Terminal Theatre
3315 W. Lawrence Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60625
3315 W. Lawrence Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60625
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The Terminal Theatre, one of the largest movie houses built in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood, opened as the New Terminal Theatre on January 7, 1926 with 2,500 seats. It replaced the Ascher Brother’s earlier (1915) Terminal Theatre at 3308 W. Lawrence Avenue, which became the Metro Theatre after the New Terminal Theatre opened.
The New Terminal Theatre was acquired from the Aschers not long after by the always-expanding Balaban & Katz chain, which ran this popular movie house into the 1960’s. The Terminal Theatre was demolished in the early-1970’s.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 61 comments)
Doublers and homers… great memories! And “pinners” on the stoops, with a “Pinky” ball. ;–)
My friend Joe tried to register to this group but had some technical difficulties. He may be around here soon. He said he used to fix your dad’s machines on occasion, between 1970 and 1976. He said he thought your dad’s name is “Buddy”? The three of us are about the same age, incidentally, as Joe and I were born in 1949. We must know each other!
Mike
Mike,
My Dad, Ed, sold the Cleanerette around 1962. Since Joe was 13 that year I think he must have worked for a successor.
I was a pinners “champ”. I can’t imagine how many hours I spent in the “pinners room” at Volta. Every now and then, one of the older guys would climb the wall in the pinners room and retrieve all the pinkys that wound up on the roof of the garage. He would sell the balls for 5-10c, depending on condition. It was too exciting to get a brand new pinky for a nickel.
Did you go to Haugan or Hibbard?
Snowball
Snowball:
You’re right. I’ll pass the info along. Joe must have known the new owner.
10 cents wasn’t a very good price for a used Pinky. That was the going price for a NEW one! ;–)
I went to Hibbard until the end of 6th grade, at which time the school became overcrowded with us Baby Boomers, so the funneled us over to Von along with 7th and 8th graders from the Peterson and Solomon schools. However, as I lived south of Lawrence (and only 400 feet from the school, I attended Roosevelt.
Mike
Interesting.
Boxoffice magazine of September 15, 1956 has small photos of the restoraton of the marquee:
View link
Hey, Bob! Few years since I’ve seen you. The comment about the Funny Fellows got you to jump in! Glad you did. Saw the pix from the RHS 1956 reunion. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, my cousin Steve is one of your best buddies. ;–) Tell him I ran into you here. Mitch’s! Wow, how I remember those burgers and fries. Right next to the Albany Park Bank parking lot. The K and L was great, too. And Cooper’s! Now I’m hungry.
Take care, be well! Mike W.
Michael
What a nice surprise. My email has been down My address is
Bob
January 7th will mark the 85th anniversary of the grand opening of Ascher’s New Terminal Theatre Supreme, described as “The Pride of Albany Park.” Continuous performances started at 1:00pm, with the exclusive Chicago premiere engagement of Fox’s “The Gilded Butterfly” and a stage show with The Four Original Brown Brothers, Bartram & Saxton, Marian’s Dancers, Harry Kogan & His Spicy Syncopators, and “Larson” playing the grand organ. Newspaper advertising claimed “4,000 comfortable seats,” and that “The Gilded Butterfly” would not be shown elsewhere in Chicago for at least six weeks.
What was the name of the book store by Cooper & Cooper on Kimball Avenue by Lawrence?
Hi, all. Been a while.
85 years since the Terminal opened? Wow, does that make me feel ancient.
Next month will mark 48 years since it closed. Last movie they showed was “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”
The book store next to Cooper’s was Terminal Books, an apt name for ANY store in that area. ;–)
Mike