Village Art Theatre
1548-50 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60610
1548-50 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60610
14 people
favorited this theater
The Village, built as the Germania in 1916 but changed to the Parkside after the US entry into the First World War when anti-German sentiment was running high. The theater later went through a couple of other name changes over the years including the Gold Coast and the Globe. The theater is located on Clark Street at Germania Place in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago.
Prior to being divided into four small auditoriums in the early 90s, the theater could seat 900. Little remains of the original interior design, but the facade, despite being almost entirely hidden behind an ugly modern marquee, is still intact and features red brick and beige terra-cotta highlights.
Long a popular venue for art, foreign and cult films, the Village was closed in March 2007.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 143 comments)
In the 1982 photo, the double feature is On Golden Pond and Victor, Victoria. I went to The Village to see that double bill. I think it cost $1.75 and eventually went up to $2.50. At that time, the theater was very crowded on weekends, but the admission price was great. The audience was also polite.
I probably went to that theater for about five years, when it was still a single screen. Off-hand, I also remember seeing Shoot the Moon, Electric Cowboy, Thief of Hearts, The Verdict, Absence of Malice, An Officer and a Gentleman, Falling in Love, Hair, Altered States, Body Heat, Used cars, Foxes, The World According to Garp and possibly Apocalypse Now.
I think Jerry Usher may have been the manager during part of that period. I remember seeing him at the concession counter. I also remember when he was the manager of The Cinema on Chicago Avenue.
Yes, Jerry was there. He was at the Village from October, 1981 until early 2004. He was also at the Cinema from 1970 until 1981. He died in May, 2004.
I was in the Village a few months ago to see if I could reopen the theater. It has not been gutted. All seats are gone but the walls divding the theaters are still up.
Which means the original walls & ceiling may be encapsulated after all. That is good news.
I just went by the Village Theatre earlier tonight. They finally took off that sign on top of the marquee that said: “For Lease Summer 2006”. Now, there’s a new sign that reads: “For Lease 8000 square feet. Price Associates (312) 445-6300.”
Join the Facebook page!!! Village Theatre-Chicago.
95th Anniversary this year for the Village.
It is worth noting here that the landmark designation allows the demolition of the auditorium provided that the front facade and the store portion of the building, including rooflines, is restored.
View link
Here is a 1961 view of the theater as the Gold Goast (or is it Goldcoast? There doesn’t appear to be a space between the words on the marquee).