . . remember with fondness . . . a neighborhood that was a kid's dream!' Couldn't have said it better myself.

Tell me what else you remember about Englewood.

GerryC

Well sir, now you've hit my soft spot!The Harvard was the seventh and I went there many times. It was just a basic theatre. No frills very small.Now I don't think you would remember that during the war years they turned the Empress into a burlesk house for a short term but it did'nt work.That was the time when admission was two cents at the Empress and a nickel at the Linden.We used to stand in line at the Linden on cartoon Saturday to see fifteen cartoons and then the regular show which was 3 full lenth features four weeks of coming attractions, a travelog, a newsreel,sometimes a comedy short all for 5 cents. we would go to the show at 12:30 and it would be dark out when we got out.Mom would get rid of us for the day! Then if you did'nt have the price there was always something to doin the neighborhood.We Ogden park with a pool, Sherman park with a pool,The YMCA where you could get a full course meal in the cafeteria for a quarter, two roller rinks(Skateland on 60th. and Halsted and the Planet on76th and Racine.We also had the pool room next to the Englwood behind the barber shop for when you got a little older and Brucks bowling alley on 61st and Halsted.And then last but not least the best,The old Kershaw school playground. it had supervised field houses where there was always something going on. You could always get a baseball or football or basketball to play with.It was flooded in the winter for ice skateing and sledding. They had crafts, Ping Pong wrestling little wooden projects and all free.Parents never worried about the kids. They new they were in the neighborhood somewhere having fun.Occasionally they might get into trouble for shop lifting something from Kresges dime store but what are ya going to do they were kids!!!Ther was a season for everthing, bean blowers, hi-li paddles Yo Yo's, marbles, God those were good days. I could go on and on but I'll give you a break for now and by the way I am sixty eight years old and still a kid!!!!! Stay in touch.
Chuckie Z.

I am starting to feel pesty but one other thing I forgot to mention.In the forties and fiftieswe usually had to go down town to the Chicago and State and Lake theatres to see big name entertainers such as Gene Krupa,Nat King Cole and one of my favorites Don Cornell but the Southtown and Stratford brought some down to Englewood.I remember Penny Singleton from the Dagwood movies Johnny Johnston, Johnnie Ray and for all the oldsers who remember when accordions were cool Mr.Accordion the great Dick Contino and the Horace Hight revue which by the way was a sell out. At a time when admissions were seventeen cents for an adult it always makes me wonder just how much money these entertainers made as you still seen two movies and they had a full orchestra in the pits!!!! I'm outta here,see ya!

Chuckie,

In your post before the one above, you mentioned things that I did eight years later. You're correct, in that there seemed to be seasons for everything. Exactly the ones you mentioned, year after year. You mentioned two skating rinks: Skateland (60th & Halsted)I think was closed when I lived there. Was it on the east side of Halsted? Same with Brucks Bowling Alley; where exactly was that? Do you remember Arrow's Candy Store at 61st & Halsted? Penny candy heaven. I do remember the Planet Skating Rink (76th & Racine). We went there every Saturday afternoon. The organist would call "Waltzers Only" or "Couples Only" and we'd have to get off the floor or "Skating Backwards Only", something I never mastered. As for Kershaw playground, one my brothers was on their wrestling team. They'd play against other playgrounds, just like a league. One more thing, the shop-lifting at Kresge's. I did it too. It was so easy. I'd stand in front of the counter and stick things down my shirt. I stopped when my mother got curious about my new-found plunder. Glad she did.

Gerry, Skateland was on 60th and Halsted on the East side of the street. It closed and they turned it into a Schlitz beer warehouse in about 1950. Brucks bowling alley was at 61st.and Halsted about three doors south up on the second floor on the west side of the street. It had sixteen alleys and old hand rack pin spotters. It became Southtown Recreation and was still there When I moved in 1958.Spotted pins up there a few times as it was just another way of getting a little change to support my awfull habit of soda pop and theatres.We got Three cents a line as bowling was 20 cents a line.
Chuckie Z.

Here's another tale from the Southtown. When Dick Contino played there he came out into the east parking lot to toss a football around with some of the ushers before the first stage show of the day.His manager came out screaming and was so red I thought he was going to have a heart attack. I guess he didn't want any jamed fingers to his star but Dick just laughed and stopped.He stayed out there for about half an hour signing autographs for the people. I have one somewhere in my memophelia from Englewood. A neighborhood that had it all,The Total Package!!!!! I seen Dick Contino in Las Vegas and he still is MR.ACCORDION.

A May 1, 1985 Tribune article notes that Carr's had put the Southtown up for sale. It also notes that Carr's purchased it for 2.5 million in 1958 and the sale price in 1985 was S295,000.

Here is a profile from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency's HAARGIS system. It includes a small picture, as Carr's.

I visited the Southtown as it was being demolished. Found my way through the lobby and into a damp store room at the base of the multi-story tower. It was a hollow structure. So, from this store room you could look all the way up to the top. It was an unexpected, strange, and shocking sight.

From the looks of it, many of the design features were in relatively decent shape right up until the end. There was still cardboard poster art sitting around too.

Too bad. But I suppose the place probably needed costly renovations to function in any capacity after all those years. If I were a property owner with no interest in theatres I suppose I would have made the same decision.

Brian: is there a HAARGIS photo of the Rhodes on 79th Street?

Nope. I think I might have a drawing at home though.

I went to the Southtown one time only. I was very young and my Mom and Dad couldn't find a sitter. All I can remember about the inside was how big and beautiful it was and of course the birds. I cannot find a decent picture of the exterior of the theater, let alone the opulent inside.

See my comment of April 28, 2004 above for the source of many very decent photos of the SOUTHTOWN, still available as a Back Issue of their "Marquee" magazine for a mere $5 plus S&H. This is less than the price of one 8x10 print today!

THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION JIM. MY PARENTS ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT HOW BEAUTIFUL THAT THEATRE WAS. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT.

