Landmark's Century Centre Cinema
2828 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60657
2828 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60657
15 people
favorited this theater
The Century opened as the Diversey Theater in 1924 at the busy intersection of Clark and Diversey Streets in Lakeview, designed in Spanish Baroque style by architect Edward Eichenbaum of the firm of Levy & Klein, whose work also included the Granada in Rogers Park and the Marbro in Garfield Park. The theater was remodeled in the Art Deco style in the early 1930s, when it was renamed the Century, in honor of the Century of Progress World’s Fair that was held in Chicago during 1933 and 1934.
In 1973, the Century was closed, the interior was completely gutted, and the theater was rebuilt as the Century Shopping Centre, a multi-level shopping mall.
In 2000, the struggling mall gave its uppermost levels over, ironically, to a new seven-screen art house cinema, operated by the Landmark Theatres chain. The small auditoriums were decorated in a neo-Art Deco style, and the ornate Baroque terra-cotta facade was cleaned and restored and given new signage.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 29 comments)
Yep, the yellow one in front of the orange Dodge is the Pinto.
Alas, it was alledgedly the metal bolts on the gas tank straps that punctured the tanks upon rear end collisions. The subsequent recall replaced them with plastic bolts. Which doesn’t exactly sound safer, but apparently was.
P.S. Can you post the pic of the Norshore from American Classic Images to the Norshore page? Feed the addiction. Thanks.
The opening made in the exterior brick for the stage door still exists. It now opens onto the Century Mall’s sizable loading dock.
The renovation architect gets a point for creative reuse.
Here’s one of my pictures of the Century from May 23, 2008:
View link
Hello,
Does anyone know the names of some movies that were shown at the Century during the late 50’s to mid 60’s? Also, I would like to obtain a photo the the theater with some old movie names on the marquee. The picture above has “available space for rent” on the marquee. This is where my mother went to her very first movie and I would like to surprise her with some movie posters from that time or a picture of the theater or something along those lines. Thank you in advance for any assistance with this matter.
Kelly
A photo of the original Century auditorium, something I have never seen before, can be found about halfway down this page:
View link
A 3/15 Wurlitzer was installed in the theatre in 1924.
When this theater was still a single screen in the early seventies, it was the site of a traffic accident. A car jumped onto the sidewalk and crashed into a couple of the doors. One of the Shaft movies was playing (I think it was one of the sequels). I remember seeing a photo of the crashed car in one of the Chicago newspapers. I don’t think anyone was seriously hurt.
In ‘73 I was walking past the Century and heard someone call my name. I turned to see a friend I hadn’t seen in several years. He was removing the seats which had been bought by a guy who owned porno theaters. “Want a tour?,” he asked.
Went through the place from top to bottom. A circular cast-iron stair led up to the flies above the stage where ancient, huge, painted scenic backdrops for stage shows hung in rows. Dressing rooms down below with long tables and walls for mirrors still surrounded by fixtures for light bulbs. Standing on the stage and looking at the main floor and 2(3?) balconies was a pretty heady experience.
Nice link posted by Lifes Too Short Mar26,2010.
Terra cotta detail