Ogden Theatre
1619 W. 63rd Street,
Chicago,
IL
60636
1619 W. 63rd Street,
Chicago,
IL
60636
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The Hippodrome Theatre opened in 1912 in the West Englewood neighborhood of Chicago’s South Side, and was built for the Ascher Brothers circuit. It was located near the intersection of 63rd Street and Ashland Avenue, not far from Ogden Park. Both movies and vaudeville acts were featured in its early years. Renamed Atlas Theatre in 1918, in 1920 it became the West Englewood Theatre. In the mid-1920’s, Bob Hope worked at the West Englewood Theatre, appearing as an emcee.
In 1936, Warner Brothers, which ran the theater from the 1930’s into the 1950’s, had the theater completely remodeled in Art Moderne style by the firm of Pereira & Pereira. After a brief closure, it reopened, renamed the Ogden Theatre, with movies only.
It remained in operation until 1961, and was demolished in the summer of 1962.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
From the Chicago Tribune, August 2, 1936
West Englewood Theater
to Be Complete Remodeled
Another step in a modernization program for the nineteen theaters in the Warner Brothers Chicago circuit will be taken, according to James E. Coston, zone manager, when the West Englewood Theater, on 63rd Street near Ashland Avenue, will be completely remodeled at a cost of $75,000. It will also be renamed The Ogden. The playhouse will be closed after the last picture August 9, to permit B.B. Buchanan, theater consultant for Pereira & Pereira, architects, to assume charge of the work which will require three weeks. The entire front, lobby, and foyer will be done in the modern manner.
CORRECTION—Second Line in hed should read:
to Be Entirely Remodeled
A Kimball theater organ size 2/10 was installed in the West Englewood Theater in 1921.
I watched the theater being torn down while I was in high school (Lindblom). The building was not built to be torn down. It took them months to get it down. The iron ball would take a swing at the auditorium wall and a few bricks would fall off.
I grew up going there-25 cartoons on Saturday afternoons-first time I saw scantily clad (for then) ladies at movies with my parents.
From the Chicago Sun Times movie listings dated Wednesday Oct. 9, 1957: OGDEN 1619 W. 63rd TOMORROW ON STAGE DR. JEKYL’S WEIRD SHOW MONSTERS RUN LOOSE IN THE AUDIENCE…GHOSTS SIT BY YOU…SEE JAMES DEAN MATERALIZED BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES…WE DARE YOU TO SEE IT. FREE PERFUME TO THE GIRLS. FREE 2 FOR 1 PASS FOR a FUTURE MOVIE. I was a kid clear across town at the time- but would have loved to be in Englewood that day. And James Dean??? Turns out “THE JAMES DEAN STORY” was playing that week at the nearby Southtown and many other neighborhood theatres,along with “SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS”.
I believe this theater was known (even before it was the West Englewood) as the Hippodrome in 1910.
The first day of the demolition of the Ogden Theater was Friday, July 27, 1962, by the State Wrecking Company, 3415 So. Kedzie Avenue.
Here is a January 1915 ad from the Suburbanite Economist:
http://tinyurl.com/r83pb6
Spent many a Saturday afternoon at the Ogden in 1940, only needed 5 cents for the movie, and 5 cents for pop corn.