I was born and lived at 243 West Englewood Ave, a building now demolished to make room for the Expressway. My Father owned Goodland Sign Company and did most of the signs along the 63rd St corridor.
Our favorite treat was to go to the Southtown and enjoy all her beauty. People now days think I am exaggerating when I describe the Swan Pool, the Golden Fish and the Ushers brillant uniforms.
My Dad painted the large flying airplane on the side of the China Clipper Building and took out part of the payment in trade, so we would go to the Clipper then up the block to the Southtown. He also painted the signs for the Butter Burger and we took some trade in that one too.
I honestly feel bad for modern people who will never experience the joy of the old neighborhoods, with the movie theaters, shops and restaurants. Where everyone knew the butcher and the barber. Who remembers the windown sign that read " I'm Tony the Barber, the son of the beach"....??? Walgreen's thick milkshakes, the 3 Sisters mashed potatoes ? I went to Lewis Champlin School, my parents graduated from Englewood High....Sigh...those WERE THE DAYS!

GoodlanderGirl
I lived on Normal Blvd. up the street from Kelly Library. It's great to hear someone else talk about the old neighborhood. The city is trying to revitalize Englewood now. They have built over 100 new houses mimicking the old style. Where the shopping district at 63rd and Halsted once was, they are now building a college. I too went to Lewis-Champlin school. As a matter of fact I have been trying to find a picture of it to show to my husband. He grew up in Iowa and knows little about old Chicago neighborhoods like Englewood. When I tell him about walking up to 63rd with my girlfriends to shop at Sears and Wieboldts or about having lunch at Walgreen's he looks at me in disbelief. Do you remember the name of the restaurant at 63rd and Normal? He loves old movie houses, so when I told him about the Southtown, he felt cheated. I took all of that for granted, but now you have to own a million dollar house in Lincoln Park to even come close to it!

test

To: GoodlanderGirl and FLICKCHICK (and everybody else)

Glad to read some stuff about Englewood and the Southtown Theater. I also have postings on this website for the : Englewood, Empress, Stratford, Kim (Ace), and Linden theaters. Had some nice 'conversations' with others who lived in Englewood. It's great to hear everybody's story.

I grew up in Englewood. Lived there from 1950 to 1958. Lived at:
5950 So. Normal Blvd.
650 W. 60th St.
6347 So. Green St., and finally at
6517 So. Stewart Ave.

Attended St. Martin's School at 59th & Princeton Ave. and graduated from St. Bernard's School at 66th & Stewart Ave.

Swam in Ogden Park pool on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; and at Sherman Park pool on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If something happened and they were closed that day, we swam at Gage Park (55th & Western Ave.) or McKinley Park (Archer Ave. & Western Blvd.) In the winter, we'd try to get in as 'guests' at the YMCA pool (66th & Union Ave.)

We'd utilize the playgrounds at Beale School and Kershaw School, emphasis on the latter. Depending where we were living, we utilize the Hiram Kelly Library, or later, the Hamilton Park Library.

On Saturdays, we went to either the Empress Theater or the Englewood Theater and to the Southtown Theater on Sunday--and stayed all day.

The area of 63rd & Halsted was like a playground for us, except on Sunday--when nearly everything was CLOSED. Christmastime topped it all, with stores being open each night until 10.

I couldn't think of a better place to grow up in. We had everything right there. We had our own hospitals (Englewood Hosp. and St. Bernard's Hosp.); a thriving shopping district at 63rd & Halsted; our own theaters; a major-league baseball team (o.k., not far from Englewood); and our own L line with five stops. We even had our own skid row (on 63rd Street from the railroad tracks at Wallace St. east to about where Parnell St. would've been).

The name of the restaurant at 63rd & Normal was the Lauer Sisters Restaurant. Here is a web address with a painted postcard of the restaurant in 1936:

http://www.digitalpast.org/cgi-bin/viewer.exe?CISOROOT=/lakecoun002&CISOPTR=1241

Here is a similar postcard of the southeast corner of 63rd & Halsted (1943), where Andes Candies once stood. To the left of it, you can see the old Linden Theater.

http://www.digitalpast.org/cgi-bin/viewer.exe?CISOROOT=/lakecoun002&CISOPTR=1499

I'd better stop for now. I keep losing text. Would like to hear more of your time in Englewood. Don't leave out anything.

Flickchick and Gerry C.
Didn't I give a big whoop when I got home and saw that I had 2 postings in answer to my Chicago Memories?? I have even been dreaming about the old neighborhood. I have been trying to retrace my steps from my old apartment up to 63rd and Halsted. I am amazed that I remember so much. I moved from there in 1954, which only made me 9 or close to it.
Times were so different then. My own Grandaughter just turned 10, but she has never in her life gone anywhere without supervision...whereas the old Englewood gang thought nothing of being gone all day while your Mother cleaned and you amused yourself.
I was surprised and pleased Flickchick to hear that you went to Lewis Champlin too. What years were you there? Did you have Mrs Vanderpoel for Kindergarten, or Mrs Watson for 1st grade, or Mrs Bishop for 3rd grade? I remember each one of their faces so well. The first two were ancient in 1950, so they would be long gone now, yet their faces and kindness to me still live a half of a century later.
Gerry, I loved reading all your memories,so many of them are my very own!
One of my fondest memories had to do with Lain Funeral Home on 63rd Street. A young woman used to sit in the window on summer eves and once my sister and I stopped to peek into their ornate window and the young woman spoke to us and asked us to go up to Walgreens and get her a thick milkshake. We were glad to go, she was so pretty and nice to us. It got to be a ritual with us running up to see if she needed anything. Finally she told us that she was the hairdresser and when a body came in she would fix the hair. We were so facinated!!! Once she took us in the back and let us see a dead body she had just fixed the hair. I have never forgot the waxy look on the bodys face. (Nowdays, they would have arrested her and charged her with some child abuse law, but she was our hero. We thought she looked like Lana Turner).
My Dad painted all the signs up and down the street and all over Chicago. He would let me go up on the stage with him and coat out signs when I was just a little girl. He showed me such a good life, filling me with the confidence in myself that I carry to this day.
Another special memory is a coloring contest that Weibolts held called "The Cinnamon Bear Coloring Contest". I was so sure that I would win..I dreamt about my prize..but on the day that the winner was announced, alas! another kid won, and I just knew that it was rigged, as mine was so much more beautiful than hers. As a consolation, my mother took me over to where they sold "Buster Brown " shoes and let me look at my feet through the X-ray machine, ( which they now say causes cancer)Oh well, my feet survived!
I remember the streetcar fire under the viaduct I think on State Street and 63rd, my Dad called it the Green Hornet train I think..lots of people died. I also went to the Fish Furniture fire and I well remember the awful smell. There was a picture in the SOuthtown Economist of the fire and you could see my Dad silloueted in the light of the fire. I had that picture for years.
I better stop now, but let me say that my spirit is soaring just knowing that you two exist out there and our eyes have seen the same things and our feet have walked places that are exactly the same. We are the Old Englewood Gang!! Write back both of you and write lots!!Best to you both Gale

