Orpheum Theatre
112 S. State Street,
Chicago,
IL
60603
112 S. State Street,
Chicago,
IL
60603
3 people
favorited this theater
Showing all 20 comments
Here is a 1930s photo (unfortunately somewhat blurry) showing the Orpheum as Warner’s Orpheum. This is the first time I’ve seen a photo of the Orpheum, usually any search for an image brings up the postcard view above.
You’re right Brian, Men’s Wearhouse is housed in the building that once was the Orpheum Theater (later Kitty Kelly Shoes and more recently, Burger King). A check on the Cook County Assessor’s page shows the building at 112 S. State is 118 years old, while the next-door building at 114 S. State (now housing Ulta) is “only” 80 years old (built on the site of the Bijou Dream Theater).
Disregard what I said earlier. If anything, the Orpheum was in the building that now houses the Men’s Wearhouse. The Orpheum closed in the spring of 1937 and was replaced by Kitty Kelly Shoes. So it is standing, just not in the building we thought. While Bryan’s article from Sept 8, 2009 says that it’s a new building, a previous article made clear that Kitty Kelly would heavily remodel the existing building.
Talking about the subject Broan was talking about that hes 95 % sure it is if you go on bing it shows you an old water tank and it might say Orpheum. They dpon’t make water tanks like that. Plus the roof is curved like a theatre, and just like he said its the same top. I to am 99.99 percent sure its the same building!
Talking about the subject Broan was talking about that hes 95 % sure it is if you go on bing it shows you an old water tank and it might say Orpheum. They dpon’t make water tanks like that. Plus the roof is curved like a theatre, and just like he said its the same top. I to am 99.99 percent sure its the same building!
The Sept. 7, 1937 Chicago Tribune:
CHAIN SHOE SHOP WILL OPEN ON ORPHEUM SITE
Completion of the new building at 112 South State street, leased until 1955 to Kitty Kelly Shoes, a New York corportation operating a chain of stores in the east, was announced yesterday. The lessees will open their first Chicago unit Thursday.
The basement and the first floor, which has a twenty foot ceiling, will be used for selling; the upper floors for stock, according to Aldis & Co., who represent the Ledyard Realty trust, the owner.
The building has a year round air conditioning system and is decorated with murals. The new building was designed by Alfred S. Alschuler, Inc.
It occupies the site of the Orpheum theater, Chicago’s first “high price” movie theater (admission being boosted in 1912 from the customary nickel to ten cents).
Yes, Google and pitiful can be synonymous at times.
Now you made me feel bad, after my pitiful Google search, when you researched the building back to 1872. You should have warned me.
Correct. I’m about 95% sure it’s the same building. I chewed through the topic thoroughly at View link
BW, I wouldn’t hazard a guess as to the status of this building, but I did take a look at the photo on Google maps. 114 S. State is the Rainbow store, which is a separate building. 112 S. is the narrow white building with no windows. It looks like whatever was on the first floor has been boarded up.
You can take a look at it yourself, but you have to click a few times on the arrow to get over to 112.
Opened September 9, 1907. Closed Late 1936/Early 1937
The building may actually be still standing although heavily remodeled several times over
A Hinners theater organ size 2/6 was installed in the Orpheum Theater in 1909.
A Kimball theater organ size 2/7 was installed in the Orpheum Theater in 1912. Note: Tubular Pneumatic Action.
NEWS ITEM:
Chicago Tribune, Sunday, June 1, 1958, s. 3, p. 6, c. 5:
PHIL SILVERS' FRIENDS THINK A LOT OF HIM
by John Fink
Phil Silvers memories of Chicago go back to the heyday of vaudeville. “Chicago was great in vaudeville days,” he says. “It was the center of the Orpheum circuit. One time you could stay six months in Chicago and not repeat a single theater. You played the Palace going west, and when you came back played the State-Lake and Orpheum.”
I am filming a documentary on our old summer home in Eagle River, Wisconsin, which was built in 1926 by Peter Schaefer, who was one of owners of this theatre. My family purchased this vacation estate in 1940 from the Schaefers' after Ms. Schaefer’s death. If anyone out there has any related information on PJ Schaefer, please share it with me and I will credit you in our film. My Uncle, James Coston, was a friend of Schaefer in the 30’s when he was with Warner Brothers. I can be contacted thru this web site or directly at Principle photography for this feature begins Jan 11th in Eagle River. Thanks for any help you can lend, this was such a long time ago, not many people still around.
Here is a postcard view of the Orpheum.
In the new book by Konrad Schiecke “Historic Movie Theatres in Illinois 1883-1960 it states the Orpheum Theatre closed in 1937, operated by Warner Bros.
However it is still listed in the 1941 & 1943 editions of Film Daily Yearbook under Chicago, but it’s not listed in the Circuit’s section under Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. began to acquire their theatre chain in 1925. The Warner is not advertised in the January 6, 1940 Chicago Daily Tribune and is not listed in the theatres section of International Motion Picture Almanac for 1942/1943 or subsequent Almanacs or Film Daily Year Books.
Does anyone know the date WB closed the Orpheum and when the building was converted to other uses?
I’m sorry for the confusion. The chicago historical society’s 1911 street renumeration guide (http://www.chsmedia.org/househistory/1911snc/start.pdf) shows that 176-78 was the old address and 110 was indeed the new address. The bijou dream was 178 and became 114.
View link shows the address as 174-176 S. State (As well as a nice rendering of the facade), and the Bijou Dream as 178 S. State, which would indeed be adjoining properties. The 112 S. State address presumably came from View link I would attribute this error to the positions of the 7-8 and 1-2 keys on the numerical keypad. So, this entry should read 176 S. State and the Bijou Dream should read 178 S. State, and the erroneus location near Couch Street should be removed from the Bijou’s entry.