Claremont Theatre
3228 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60657
3228 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60657
3 people
favorited this theater
This Lake View neighborhood movie theater, which opened in the early 1910s, sat around 625, and was located not far from the somewhat larger Buckingham Theatre, which was home to the popular Organic Theatre Company for much of the 80s and 90s (now located in suburban Evanston).
After closing decades ago as a movie house, the Claremont was converted to retail use. Today it is home to the Alley alternative shopping center.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 18 comments)
There was also some type of theatre building just a bit further West on Belmont on the North Side of the street. Not as far West at Clarke’s Diner.
It was torn down about 3 years ago, after standing vacant for a while. Haven’t figured out what it was called yet.
Julian
Here are some additional photos. That’s a griffin on the roof.
http://tinyurl.com/dcmvco
Don’t believe those are original.
I believe you are correct. The Alley actually sells smaller versions of griffins, gargoyles & columns.
They just lucked out that the building’s terra cotta kind of matched their wares.
Here is a 1982 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/dkbzte
Here’s one of my pictures of the Claremont (The Alley) from May 23, 2008:
View link
The interior is very intact. Amazing architecture. I went in there about a month ago and everything was in there execpt for a few things. The store is huge + the theatre! The store not only takes this big theatre up but 5 other buildings!
This was a Guitar Center for many years, well into the 90’s if not the 2000’s. You walked in on the lobby level, where there didn’t seem to be much visible ornament. Then you went down a short stairway to the main showroom. This was in the former auditorium, and the ceiling and sidewall decoration was still very visible. I don’t remember seeing the arch or organ screens, and as I recall the management offices were in that part of the building.
Open till 1945.
A Robert-Morton Theater Pipe Organ, 2 Manual/3 Rank (Keyboarb/Sets of Pipes) Style 49, was shipped to the theater in 1924. Does anyone know what happened to the organ?
Robert Morton Organ Company was located in Van Nuys, California. “Robert Morton” wasn’t a person, rather the first names of a major stockholder’s sons. It was the number two volume producer of theater pipe organs, building approximately half as many as the industry leader WurliTzer.