Bank of America Theatre
22 W. Monroe Street,
Chicago,
IL
60603
22 W. Monroe Street,
Chicago,
IL
60603
16 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 82 comments found
A great 1966 view of the Shubert can be seen here.
The vertical sign of the Majestic Theater can be seen in this 1914 photo of the corner of State and Monroe. On a side note, I wonder if that great terra-cotta detail advertising the North American Restaurant on the North American Building is still there, just covered up.
Following is a series of vintage images of the Majestic. 1 2 3, the lounges supposedly designed by a young Rapp & Rapp 4
Bank of America Cinema closed after the 12/18/10 screening of Babes in Toyland. The group has renamed itself the Northwest Chicago Film Society and will resume showing classic films around the corner at the Portage Theater on Wednesday nights beginning February 16.
Wall Street Journal article
From the early 1900s a postcard view of the Majestic Theater Building in Chicago.
The Bank Of America Cinema that is rumored to be closing, is a screening room built over a BoA in Portage Park. There is a story about it on the Chicagoist website. It was previously owned by LaSalle Bank whom BoA took over. And that speaks for itself.
HDTV 267
I’m not from Chicago, but I think you’re confusing this theatre with a similarly named one. The article you link to shows it’s address as
4901 W. Irving Park Road.
I was only in the Bank of America Theatre once, when it was known as the LaSalle Bank Theatre. I saw “Jersey Boys” with a friend of mine View link
hdtv267, Did you read the article for the above post? The Bank of America Cinema is located at 4901 W. Irving Park Road. Which is not the address of this theatre thread.
Does anyone know during what periods this theatre showed movies? The description above is not clear.
It truly is a horrible marquee, but the interior restoration is really something to see. Dark, I agree with the name. Even something like the Bank of America Majestic or Shubert Theatre would have been a nice compromise, even thought that would be almost as wordy as the Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre.
Makes it sound like a Credit Card company i hate.
I wish we could go back to the shubert or even the Majestic. The last two names have been horrible.
Not as ugly as the name though.
What an ugly marquee!!!
Here’s a recent picture of the Bank of America Theatre (taken on July 1, 2009):
View link
Lots of cool Chicago photos in this set:
View link
Worth your time to look around.
Reactivate Notification Status.
does anyone have recent photos
The Shubert is one of my favorites. I walked by there every night on my way to a security job at the old USG building at Monroe & Wacker in the early
80's. A unique early60’s structure in it’s own right with heated sidewalks, etc., now gone though.However my favorite story about the Shubert is seeing “A Little Night Music” with Jean Simmon’s and Margaret Hamilton there in late 1977.
We all waited in the ornate lobby as it was promised Ms. Hamilton would come out and say hi.
Almost 40 years from Oz, after a short wait a door slowly opened and she shuffled out carrying shopping bags.
Hauntingly, many children who had waited to see her, and surely understood nothing of “ALNM” which they just sat through, all in unison took one step backwards for every step she took forwards. Always keeping themselves at at least a 5 foot distance.
A chilling site that Ms. Hamilton surely but understandibly, must have encountered her entire life after Oz.
I was 17, but still for a brief second felt the fireballs might come flying.
Kind of sad really since it’s documented that she was a kindergarten teacher before ever taking the Wicked Witch role. And surely adored children early on. Even as Cora the Coffee lady, she was sweet.
In 1991 I saw Robert Morse as Truman Capote in “Tru” at the Shubert. Currently in AMC’s “Madmen”.
He too greeted well wishers in the lobby afterwards. Yet pointed at his throat, and could only shake hands, smile & sign what was put before him.
Then he just casually walked out the front door alone, and off to his hotel. No entourage or TMZ back then.
About a year ago I shot a piece for Cable 25’s “Your Town Chicago”, about Broadway In Chicago. We interviewed the top lady of BIC, in one of the upper side balconies at the Shubert.
The stage was set up for “12 Angry Men” with our own George Wendt.
However we couldn’t shoot the stage, and had to supply all our own power.
BIC graciously provided all other footage we needed from current shows though. It was just the interview, theatre facade & background we needed anyway. I guess I didn’t notice that it was now BoA Theatre when there.
On June 5, 1946, the Shubert Theater was ordered closed by the Chicago Fire Commissioner for violation of fire regulations. The theater did not have a required electric pump on their sprinkler system. (The theater had ordered it but had yet to be delivered.)
THSA has files on some live houses, but for the most part it is not as extensive as the movie houses since that was not its initial focus. Something like the Majestic would probably be on-file.
In 1913, Edison demonstrated a talking pictures invention at the Majestic. Another special presentation of dancers in a film was held in December of that year. I found one reference to it showing films before its vaudeville programs for a little while starting September 1927. This could not have lasted long, because it quit the vaudeville policy by the end of that year and was only open sporadically after 1931. Plans were announced in 1933 to reopen it by the Monroe-State theater company (operators of the Roxy in Franklin, IN, and houses in Kokomo, IN, Peru, IN, and Ottawa, IL) This operated for about a year until Jones, Linick, and Schaefer took over the lease. This did not pan out, and the Majestic remained closed for 11 years before reopening as the Shubert on September 19, 1945
It’s always worth a try, the folks at Theatre Historical Society are very knowledgable. Good luck.
Does anyone know when they ever screened films here? I always remember it as live theater. I would be interested to see history and photos of the Erlanger and Great Northern as well. Does anyone know if the THSA archives data on live stage theaters in addition to movie houses? Thanks in advance.
Shubert, like the showmen; not Schubert, like the composer.