GoodlanderGirl and GerryC-
Hello! Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. My computer did a swan dive and it took us forever to decide what we wanted and actually purchase a new system. It was great reading your comments.
GoodlanderGirl, I don't remember the teacher you mentioned by name. I do remember a couple of real old teacher though. My kindergarten teacher was named Miss or Mrs. Cordell, at least that's what one of my best friends says. I remember the teacher's face, but not her name. What I remember most about Wieboldt's is getting my Red Goose shoes and the big goose egg they would give you as a treat. My big sister would take me to Walgreen's for ice cream sundaes. She would remember all of this better than I, but she passed away some time ago. I really did enjoy our old neighborhood. I went to church at Bethel on Peoria. I remember how we would go to the A&P to get treats between Church and Sunday school.

Gerry, St. Martin's church is still there. It was purchased a few years back by another church. They refurbished the church, but the school, the buildings behind the school and the convent were all torn down. There is a parking lot where the school once was and just a fenced in lawn where the convent once was. I did manage to get a peak inside the church. It's beautiful structure could never be changed, but it looks nothing like the German cathedral it was patterned after. Thanks for the name of the restaurant. It seems you lived on the same block as I did at one time. When you lived on Normal, did you live in the brick house one from the corner with the driveway or the Victorian on the corner at 60th? I lived at 5938.
I hope to hear from both of you soon. Lynn

Flick,

Thanks for the response. I'm only 11 days late in my own response. Sorry.

I only lived on Normal Blvd. for a short period of time, about eight months, I believe. I lived with my grandfather and aunt at 5950 S. Normal Bl. I'm not sure where it was located in relation to the rest of the boulevard. I know it wasn't on the corner, wasn't Victorian, or built of brick. It was a plain, 2-storey, two-flat; we lived on the second floor. It has since been torn down, as has a lot of that block. I still remember "The Patch" on the corner of 59th & Normal, along with a bakery we used to stop at. I can't remember the name of that bakery.

As for St. Martin's . . . I understand it is no longer a Catholic church. It was a beautiful church. The parishioners themselves paid for every part of that church. It was built in 1886 and completed in 1894, by German immigrants. (All the stainglass windows were hand-made in Innsbruck, Austria, and Munich, Germany. All text in the windows was in German.) Last month, my younger sister told me that the gold-leafed statue of St. Martin of Tours has been removed from the tower. (That statue was a landmark that airline pilots used when approaching Midway Airport.) The church's massive organ was something to hear. But the organ had an interesting history. It was built in 1880 and housed at the Chicago Music Hall located on the southeast corner of State St. and Randolph St. in the Loop. The entire block was purchased for an addition on Marshall Field's department store in 1901. Mrs. Field donated the organ to St. Martin's. It was re-built for $8,500 (in 1901!!), of which Andrew Carnegie donated $4,000. It was last played in May 1975 and was later moved to Holy Trinity Church in Comstock Park, Michigan.

That's all I can think of for now. Let me know of anything you remember of Englewood of the 40s and 50s.


GerryC

GerryC,
Thanks for all of the info on St. Martin's organ. It was a magnificient one. The people who bought the church changed it a lot, but there are still many of the beautiful stained glass windows left. The last time I went by the church the golden horse was still on top, but I have not been by there lately. I'll have to go look.

I used to hear my Mom say it's wonderful to get older, but there are some drawbacks. One of the drawbacks is finding someone to help you remember something you may have forgotten. I don't know if you are familiar with any other churches that were near our old neighborhood. My older sister took me to mass at a Catholic Church that had a magnificent glass dome. I was very little, not even in school yet. I think it was on 43 or 45th. I also want to think it was called St. Cecelia. I remember that St. Ann's was on 55th and Wentworth. This church wasn't very far away. Let me know if you have heard of this church. Do you remember the dairy that was down the street from St. Ann's? The Michigan Theatre? The train station on 63rd Street?
I've got my thinking cap on.

If you have memories of Chicago's Michigan Theatre, it would be great if you shared them here:

http://cinematreasures.org/theater/3107/

I remember seeing the Michigan in it's last days and would love to hear about what it was like in better days.

Lynn,

I knew many of the Catholic churches in Englewood, e.g., St. Basil's (where I was baptized), Our Lady of Solace, Visitation, St. Brendan's, St. John of God, St. Rita, St. Bernard, St. Leo, St. Sabina, and St. George. One of the schools my mother attended was St. Anne's. I do remember the dairy. It was the Bowman Dairy. We took a field trip there in 1952. I think it was at 66th and Wentworth or maybe 55th and Wentworth. The Michigan Theater doesn't ring a bell. However, the train station on 63rd Street does. It was a busy little station at one time. Now it's deserted, abandoned. That's all I can think of now. More questions---Please!

Gerry

Lynn,

Your mention of St. Cecelia's Church . . . I've heard of it but was never inside. It was located at the corner of 45th and Wells.

Gerry,
St. Cecelia's was on 45th and Wells. It's too bad you never went inside, it was glorious. I remember the other churches you mentioned, except St. George. Where was that located?
I'm glad I finally found someone else who remembers the dairy. I was begining to think I had the wrong location.
The Michigan Theater was on Garfield and Michigan. I remember it having a nice marquee. I only went inside once. My brother took me there to see a werewolf movie that scared the stuffing out of me. I remember the theatre being more on the order of the Englewood or maybe the Empress. It was nice, but there was nothing spectacular about the lobby. There was another theatre on Garfield, further east (near Calumet). I remember the building, but I think it was an old vaudeville house that was shut down decades before it was razed.

To all the old Englewood residents that lived there in its glory years when it was a mecca of entertainment and social standing about all we can do is remember it. Just like most good neighboorhoods in the big cities they have been reduced to slums and gettos of crime and filth except for a few that have been turned into condo cities with no personalities.Gone are the glorious movie houses and churches,parks and gathering places of the good citizens to meet and the children to play safely.Gone are the great movies and stars that entertained us.The ones that if they had faults they didn't flaunt it.When celebrities were true celebrities and maintained their image in public.Sports figures had time for the kids to sign autographs and talk to them and realize they are the fans that make them. There was no high priced shoes or jerseys or other junk that was sold.I could keep going but I don't have to because nothing will change. All the people that respond to this sight to remember the good old days know what Im talking about and are blessed to have lived in glorious Englewood a one of a kind place in a different time!
Chuckie Z.

