Marbro Theatre
4110 W. Madison Street,
Chicago,
IL
60624
4110 W. Madison Street,
Chicago,
IL
60624
18 people
favorited this theater
The Marbro Theatre was designed by Edward Eichenbaum for the firm of Levy & Klein, whose other notable Chicago theaters included the Granada Theatre and the Diversey Theatre (better known by its later name, the Century Theatre), for the Marks Brothers chain (hence the theater’s name).
The Marbro Theatre opened in 1927 on Madison Street and Karlov Avenue, not far from the spectacular Paradise Theater, which would open a year later. The almost-4,000 seat Marbro Theatre was at the time one of the biggest theaters in Chicago, and not only drew its audience from Garfield Park, but the whole West Side of the city, as well as the bordering suburbs, all but stifling the competition.
Built in the Spanish Baroque style, including a flamboyant terra-cotta facade, the Marbro Theatre wowed first-time visitors with its massive stage and proscenium arch, its soaring lobby (with a two-story marble staircase and small tree-sized European crystal chandelier) and Mighty Wurlitzer 5 manual 21 rank organ.
The trade paper, Variety, wrote at the time that “…its beauty is loud, but beauty nonetheless”.
Opening day featured a parade with Garfield Park’s most prominent businessmen, the Gloria Swanson film, “The Loves of Sunya”, and performances by bandleader Benny Meroff and organist Albert Brown. Though critics warned the Marks Brothers that they’d have trouble filling the 4,000 seat theater, they were silenced when the Marbro Theatre began to draw patrons away from the nearby and longer established 3,000 seat Senate Theatre and smaller theaters in the area.
The opening of the Paradise Theatre around the block renewed speculation that the Marbro Theatre would falter, but the Marbro Theatre didn’t miss a beat, and in fact, once sound films became standard by the late-1920’s, it became the favored of the two, since the Paradise Theatre was notorious for its horrible accoustics almost from the day it opened (a tragic flaw that ultimately doomed the palatial theater).
On November 1, 1929, Marks Brothers sold the Marbro Theatre to Balaban & Katz (along with the Granada Theatre in Rogers Park that same day). The theater continued the format of live stage shows and films through the 1940’s.
The Marbo’s huge size worked against it eventually, and by the 1950’s, with the popularity of television, Balaban & Katz struggled to keep it even partly filled, and in 1963, it was closed.
Sadly, this magnificent giant was razed in 1964.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft, Ray Martinez
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Recent comments (view all 239 comments)
To enjoy a photo gallery of magnificient theaters, go to: chicagotribune.com/chicagotheaters
Amoswald – 2 days on FB … St. Mels – what is exact name to search?
I too am trying to find the St. Mels search. I did .see a picture in the local paper achives dated 1940’s where a large group of St Mels students marching down Madison St. towards the Marbro Theater for graduation exercises. Also found out Marks Bros. Inc was not bought out by Balaban & Katz Inc in the 1930’s, rather both corporations were bought out by Paramount-Publix and both were subsidies of the giant film studio looking to buy theaters to show their films. The Marks Bros. name was eventually dropped.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/51222342741/ St. Mel’s
https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100002065858388 Austin Neighborhood.
Thanks!
Thank you. I got the St. Mel’s, but I could not get the Austin Neighborhood. I tried several times.
Did you try searching on Austin neighborhood and sending a request to join the group?
https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100002065858388 Try sending a friend request so you can be added.
Thanks, I will try it. I am sorry I never ate in your wonderful restaurant. I loved the picture. If my mother knew about it, I am sure we would have. She loved good food. Did you know the owners of the Byrd Theater sued Balaban & Katz Co. owners of the Marbro & State theaters on Madison St. for preventing the Byrd booking first-run quality films in 1955. I don’t know how it ended. But we always went to the Byrd for horror films and films that we missed at the Marbro or State.
I did not know about the lawsuit but I do remember seeing a lot of second run and revival films at the Byrd when I was a kid.