Mars Theatre
2556 N. Milwaukee Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60647
2556 N. Milwaukee Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60647
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Old newspaper ads show the address as 2540 Milwaukee. But newspapers are known to have made mistakes.
Demolition photo added credit Dennis Popiela. Description copy credit Logan Square Preservation Facebook page.
View through the front arched window of the Mars Theater (originally the Logan Square Theatre) on Milwaukee south of the Square under demolition during the Blue Line extension in 1968-1969. It’s site was most recently used as a parking lot for the Discount Mega Mall. The building visible at the left across the street is current the home of Sparrow.
The October 7th, 1949 grand opening ad as Mars can be found in the photo section.
the 2556 address street number to me makes much more sense (than 2542), from remembering the Mars in the mid-‘60s
Here is another. Gives architect as Horatio Wilson, who also designed the Harper Theater.
Undated photo as the Logan Square Theatre added, courtesy of the Logan Square Preservation Facebook page. They listed the address as 2556 N. Milwaukee Ave., not 2542. Anyone have an official address source?
Fourth photo down. What is this?
http://radiotimeline.com/am89wls.htm
rso1000
I was wondering which Logan theatre that October photo referred to. Then I realized that the old Logan Square ‘L’ terminated to the southeast of the present, surviving Logan Theatre.
Finally a photo and a name ! ! ! !
The Logan Square Theatre can be seen on the front page and it is also the photo of the month of October in the NEW / C.T.A. calendar.
http://tinyurl.com/2fyqpga
The Auditorium stood were the incline to the subway is now. Obviously an OLD photo as the side sign is still advertising Vaudeville. You can see it was no SMALL theatre! My Guess is the east end of the building was flush against the remaining buildings.
You can also see it in the background here of photos logansquare07 and crt223 .
http://tinyurl.com/29z948d
It was renamed the Rio after a 1934 remodeling, and the Mars in 1949. Interestingly the mars name was the original one announced in 1934, but apparently not adopted for 15 years.
It was under demolition (not undermining) on October 10, 1968 when the cutting of a steel support in the theatre caused a three-story brick wall to collapse, raining debris on cars and el tracks.
This LOGAN SQUARE theatre was called the MARS in its final years (had large marquee), and its' demolition I would place @ 1965 (technically before the subway ramp began in 1969). I used to go right past it then although shuttered for (apparently) years, when you rode the Kimball CTA bus from the north entering the old ‘L’ terminal bus lanes. Another name for the LOGAN SQUARE / MARS theatre would be the RIO. The MegaMall bldgs alluded to elsewhere here definately were not the theatre(s); they’d be a couple doors south of the original site. Hope I’ve been of some help.
Part of the Logan Square is visible in this photo of the Logan Square El Terminal.