FLICKCHICK,

You mentioned St. Martin's. I was christened there. Of course, I don't remember much of that :)

But I do remember the Southtown, and my parents bringing me there to see "The Beginning of the End" in about '58.

You might be interested in my mother's 1945 diary, when she was 16, which I'm reconstructing day-by-day online in 2007, which has the same calendar as 1945. She lived at 61st & Normal: http://www.dhdd.net/dorothy/1945/today.html

One more thing: I was wondering if anyone had any recollections or photos of, or information about, a couple of restaurants, circa 1945-46, that were on 63rd Street, between the Southtown and Halsted St. They are:

--Minuet's
--Parnell's (owned by a Jim)
--China Clipper

http://www.dhdd.net/dorothy/1945/today.html

Herbakeet,

I will check out your Mom's diary. She lived down the street from where I used to live.

FLICKCHICK

From what i have found i think that it is and it pains my to type this...and empty lot.

Which if i am correct makes me recall a quote from Richard Nickle:
" Great architecture has only two natural enemies : water and stupid men "

Famed "Schmeling-Louis" fight film shown at Southtown---

NEWS ITEM:

Chicago Daily News, Friday, June 26, 1936, p. 36, c. 1---

FIGHT FILMS OPEN AT B-K THEATERS

The Joe Louis-Max Schmeling fight pictures, complete from beginning to end have been booked in as extra screen attractions at eight Balaban & Katz theaters starting today. In the loop the pictures will be shown at the Roosevelt and Apollo theaters; west side Marbro; south side, Tivoli and Southtown; north side, Granada, Varsity and Uptown. The pictures showing the knockdown in slow motion, also start at the Regal theater on the south side on Sunday

Well Folks I hate to tell you this but they eliminated that great gold statue from St. Martins. You always seen it when you rode the L train downtown.
Chuckie Z.

I just went across 59th Street two days ago. I remarked to my husband that there was a parking lot where my grade school once stood. I also noticed that the church now has a different name from before, but I did not notice that the statue was gone. Such a pity.

Chuckie Z
I had to go see for myself. The top of my old church really looked odd without the statue. I wonder what they did with it!

Dr Mr. Herbakeet,
My name is Tiffanie Malloy and you have been talking to my Cousin Dan Malloy. He has told me all about your wesite and that he new your sis. I went to your website and I think you did an amazing and wonderful job on it. I have it book marked on my computer. I love your sisters diary. I wish I had a sister. I have two brothers and that is it.I have all guy cousins. You are lucky to have sisters. I love, love , love, your website. Please keep on putting neat stuff on there. My Cousin Dan has told me all about the theater and where he lived and all about Chicago. I would love to keep in Contact with you. I am writing a book about the Malloy Family, my family. Here is my email address TMalloy1982@gmail.com You can email me any time,.

God Bless

Tiffanie

From the Chicago Tribune, Thursday, December 25, 1931:

MOVIE CLOSEUP

The South Side has a Christmas present today in the Southtown Theater, Balaban and Katz's new movie house which opens its doors to the public at 1 p.m. The policy will be double feature bills and the premier offerings are "Ambassador Bill" with Will Rogers and "His Woman" with Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert. There is free parking space on the premises for 1,000 cars.

More from the Chicago Tribune:

Wednesday, March 18, 1935

"Florals Beat Windsor Five,
31-27, at Southtown
"Duffy Florals basketball team defeated the Windsor, Int., Five 31-27, in a Midwest Professional conference game on the stage of the Southtown Theater last nght."

Always good to read new postings from all the old kids that lived in Englewood and remember how great it was! I had a thought, Does anyone remember When you took your date to the Southtown and as you approached the ticket booth or walked past under the marquee there was a guy out there that took your pictures and handed you an envelope to order pictures? Seemed like he was always there summer or winter. I had some along with many great photos that were lost.My only memories left are some school pictures from Kershaw 1943 to 1950 and a few of my cherished toys mainly my Lone Ranger Atomic Bomb ring from Kix cereal 1946 priceless!!!!
Chuckie Z.

The pic of the Southtown is at http://davesrailpix.com/cta/htm/cta0350.htm I lived at 227 W. 61st Place and went to Lewis Champlain and often went to the Southtown. I'll post more later.

The memories that have stayed so long. Englewood/63rd halsted- what a feast for the eyes and senses.We lived at 68th east of Halsted (Emerald) and would walk to 63rd. Remember all the "shows" especially the Southtown. We lived on a high 3rd floor and in the winter could see the lights ablaze all the way down to 63rd. Went to St. Bernard's (1950-1958) as did my older siblings. Remember the beautiful Wilson College campus at 68th Normal, the parks, the "L"...all of it. And yes I do remember the photographer at the Southtown...the only picture I have of my Dad and I was taken there. It all seemed so permanent back then and changed so quickly.
posted by Patrick C on Aug 31, 2007

Patrick,

Glad to see another ex-Englewood on the board. I ALSO went to St. Bernard's (1954-1958); in fact, I graduated from there in 1958. Do me a favor: give me your e-mail address and we'll talk more about this St. Bernard connection. We lived at 65th St. & Stewart Ave.
My e-mail is GerryC1836@aol.com

Once upon a time many years ago I had a beautiful little girl friend that went to Lorreto Academy at 65th and Stewart. Remember?
Chuckie Z.

ChuckieZ,
I sure do remember Lorreto...it was next to St. Bernard'd school. My sister went to Lorreto 1949-1953. She and I talk often about the old neighborhood. My sister and brother usually come over for sunday dinner, then I turn on an old film and we can pretend for a little while...
PatrickC

A thought just occurred to me:

The Southtown opened Christmas Day in 1931 and closed as a theater sometime in 1958.
It became a department store in 1958 and was closed down in 1985.

They were each opened for 27 years.
Sad.

Patrick C. Ever spend any time at the Kershaw School Playground? I think every kid in the neighborhood went there occasionally to play some sports or the annual Holloween festival.
Chuckie Z.

Chuckie Z,
Yep...Kershaw always had activities. The whole neighborhood was a playground...wasn't it? Even the Southtown Show-remember how the balcony tiered down on both sides with steps to the main auditorium...so you could play "it" and never get trapped?

