Deerpath Theatre
272 E. Deerpath Road,
Lake Forest,
IL
60045
272 E. Deerpath Road,
Lake Forest,
IL
60045
5 people
favorited this theater
The Deerpath Theatre, in the northern Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, opened in 1928. It was designed by the firm of Betts and Holcomb, who were also responsible for designing the Catlow in Barrington (among several other Chicagoland area theaters).
Both theaters were designed in a neo-Tudor style, though the interior decor differed and the Deerpath had a balcony.
The Deerpath remained open until the mid-80s. After it closed, it was converted into a shopping center.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 14 comments)
Lake Forest has had relatively few historical losses over the years, and I count among them Villa Turricum and the Deerpath Theatre. The Deerpath was a charming theatre with a stage and a pipe organ, and two ranks of pipes flanking the screen, with as I recall, a pair of the comedy/tragedy masks decorating the pipe enclosures. I think there was even a small orchestra pit in front of the stage/screen. I vaguely recall some heavy old-English-styled chandeliers hanging from the ceiling as well… but it was so long ago, I’m not sure.
I think the Deerpath suffered from bad management for many years, which ultimately led to its demise, aided by the era of VHS. Unlike its rival, the Highland Park Theatre which showed first-run movies, the Deerpath only screened re-runs. I saw “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Gone With The Wind,” “The Wizard of OZ,” and “Cabaret” there for the first time, all first-rate pictures but in their second- third- twentieth-runs. The only movie I know of that premiered at the Deerpath was “Thank God It’s Friday”…
I never saw the Deerpath after its remodeling, but I was told the balcony was sectioned off into private booths, and the seats were replaced. It seemed a shame, the direction it was headed.
How sad it is to think that a city like Lake Forest could have let its only in-town movie theatre bite the dust and become a (egads!) shopping mall! The theatre had a stage, for god’s sake. A better management team might have welcomed local theatre groups (such as Group For…) and orchestral groups to perform there. That opportunity is now gone.
Silly things I remember about the Deerpath: The floors were often sticky with spilled soda (they didn’t clean the theatre very well I guess); going to the corner Baskin-Robbins for ice cream after every show; my parents forbidding me to sit in the balcony (where all the stoners used to hang out).
That is an interesting point. The Winnetka Community House, which sits in the middle of a town with almost identical demographics, has a steady flow of events. Maybe Lake Forest missed the boat on this one.
A Geneva theater organ size 3/10 was installed in the Deerpath Theater in 1927.
Very fond memories of the Deerpath Theatre in the 70s: amen to the sticky floors, the 1920s Tudor revival decor and bargain that was the Saturday matinée— generally a very oddly matched double feature for about a dollar. Blinking in the bright light of a summer afternoon after watching “Lost Horizon” and “Westworld”… heady stuff. The interior signage was thematic and “ye olde,” too; I still remember the decorative font used in the signs over the interior doors. Warner Brothers' Robin Hood Gothic Bold. (As a kid I puzzled over the word “aisle” for ages— what could it mean?)
Andrew Gage, I must ask: did you graduate from LFHS?
Despite most predictions to the contrary, yes I did graduate from LFHS. How ya doin' “Feetsy” Filkins? It’s been a long long time hasn’t it?
Andy! Yay! I would love to hear what you’ve been up to in the past… decades… could you e-mail me at jeanlass @ gmail .com? I don’t think it would be good form to shanghai this thread with discussions of 9th grade chorus.
The Deerpath in 1982:
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I don’t remember this theatre being twinned, and yet there is a big “2” on the marquee. Curious.
It was not a twin. It was remodeled in the very early 80’s and the organ was even restored. It was reopened as the Deerpath 2. Airline seats, private rooms (back of the main floor) good for crying babies, early satellite TV (in the lobby and private rooms), and a rockin Dolby stereo sound system. Pink Floyd The Wall was there right after it reopened. Another cool theater that died due to the Loews / CO multiplex build mania then bankruptcy.
So where the organ now?
From the early 1900s a photo of the Deerpath Theatre in Lake Forest.