Liberty 1 & 2 Theatres
708 N. Milwaukee Avenue,
Libertyville,
IL
60048
708 N. Milwaukee Avenue,
Libertyville,
IL
60048
3 people
favorited this theater
The 1937 Liberty Theatre was designed by architects E.P. Rupert and William L. Pereira in the Art Moderne style including a stunning tall vertical sign. The facade was of cream-colored terra-cotta, trimmed in dark blue. It either replaced or was a total remodeling of an earlier Liberty Theatre, dating from before the 1920’s.
At some point, the Liberty Theatre lost its Moderne facade, including the vertical sign, and compared to the original, the current one is rather plain.
The Liberty Theatre was converted at some point into a twin. It was until June 2006 part of the RMC chain, now operated by “C” You at the Movies, Inc, along with the Antioch in Antioch, the Dunes in Zion, and the McHenry Indoor and Outdoor Theatres in McHenry.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 37 comments)
Here is a photo circa 1940s that is being sold on eBay:
http://tinyurl.com/kr3eba
Here is another photo:
http://tinyurl.com/ybuwosp
What idiot remodeled that beautiful movie theatre!
I hate that paneling and marquee
I hate that paneling.
I think the bottom of the marquee may be from the 1930’s marquee.
jwballer,I just can’t understand why they would go with that look.It looks like a butcher’s shop.If you just got to twin it okay,but not what they did.
Sure has changed over the years the marquee looks good though.
Looks good at night
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwchicago/251602205/
At one time very representative of a neighborhood cinema, the theatre is now damaged now beyond repair because of the desire to “modernize.” While still operating as of 2011, virtually all of the architectural deco character of the original theatre has been stripped away. The exterior art deco facade and sign are gone, and the stucco facade is now faced with paneling. The exterior box office is long gone. Virtually all the 1930’s décor has been stripped away, leaving a big ugly black box interior. To make matters worse, a long center wall was installed, splitting the auditorium into two halves, creating a long, cavernous feeling with tiny movie screens at the far end. There’s nothing left to save here. What remains might as well have been the interior of a warehouse with theatre seats.