Wasn't that great! Stairs on one side and ramp on the other side.And there was big Jim The fat cop that had the beat there. he was such a tyrant sometimes.He used to chase us when we sat on the parking lot wall and watched the fights in the taverns across the street.And he would watch us when we tried to sneak in the theater. Other times he would take us in to see the movies free.If you read my early postings you know my feelings about Englewood.I'm so glad I was a kid there in that era. It was magical!!
Chuckie Z.

I don't remember Big Jim, but I do remember the ushers and their strict codes, but we were just kids and innocent, as were the times.I have read your earlier postings and I can relate to your feelings about Englewood. I think most of us who were there at that time feel the same. We didn't have much to speak of,but were rich in so many other ways. It's nice to connect with those who remember how lucky we were. You are so right about that.

It seems to me that Englewood and its vitality is overlooked and forgotten. 63rd Halsted was known to be the most vital shopping and entertainment area outside the Loop. Yet on the "Remembering Chicago" series it wasn't even mentioned---no photos-nothing....that I can recall. Most books about Chicago's past don't seem to focus on it either. Only in books specifically about Englewood is it recognized. Has anyone else noticed this?

Patrick c, I realize that this is a cinema treasure web site but I get so excited when I see a new Englewood person on board from my era.Gerry C. is well informed and a great person to communicate with.He has great stories.I also have postings on all the theaters in Englewood. check them out.
Chuckie Z.

ChuckieZ, I have read your postings on all the englewood theater sites and thank you for providing such detail to my long-ago memories. And you are so right about GerryC. Turns out we graduated from St. Bernard's together. His recall is amazing...

I'm new to the site and think it's amazing. I lived at 61st and Green till I was about 6 and some of my fondest childhood memories are of the neighborhood and it's theaters. There was nothing like 63rd and Halsted in the early 50's. The apartment building we lived in had about 3 or 4 other kids about my age (one of the girls was about 3 years older) and our parents would let us go to the "show" as a group by ourselves. (Since it was usually to the Empress, it was just around the corner. We'd head off with (I think) 35cents each- 25 cents to get in and a dime for popcorn. What a treat that was on a hot summer day because it was "Cool Inside" and our apartment sure wasn't. Once in awhile we were allowed to go to the Englewood but only on Saturdays. The real treat came when our parents would take us to the Southtown (we wren't allowed to go ourselves, it was too far.) When you're 5 or 6 years old, the Southtown was like magic. The pond in the lobby and what seemed like the largest candy counter in the world. (If I remeber there was also a nursery where the adults could leave their real little ones during the movie) I may be mistaken about the nursery but I seem to remember it. I do definitely remeber being overwhelmed by the sheer size and opulence of the place - nothin like it in todays mall boxes.
I still miss the sounds of the street cars and the fire engines at nite. When we 1st moved away to the boondocks (almost Evergreen Park) I wasn't able to sleep at nite because it was so quiet.

jayw
Nice to see someone new on the site. I grew up on normal blvd down the street from kelly library. What school did you go to? Did you graduate from Englewood High?

FLICKCHICK -
We moved away from 61st and Green when I was about 6. Moved further south to 85th and California. Even after we moved I was still back in the area very often, my grandmother lived at 69th and Sangamon and my parents continued to bank at 63rd and Halsted. Went back to the area for high school tho. I went to Leo.

I lived at 73rd and Harvard from 1940 when I was born, to 1953, when we moved away. We went to Yale Elementary at 70th and Princeton. There is a very active Yale alumni group if anyone is interested. My older brother and sister went to Parker High; I went to Morgan Park High much further south. My siblings and I went to the Southtown on special occasions; I remember the pond most of all. I was very impressed, and would feed the ducks popcorn, although I think we weren't supposed to. Our neighborhood movie theaters were the E.A.R. at 68th and Wentworth and the Sun, which were closer to our home, so we didn't get to the Southtown all that often. I remember visiting the neighborhood many years later, in the late 50s I guess, when it was the department store, and remember being saddened. Those were great days to grow up in.

jayw-
You didn't live too far from us just on 61st and Green. That put you a little closer to 63&Halsted. I loved going up there to have lunch, shop or go to the movies. It was great. So you went to Leo. I knew several boys that went there. It was on 78th not too far from Halsted, right? Speaking of Halsted, have you seen 63rd and Halsted lately? If it weren't for the bank building I don't think I could recognize it. Chicago City Colleges is building the new Kennedy-King College there. On the corner where Sears Roebuck was there's a studio for WYCC, the PBS station that broadcasts on channel 20. It's all quite different.

Flickchick (and anyone else)

You seem to get into the old neighborhood periodically. I have a question: What replaced Carr's department store after it was torn down. I've tried looking at it through Google Maps and Microsoft Virtual Earth but the image isn't clear enough. I've even telephoned the post office across the street (I live in Southern California). They, however, didn't understand what I was talking about. Anybody?

Flickchick -
Leo was (and is) at 79th and Sangamon - almost closed a few years ago but it was saved. I haven't been to the old neighborhood in years but I went thru the Google maps a few weeks ago and was amazed - I recognized practicaly nothing. What a shame - it's gone from what I remember as a vibrant, pulsing area to what appears to be a drab, look-alike urban landscape. Other than the sounds of traffic and the streetcars, one of the things I remeber the most was the smells of candy and popcorn that eminated from the 5 and 10 cent store (was it a Woolworth's or a Grant's?)as you walked down 63rd St.
My mother didn't have a car back then so we walked everywhere. There was a tiny, neighborhood grocery store at the alley on 61st Street between Green and Halsted where all of us kids would go to get a nickle Coke and a gumball from the machine and sit in the alley to have a drink on a hot summer day. The owners name was Marge and she became a friend of the family. When we moved to 85th and California, my Dad would occassionally pick her up after work and bring her out to the "sticks" for dinner.
I often regret that my kids (who were raised in the suburbs of Indianapolis) never got to be exposed to the kind of childhoods we had - it seems like they missed a lot.(By the way , do you remember the "Rags, old iron" cart that used to come down the alleys collecting junk?)

Flick,

Yeah, I agree: The place looks pretty drab. I'm just thankful I had the opportunity to live there.

