Adelphi Theater
7074 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60626
7074 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60626
9 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 78 comments found
Here is an undated vintage photo of the entrance of the Adelphi.
Bill and I are putting together a memorial site for the adelphi theater. If anyone has pictures that would like to see posted on the site or memories they want to share please e-mail me at If you have photographs that you would let us scan and post, please send them or visit us at QUEST – 7301 N. Sheridan Rd. in Chicago. The memorial site is www.adelphitheater.com
Thank you,
Kris
I worked as a projectionist at the Adelphi from Feb. 1993-Oct. 1994. It was one of the last projection booths with carbon arc lamphouses at the time. The late great Don Klein (1937-1999) operated the theatre. He tried to keep the place open as long as he could, but he finally relented and sold the business to Indian film exhibitors in 1995. I wish Don was still alive today. He’d be on the Cinema Treasures website 24/7. He really loved old-time movie houses. Working there was interesting, sometimes depressing, other times just downright scary. There were a couple of shootings near the theatre. Rats? Oh yeah, BIG ones. Attendance? Sometimes it was good; other times okay; and there were really slow weeks. The theatre was up and down; sometimes classy films; other times cinematic trash. It was one of the last of it’s kind: a double-feature theatre with 2nd-run prices. I really miss this theatre. I was hoping it would make it. It’s the type of theatre I miss working for: a single screen theatre. Well, as Don Klein said to me shortly before he died: “Let’s face it, Timmy, there’s just no place in this world for guys like me and you anymore.” P.S. If anyone is interested, there is a liquor store across the street from the Adelphi. It used to be a small movie house called Archibald’s Casino. Thank you for trying, Bill Morton. You and Don would’ve been great friends.
1984 Photo
Here is a 1982 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/df4fzc
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Here is a link to the story:
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Recap: The news piece that aired last night on NBC, basically covered the neighborhood’s frustration over the giant unfinished hole in the ground that was once the Adelphi Theater.
They ran a quick clip with a vintage pic of the building and marquee. And did mention the Adelphi by name.
Then it went into the various political donations that the developer had made to the current Alderman, and those in the ward’s of their other past developments. A practice the current Alderman apparently previousy frowned upon.
The story further implied that various re-zoning (to a 5 story structure in the Adelphi’s case), and other permit issues were suspect due to ANY donations given to a ward’s Alderman.
Didn’t quite catch what happened to cause the developer work stoppage at the Adelphi site.
But it apparently has left an in-ground foundation with rusting steel beams, and a chain link fence around the entire site for two years.
As well as exasperated neighbors who just refer to it as “the hole”.
hah. Thanks.
FYI. I believe there is a Carol Marin news piece about the Adelphi property on tonight’s, (March 18th) 10 pm NBC Channel 5 newscast.
It’s titled “Hole In The Nieghborhood” or something similar.
Thanks, Got it! Great Pic. I see now that it was actually three ushers inlaid on the sidewalk, standing at the ready.
A unique design feature that should have been harvested before the demolition. Thanks again.
Look through the Flickr links I put up last year. There are some pictures of the sidewalk in one of those galleries. Can’t remember which one.
Does anyone have a link to an old picture of the foyer sidewalk out front?
The name Adelphi & an inlaid image of a uniformed theater usher, adorned the sloped, terazzo floor out front.
The usher resembled the old Phillip Morris cigarette character.
I worked at the Adelphit starting in 1958, were I met my wife to be.
We are still married today. I started as an usher & she was a candy girl. We both worked are way up the corporate ladder to assistant manager & head casher. The manager at the time was Howard Lambert.
I still remember the dark & spooky basement. I would have to go down there & stoke the furance in the winter. Also the candy was stored down there in the tin lined ice room ( ice was stored there for the air conditioning before central air). We even found a stalk of popcorn growing out of a crack in the floor, with little or no light.
One of my jobs as an usher waqs to change the canopy for the new movies. It took a 14' step ladder and a lot of streching in rain, snow, & ice. OSHA would not have approved.
We still keep in touch with several of our coworkers. We have many found menories of the Adelphi. Would love to hear from any customers are former employees from 1958 – 62
Mike & Joan Williamson McGovern
This just keeps getting better:
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Here is a second cool Adelphi photo on Flickr:
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Two years on now, and we still have a pit. BRAVO JOE MOORE!
any condos up yet?
White Castle would be good there (mmmmmm! Sliders!)
I’d be surprised to see so much as a White Castle on the spot in 5 years…
lol not quite what i meant but i would much rather have that than a condo like they planned! I think the best Idea would be a museum on the spot that is a tribute to all fallen theaters in and around chicagoland
I know that I previously stated that I was not all that fond of the Adelphi. But let’s face it. It did provide some form of culture to the Rogers Park neighborhood. It was something unique, which could have been saved as a small peforming arts venue, or it could have been successfully put into adaptive re-use.
So I say, I agree with the above statements. I hope that the “developer” goes bankrupt! I hope that the pit, which now occupies the site, remains for a very long time as a reminder to those who “greased the wheels” to get this theatre demolished. The same goes for the DuPage, the Esquire, et. al.
Or, how ‘bout what redrobedmage says above? Let’s make it into a “park-n-ride” lot for the nearby METRA station!
That is true, lets go for the lot then!
A vacant lot would be an improvement. What we have now is a pit in the ground.