Bryn Mawr Theatre
1125 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60660
1125 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60660
10 people
favorited this theater
Opened in 1912, the Bryn Mawr Theatre is in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago. It was just steps away from the Bryn Mawr Avenue "El" stop, so it was located in an area which received heavy foot (and also auto) traffic.
Renamed the New Bryn Mawr Theatre in the 1960’s, in the early-1980’s it was renamed Gar Wah Theatre, screening Chinese and mainstream Hollywood films. It operated until the mid-1980’s before closing.
Today, the former theatre serves as retail and storage use.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 46 comments)
A 2/6 Wurlitzer D was insalled in the theatre in 1912
The theatre was never twinned.
Does anyone know if there are any pictures available of the original marquee?
I visited the Bryn Mawr only once, in mid-to-late 1987, to see “Gardens of Stone.” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093073/releaseinfo
Pretty classy flick for a grindhouse.
I walked down the alley today. One of the original exit doors was cracked open a little bit. I peaked inside. It looks like the auditorium is being used as a storage space. Perhaps some type of auto repair garage. The door wasn’t open too much but I did hear some noise if as though it was a repair garage. Lots of junk inside. Hopefully, one day, the door will be propped open some more so I can get a better view. There is a church somewhere in the building but definitely not in the auditorium space.
I have many wonderful memories of the Bryn Mawr from the 1960’s. What a great place to spend a few hours. BTW in Chicago its the L not the EL. Chicago is not New York, thank god for that
Here is a view of the back wall of the theater building seen from the Bryn Mawr “L” stop, with the name of the theater still barely visible.
Interesting Name… Its Welsh.. Bryn means Hill or mont Mawr means Big or Great… There must have been settlers from Wales…
“Bryn Mawr Avenue was named in the 1880s by Edgewater developer John Lewis Cochran after Bryn Mawr station on the Main Line north of Philadelphia.[2] Bryn Mawr is Welsh for Big Hill.”
A few other streets than run parallel to Bryn Mawr in that general area have suburban Philadelphia-connected names like Ardmore and Rosemont (and Devon, although the Pennsylvanians pronounce it differently). I think even Hollywood was once the name of an estate near the Main Line.