I think every few blocks there were little mom-and-pop grocery stores. If they were around a school, they were called 'school stores' because they carried a lot of school supplies that grocery stores wouldn't. When we lived at 65th & Stewart, kitty-corner from us were five stores: one dry cleaners, one shoe repairman, and three (3!) mom-and-pop grocery stores---all contained within a strip of 60 feet and all making money. The one chain-mom-and-pop store was Royal Blue. I can't ever remember seeing one right in Englewood but on the outskirts of it, e.g., 53d & Union Ave. Always remember those strange lights in front with the blue haze. Anybody remember them?

By the way, that smell of popcorn came from two department stores: Kresge's 5 & 10 Cent store at 63d & Halsted and W.T. Grant's, just down the street at 63d & Green. The odor of popcorn from Grant's was quite strong.

You're correct. The sounds of clanging streetcars, honking horns, and those green buses that belched great amounts of odorous exhaust when they pulled away from 63d & Halsted---wonderous memories, all of them. And yes, I remember the junk wagons driven by a horse that came down the alleys: "Rags and iron!" (I always thought they were saying 'Rags and lions.' Never figured that one out.) Like Chuckie Z. says: "God! It was great!"

The trouble with growing up in a neighborhood like Englewood is that you find yourself always looking for something like it. I moved back to Englewood because after decades and decades, my family still had property there. Believe it or not, there is one thing about Englewood that has not changed, there are still good people there. I know it does not and never will look the same, but there are people there with good hearts. You can find neighbors that still care about each other. There are still young men that will shovel an old lady's snow, whether she can pay him or not. It works the same way with the grass in the summer.

I had been living in the south section of the new loop for a while. They seem to be trying to similate an old Chicago neighborhood, but the caring part is missing.

Oh, I left a message on one of the other theater pages, there are people of European descent in Englewood.

Back in 1980 I drove to 63d & Green & parked in the old Wieboldts parking lot under the "L", just like the old days. With no doors, you could look thro' Wieboldts from Green to Peoria (very dark & trashy inside). That site and the nearly vacant streets bro't to mind newsreels of '45-46 showing what was left of the cities in Germany. Very different from '48-49 when I had a Times route 63d to 65th Peoria to Halsted, and never a concern making cash collections after dark. I presume the neighborhood has since been improved upon.

Where the wonderful shopping center once was they are building a new City College. There are already classes in session. On the corner of 63rd & Halsted, where Sears once stood, they have built the studio for the WYCC PBS tv station (channel 20), There have been over a hundred new homes built and dozens of new businesses have opened. Of course, we both know that the neighborhood we grew up in is gone forever.

`Gerry C (and everyone else)

Where the Southtown stood there are several buildings. From west to east, six new storefronts, Walgreen's and a supermarket. Those people at the Post Office were probably too young to remember the theater or Carr's. That supermarket has been there for a long time.

Such a wonderful trip down memory lane you all have given me, thought I was the only one who traveled that road and have wished that things didn't have to change. We all know that this is not so. We have lost a great neighborhood we once enjoyed so immensely, but will we always remember so much of it. You have all helped me remember things I have forgotten(little things).
Lived at 60th & Normal since I was 3 yrs old and got married in 1954 and moved, parents were there for a couple more years, then they moved to 79th and Cicero(Scottsdale).

I remember so many good things in the (old) days. Most of all the Southtown theater that you have all talked about and loved also. I remember going there with my parents once a week usually Saturdays, we would go in with a box of warm KarmelKorn right from the store down the street, which was a special treat for us, sister and me. Such a wonderful time for kids as you all have said.

Went to Lewis-Champlain scholl and then to Englewood High, so many changes there too. I think that Lewis-Champlain is gone, am I correct ? I, too remember my kindergarten teacher Miss Vanderpool, was so scared the first day at school, she was great, also remember Miss Bombasi and Mrs Brown my 8th grade teacher. Oh what fun we had with school then. Was so wonderful to find this web site and read all your familiar stories, felt like I was there sharing times with you all.

Got to this point by checking out the Southtown theater through Google and here you all were, you have made my dayWent all the timto Kelly Branch library at 61st and Normal, was a book worm, still am.

Love to go there, see that it is still there, I'm glad for that.
Thank you for writing all your thoughts, it has made me remeber so much of the days when all I had to do was, get home before the streets lights go on. Always felt safe there, even at night.
Such a shame things have to change. One ofyou commented that your kids couldn't believe some of the things you did when you were young, mine don,t either. Was a pleasure to share with all of you this trip down memory land, hope to visit with you often.

Take Care all~~>Pat
Hope to hear more good things !!

To: GerryC-ChuckieZ-FLICKCHICK-GoodlanderGirl & everyone out there
Please read above notes~~~>Pat

Patties50, Lewis Champlain and all the other school buildings on the block are gone, with Englewood being replaced by an updated building and an athletic field. I too remember having Miss Vanderpool. Also, Miss Guinan in 1st grade, my first male teacher in 6th grade, Mrs Lewis in 7th, and Miss Oswald in 8th grade. 7th and 8th were in the Englewood building. I went there in the late forties, returning in the mid fifties. What a culture shock that was LOL. It turned totally black north of 63rd street and east of the tracks at Wallace, while south of 63rd and west of Wallace street was all white. 63rd street and Wallace were like borders for several years.

Bob Leffingwell: So glad to hear from you, thought that Lewis was demolished as was Englewood,what a shame,such wonderful old structures. Seems like all we do is tear down and not try to keep history alive. Went to Lewis all 8 grades, from 1941 to 1950, such a
great school and wonderful teachers. We never hear why these schools were torn down and ugly buildings put up do we? I lived at 60th Pl. & Normal,right across from Covenant Baptist church which I see has been torn down and is nothing but a vacant lot, was married there. I can understand tearing a building down to make room for PROGRESS, but to just live next door to a vacant lot, think something is wrong with the people that came after us. Could have been used for a hall for the kids to learn something, constructive.
Guess you were always up to 63rd & Halsted too,everyone seems to have enjoyed that part of growing up in the Englewood area~theaters, so many to pick a good show from,White Castles,KarmelKorn shop.
We had a good time as kids, didn't we?
Thanks so much for the info and hope to talk again !
Patricia Armon(maiden name)

Did anyone live a little further south, around 70th to 74th Streets as the north/south boundaries and Wentworth and Vincennes along with Hamilton Park as the east/west boundaries of our neighborhood. We kids would go to the Southtown Theater on special occasions and loved the ornate structure with its wonderful duck pond. We went to Yale Elementary and Parker High. Our nearest movie theaters were the Sun and E.A.R. (named after the owner's initials). Love to hear from you. For those who went to Yale, there is an active alumni group going way back.

