Oakland Square Theater
3947 S. Drexel Boulevard,
Chicago,
IL
60653
3947 S. Drexel Boulevard,
Chicago,
IL
60653
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The Oakland Square was opened on March 4, 1916, designed by Henry L. Newhouse for the Ascher Brothers circuit. In 1931 this theater was one of several in Chicago taken over by Warner Brothers Circuit Management Inc., later Stanley-Warner. In the mid-1960’s, the theater became part of the new Brotman & Sherman chain, initially mostly made up of former Warner theaters.
By the 1970’s, both the surrounding neighborhood and the theater itself fell into serious decline, and the Oakland Square Theatre closed not long afterwards. It became a hangout for gangs and illegal activities, and neighborhood leaders demanded the city of Chicago condemn the long-vacant building and have it razed, which finally occurred in 1990.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
Thes was the headquarters of the El Rukin Street gang in the 1980"s, they called it the fort. It was a fortress windows blocked up, gates on doors and escape tunnels.
It apparently was rather innovative when the project was announced; it was noted to contain “no wall seats” (boxes, I presume), held extra-wide seats, and was apparently both the city’s largest all-movie theater at the time, and “the first theater over 1,000 seats without a stage”. Chicago Tribune, July 30, 1915.
There’s a photo in this sunday’s (1/29/06) Tribune Magazine of the theatre while the El Rukn gang controlled it. Pretty lovely building.
http://www.kentimmerman.com/rukn.htm
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According to this blog post a spacious private residence has been built on the Oakland Square site.
Inside the auditorum while it was under gang control:
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Fort exterior, 1987:
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March 4, 1916 grand opening ad posted here.