Alex Theater
3828 W. Madison Street,
Chicago,
IL
60624
3828 W. Madison Street,
Chicago,
IL
60624
1 person
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This theater was originally known as the Hamlin Theater and was located close to Garfield Park on Madison Street at Hamlin Boulevard in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. It opened in 1910 as a vaudeville house with 1,200 seats. It later turned to movies as the primary entertainment. It was closed in 1934.
In 1938, the theater was remodeled in an Art Moderne style and also received a new name, the Alex Theater. It continued to operate until closure in 1976.
A parking lot is on the site of the former Alex Theater.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft, Ray Martinez
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Recent comments (view all 58 comments)
Dunno about the Alex, but the Patio was the subject of a couple raids on homosexuals.
Why is this an important topic?
Theatre history is social history.
If this site were about the sexual mores of urban cultures, then OK. I think there is something more prurient afoot here.
Well, I dunno why that guy brought it up, he doesn’t have much of a comment history. Is it more important to read comments about what monster movies someone watched 50 years ago than about the roles particular theaters played in the lives of a persecuted minority?
On the other hand, these theaters all had organs….Sorry I couldn’t resist.
I think there might be a little confusion here. I really don’t believe gays ventured up to the West Side to spend the night at this legendary schlock house. I once heard from an old veteran theatre owner that the Parkway Theatre, at Clark and Diversey, was a gathering spot for gays. The Parkway was a schlock house for many years up unil 1979 when Landmark Theatres took it over and began a revival program there. I believe that would be more credible since there’s a higher gay prescence around the Parkway Theatre area. I think JAYJay got these two schlock houses mixed up, but I could be wrong.
one can’d discuss chicago theatres that acquired substantial gay patronage without mentioning the old Newberry theatre on Clark St by the library (later metamorphosizing into the Chestnut Station). i’d also say it’s very unlikely the ALEX theatre ever acquired that audience slant
The Newberry and the Chestnut were two separate theaters within a block of each other on the west side of Clark St. The Newberry was torn down, the block replaced by a high rise apt. The Chestnut Station was a former post office converted to a pretty nice multiplex.
I loved this place. I saw the movie Black Sabbath when it first premiered. It was a huge hit for mu favorite horror character Boris Karloff. Those where my days. Meet my first girlfriend there too.