Lewis-champlain was most likey torn down due to most of the neighborhood diappearing. I still remember seeing the steam engine that ran the ventilation fan for the building. The brass on that engine was polished like a fire engine. My recollections of Hamilton Park are vague at best. My grandfather used to take me to political gatherings at one of those theatres on the east side of Wentworth somewhere around 69th(?) street. I remember a small train station at Hamilton Park on the Rock Island line. I had friends from Westcott Vocational that lived in the building next to the Rock Island at 74th Street. We often took the bus from there to go swimming at Grand Crossing pool.

patties50 and all
I went to Lewis Champlain in the first grade and then transferred to St. Martin's school on 59th and Princeton. I was told that they tore Lewis Champlain down to make way for the new Englewood High School and track, etc.
Between 60th st and 60th pl. there were two grey apartment buildings. On the basement level there were businesses, barber shop, grocery store, maybe a cleaners. These buildings were torn down, due to fire.
I would love to see a picture of the outside of Covenant Baptist Church. I haven't been able to find one.

Flick,

When did you go to St. Martin's?

Hi FLICKCHICK;
No, I haven't found a picture of Covenant Baptist Church either, all I could fine out by going to google maps was that it is now a vacant lot by the alley there.
When were you going to Lewis ? I was there between 1941-1950. Yes, I too remember the businesses there on Normal~Drug Store~Krogers(my Mom worked there)meat market with Kroger, show repair around the corner. The other row of bussiness and apartments are still standing, but boarded up, looks like the apartments are still active though. I use to work for the cleaners there in 1952 worked for Minnie Holt, she was so good to me.
Where did you live flickchick ? Were you toward the stores or Kelly Library? I was always in that library(was a book worm)couldn't get enough books out to read,of course, we didn't have TV, so we had to do something. Right?
What years were you living there too. All these questions, but my mind is going a mile a minute to realize that we can remember so much and it is not there anymore, like the church, Such a shame.
Do you still live in Chicago area, saw that you drove by there in one of your letters.
Englewood High that I remember is gone too, what a beautiful school, went there too for 2 yrs then went to CVS.
Well, nice chatting with you and hope I hear back !
Thanks~~Take Care Pat

FLICKCHICK;
P.S. Forgot to tell you where I lived, address was 505 W. 60th Place.
Pat

I remember the Southtown very well. My parents took us "to the show" very often. Not only to the Southtown. But I remember how beautiful the Southtown was inside. It was my favorite because of the duck pond. I threw many a penny in there, and also much pop-corn for the ducks.
I remember my mother taking us to the White Castle on Halstead too. We used to ride on the bag of laundry in the back of our wagon when my mom went to the laundro mat.
I lived a little further west at Aberdeen St. We lived at 66th and Aberdeen from when I was born 1n1948 till 1956. Then we moved to the corner of Marquette Rd. & Aberdeen, upstairs of the tailors on the corner (also upstairs of the Hollenback's sausage factory). Across the street from Jerry & Joe's store.
I went to St. Brendan's. Does anyone know where there are any photos of St. Brendan's church? It was on the corner of Morgan and Marquette Rd across the street from Ogden Park. It was a large "pink" brick church with a tall steeple and beautiful stained glass windows.
After 1962 we moved across Ashland at 65th & Paulina. I went to Harper Hs. and from 1965-1966 I worked at the Kresge's at 63rd & Halstead. I ran the pop-corn machine for awhile!
I do remember Englewood. I used the YMCA, swam at "the tank" at Ogden Park and used to run under the sprinkler/fountain there in the summers. Ogden park had a great kid's playground too with great monkey bars, a sand pit and a very high slide.
I loved reading about the old neighborhood. I really brought back great memories. I live in Florida now, so I can't compare the area now to what it was then. But I will always have fond memories of it..

patties50,

You lived at 505 W. 60th Place? I lived at 650 W. 60th Street. Before that (for a short while) I lived at 5950 S. Normal Blvd., 157 yards away from your apartment building.

Meb31,

St. Brendan's was on the SW corner of Racine Avenue and Marquette Road, but still across from Ogden Park.

Gerry C,

Small world,isn't it? What years were you there? Was that the big red brick apartment building(lots of apts.) Did you go to the Little Store in the basement for candy,across the street from me? Knew so many friends when I was in grammar school, but they have all scattered.
Nice to hear from you,are you still in Chicago area or out of town?

Take Care and talk later!!

Patties,

Like I said, only a short while on Normal Blvd. Lived with my grandfather for about five months in 1950, then moved to 60th St. Lived on 60th St. for four years. We were four houses east of Union Ave. Both the houses were two-flats. The house on Normal Bl. has been torn down; however, my house on 60th Street (built in 1893) is still standing. I went to St. Martin's School (1950-54) and later to St. Bernard's School at 66th and Stewart Ave., 1954-58.

I've lived here in Southern California for the past 38 years.

The comments on this page are getting increasingly off-topic. Everyone, let's please try to keep the comments about the Southtown Theatre as much as possible. If you wish to talk about other neighborhood memories, please email each other privately. Thanks very much!

Bryan Krefft
Cinema Treasures

Amen!

Bryan
Thanks for the reminder.
As I said earlier, my parents took us to the Southtown very often. My favorite was the duck pond. I don't think I have ever seen another cinema that had one inside. I suppose nowdays it wouldn't be politically correct to have fish and ducks, etc. roaming around a cinema lobby. Where were the ducks, etc. kept at night? Were they put into cages/a special room?
Wasn't there also a childrens play room with small slides, etc. - some sort of animal theme? I think that was there. We used to frequent other cinemas on 63rd St but I believe it was at the Southtown.

I remember the childrens play room. You never had a problem with noisy kids while enjoying a movie. Every theatre should have one.

Melb31...The Southtown was a great show, lots of coins in the "pond," and a great snack bar. The other shows were the Stratford, Englewood, and Linden. Dont forget the Ace & Empress on Halsted. I had a Times paper route on west side Aberdeen 63d to 67th during fall & winter 1950-51.
Roger W.

Well,
I guess we are guilty of talking about Englewood more than the Southtown.
I was in Detroit a few years ago and saw how they refurbished the old Fox theatre. The Southtown was a much more elegant palace. It would be the gem of the midwest, if it were still standing.

