Chestnut Station Theaters
830 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60610
830 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60610
2 people
favorited this theater
The Chestnut Station Theaters opened in December 1983 by Cineplex Odeon inside what had previously been a US post office building designed in Art Deco style in the 30s. The six-screen movie house was located on Clark Street at Chestnut Street in the Near North neighborhood.
During the early 90s, the theater gained notoriety when a young woman was shot and killed in front of the theater, and the theater was known throughout the 90s of notorious for gang activity and the quality of films went down. During the mid-to-late 90s, the Chestnut Station was one of a couple Chicago venues which hosted film festivals, including the Chicago Latino Film Festival and the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. It was closed in 1999.
The former theater was demolished in 2003 to make way for a planned Jewish community center which never came to fruition, and the property remains a vacant lot today.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 33 comments)
I stand corrected. Thanks Bryan.
That would put the actual Newberry Theatre across from the park. Which really didn’t need any more night life action than it had in the late
60's &70’s.The city ultimately removed the run down covered structure in the center of the park, where the fountain is now.
Even with the CPD 18th District only a block away, Bughouse was a hotbed of vagrants, drugs & illicit activity back then. All across from my grade school.
I just wanted to add that the Salvation Army had a massive headquarters building kitty corner from Chestnut Station and across from the Newberry Theatre.
It literally took up the entire block as does the condo building that replaced it. Bordering Dearborn, Chestnut, Clark & Delaware Streets. (Tooker Place was an actual street name for the alley that runs Eastbound from Dearborn between Chestnut & Delaware. Next to the Hazelton Rehab. Facility)
A small parking lot was on the Clark Street side. My father attempted projecting giant still photos on the Dearborn side marble like walls from our living room picture window at 863 N. Dearborn. He had a unique overhead projector from his days at a short lived creative agency called Image Makers. On Wabash across from Medinah Temple.
The condo building that replaced the Salvation Army was being built around 1994/
95. There was a huge debate about it's prosposed new height. Experts were tapped to discuss the potential loss of sunlight on the park. Washington Square/Bughouse is also obviously famous for the soap box oratories in the20’s. And again for the dog leashflare-ups where Ald. Natarus got in a disagreement with a cop and supposedly he was transferred.
I happened to catch an e-mail the other day from the new Alderman’s office.
It stated that the proposed project at Chesnut & Clark, a 370 foot, 28 story, 49 unit condo building with 83 parking spots, has been scaled back to a two story building.
There is currently a two or three story building on the S/E corner, but it can’t possibly have the amount of land to accomodate that size building.
So it must be refering to the former site of the Chestnut Station Theaters. Which has remained empty since it was demolished.
P.S. I do remember the Miami Vice color scheme inside the theater lobby. It actually knid of fit with the building’s low profile.
P.S. The small S/E corner building previously housed Audio Consultants.
An Evanston based, high end audio and later home theater showroom.
Down Clark St. at Chicago Avenue is a massive building that has has empty storefronts on the Clark elevation for over 15 years. On the top it appears to have some type of huge ballroom space or something.
Would be neat to check out someday.
View link
I believe it’s a recital hall or something at the top. No idea what they use it for now.
Wow. I remember those scaffolds going up, and getting scared that it was all doomed. I always thought a higher end thrift store would do well on that Clark Street side. Much like the one that got booted from S/W corner of Erie & Clark, then sat empty ever since.
Thanks for the link.
What a horrible way for both a human being and a theatre to go down!
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The Jewish center was never built, and the land remains vacant.