Wow, I found this site strictly by accident while looking for some information about the Southtown for a friend of mine. Reading everyone's comments has been a great trip down memory lane! I actually worked as a B&K usher at the Southtown on and off in 1953 and 54. One of you folks mentioned police officer "Big Jim" in one of your posts. I remember him very will. In fact it was Big Jim who came out to attend to me after I ran into the back of a city bus right across the street from the theater! IN MY FIRST CAR!!! My driving has improved since then. If I recall, my ushers uniform was navy blue or black trousers with a maroon colored coat. We also wore, I think, a white shirt with a black clip on bow tie. We ushers also had our own locker room. This is probably where I first picked up the smoking bad habit! We used to come in early sometime on the weekends so we could horse around and go exploring in that massive building! I also met my first sort of steady girlfriend at the Southtown. One of the "Candy Girls". She attended my prom with me at the Sherie or Shery hotel. (Not sure of the spelling). I actually lived north of most of you folks. I lived at 56th & Lowe and attended "Saint Tilden Tech". Went on to do 30 years with the Chicago Fire Dept. Thanks again for sharing your memories. JohnCFD

Ever since I can remember my grandparents have told me their wonderful memories of the Southtown. It's such a shame that it doesn't exist anymore. To the previous post, my Grandpa went to Tilden Tech and was also a fireman with the Chicago Fire Dept. His name was John Herman.

Great info! I am researching the careers of the "Three Burke Sisters" (my aunts) who were in the "Bandbox Revue" one of the stage attractions - on the screen was "Escapade". From their picture I am guessing 1932-34 range. The newspaper article I have is trimmed and without a date etc.

Is there a way to find out more on the stage attractions? I am doing the research for my aunts grandchildren and great grandchildren, so they will know how wonderful the Burke Sisters were!

Thanks,

MGabel

My mistake - "Escapade" was released in the US on July 7, 1935.

MGabel

Hey Johncfd. When you explored the building, did you ever get into the tower? I often wondered what, if anything, was in it.

In the 1930s, the Theater Softball League was formed among the employees of the six theaters in Englewood: the Ace, Empress, Englewood, Linden, Stratford, and Southtown. They played on Saturdays and Sundays at Ogden Park. The Englewood and Linden teams were combined to form one team, while each of the others had their own team. The reason for this is unclear. It might have been because neither the Linden and Englewood had enough to fill a roster or because both theaters were owned by the same person. In 1938, the team from the Ace was favored for the title.

According to the Southtown Economist of Sun., Aug. 3, 1958, the Southtown Theater closed on Thursday, August 7, 1958. It's final act as a theater was a double-bill which included "God's Little Acre."

George Rose, who grew up in Englewood and attended Englewood High School, signed a long-term lease with Balaban & Katz, with an option to buy.

Here are some 1982 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/dzoq5d
http://tinyurl.com/dzcxtr

Involved in the installation for a community mural. 300 years of History, to depict one of the most oldest prominent communities in Chicago. Near the Historical Theater previous site along W 63rd.

In case possible, let's establish collaboration.

Efforts in having the envisionment of the Historical Theater, incorporated into the mural.

Hay to all of you who lived on normal blvd and went to lewis chaplain school.I went to that grade school to 1952 then moved out here to phx az when i was 11 yrs old.I lived across from the hiram kelly library at 504 w 62nd st.I went and hung out at every movie theater in the neighbor hood and used to go down town on the el,or streetcar with only 50cents.AND still brought home change to my grandmother HOWS THAT.I used two build snow tunnels in the SOUTHTOWN parking lot.IM 69 yrs old my how time flys when ur having fun.thedoberman

In the spring of 1960, I helped pay tuition at the University of Illinois in Chicago by working for an inventory company. We would inventory stores prior to the accountants coming in to do their own inventory. It was sort of a security measure. We usually worked from around 10 p.m. on a Friday night until 8 a.m. on Saturday morning. When our crew chief drove us down to the Southtown Theatre, I thought we were going to have to inventory popcorn. What a surprise when I saw that this art-deco theatre was now a department store. The stoves and refrigerators were in the balcony, and I spent the entire night sitting on the floor of the orchestra counting boxes of paper clips and ball point pens. That's the only time I was ever in the theatre, but as I sat on the floor, I kept staring at the ceiling and thought what a beautiful theatre it must have been at one time.

Ah the30s,40s and 50s when a guy looked forward on the weekend to putting on his freshly starched shirt his suit and tie shined shoes and fedora Picked up his lady and went out for dinner at one of the many great restaurants and then off to the magical world of the cinema of which Chicago had many. But none surpassed the splendor and elegance of the Southtown theater made up of italian tile,plush carpets a well stocked pool of ducks swans fish and water falls in the lobby.Fabulous stairways plush seats well uniformed ushers and even a staffed nursery for the kiddies so you could enjoy the movies and live stage shows with a full orchestra in the pit all for a mere 25 cent admission.Shame on the city of Chicago for letting these fabulous places fall into disrepair and vanish to be replaced by no class cement structures they now call theaters where you are hearded like cattle and fleeced of your funds and expelled from them after the movie.To bad for the generation of today that does'nt know better!

Here is a photo circa 1935:
http://tinyurl.com/ylnhas7

A 4/20 Wurlitzer Publix 1 was installed in the theatre after removal from the congress theatre.

Dang. Another Walgreens on the site. This is getting VERY annoying.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=610%20W.%2063rd%20Street%20%2C%20Chicago%2C%20IL%2060621&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

There a walgreens on every corner. Literally

Well there it seems like everyone is abandoning this site. the postings are getting fewer.But,not me. I so loved this theater and the memories of the neighborhood that I took a photo I had of the Southtown enlarged it and with a little camera work put myself and my old 29 Ford into the parking lot entrance. Now in my home it will never be forgoten!
Chuckie Z.

My great uncle, Bill Studdert, was the manager of the Chicago Southtown Theater. He was a great guy -- and really loved "showbiz" and the great theater palaces. (He was also manager of the Tivoli...) When the Southtown Theater swan pool display was removed he gave the wrought iron furniture -- 2 chairs and 2 settees -- that were displayed near the pool to his sister. I have the set now. Does anyone have a photograph of the swan pool that shows the wrought iron furniture? The set is now black but my aunt recalls that they were originally white. They are very heavy, ornate and have beautiful heart-shaped backs. Thanks!