Terminal Theatre
3315 W. Lawrence Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60625
3315 W. Lawrence Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60625
1 person
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 67 comments
Update: Closed in April 1963 with “Sweet Bird of Youth” and “Whatever Happened To Baby Jane”. Last Tribune clipping for the Terminal Theatre.
https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/clip/71394366/chicago-tribune/?fbclid=IwAR31xTktO1ujm1p0sKvd2BK2HvELs9YOCz7ITCXQH6pn8Llx8wpwAfnpBPc
1963 photo with Terminal in the background.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dpirmann/48876598102?fbclid=IwAR1r2H5bhZovlsqnICRMOadFpPXbRlh_KgK_BBaUGDmD43M6EEzaSee2KqM
Here is a nice interior view from THSA. Several more are searchable there.
For some reason that link goes to the page just before the targeted page. Scroll down, folks, I’m not messing with it any more.
Another try for a link to the nice view of the front.
For some reason the highlighted “Here” link erases the cursor arrow, so it can’t be clicked on.
Even when Logged In to CT.
The highlighted links in the other comments still work.
Here is a nice view of the front.
This reopened on January 7th, 1926. I uploaded the grand opening ad here.
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
What was the name of the book store by Cooper & Cooper on Kimball Avenue by Lawrence?
Michael
What a nice surprise. My email has been down My address is
Bob
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.
Boxoffice magazine of September 15, 1956 has small photos of the restoraton of the marquee:
View link
Interesting.
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
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
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,
Yea, softball was big. Remember what we called “doubles and homers” (or lineball)? Everything hit beyond a line and not caught was a double. Everything hit beyond the outfielder was a homer. Everything short of the line or caught was an out. It was usually played in the schoolyard by two man teams. We played it constantly at Volta but I didn’t see it much at Haugan.
I was very small when my father owned Cleanerette so I don’t even remember Glick’s. If Joe worked there he is older than I (born 1950)and I don’t remember him either.
The Funny Fellows….funny and great name for a club (a social athletic club, no less).
Snowball
Snowball,
I wasn’t in a club but I hung around with the Funny Fellows and a few others. Being tall, when the FFs needed a basketball player I’d help out. My game was Chicago 16" softball, and I played at least 5 times a week.
I passed this list’s URL to a close friend of mine to read, and he asked if you remember him; he ran Glick’s Medical Supply next to the Cleanerette, for many years. His name is Joe. I’ll find out if he’ll allow me to pass along his e-dress.
About that picture link: it was posted to this list on May 11, 2005, and I didn’t realize it until I looked back at the old messages! There are plenty of sites out there with great shots, but I don’t know what I did with the list of URLs. I’ll work on it.
Mike
Mike,
Since you’re a Rough Rider 67, and had my family stayed in Albany Park, I would have been too, it’s likely we crossed paths. I remember Rosenbloom’s but not Ceshinsky’s.
Were you in a club? I was an Original though I had many friends in the Vampires and Torpedoes.
My father would often take lunch at Cooper’s. I’m sure I had hamburgers but I realy remember Bismarks, and TPRs (toasted pecan rolls).
I knew of Maury’s death from reading his obituary in the Chicago papers. It was heart warming to read of the outpouring of affection. He was really a great guy. There were so many times, before going home from Jensen park or the Max Strauss Center when I stopped at Maury’s for a bag of fries.
Thanks for passing on your memories and the links you provided
Snowball
Wow. Has it been over a year since I logged in here? Ouch. ;–(
To Albany Park: Google on subject lines like “Albany Park Chicago” and related themes and you’ll find all sorts of wonderful pictures. try this one: View link . We run parallel youths, I guess. I went to Hibbard, Von (upper grade) and Roosevelt, too.
To “Snowball”; For my first 21 years, I lived 3 doors south of The Cleanerette. I can still picture Lawrence avenue as it was in the 50s and 60s. The two books stores were Ceshinsky’s on the north side of Lawrence, and Rosenbloom’s on the south.
Maury’s hot dogs were great. Maury passed on a few years ago, and about 1000 people came to his funeral. Talk about a great guy.
Cooper and Cooper’s across from the L station had the best burgers on the planet.
Mike W., ‘67 Rough Rider
I was asked by a friend to clarify my 12/08 post about the Terminal’s giant neon marquee being turned back on.
During WWII, some theaters and other venues that would hold large amounts of patrons, were ordered to leave their outdoor signage turned off.
In an effort to not make such buildings that would be full of people stand out as targets, in the event of an enemy air raid.
That is what was mentioned in the PBS “Remembering Chicago” show.
Which BTW is back in rotation now. Updated with a 2nd volume, and again for sale during the many WTTW/PBS subscription drives.
I remember the Terminal well. I loved Jackeye’s recollection of Karmelkorn because I’d forgotten it.
My father owned “The Cleaneratte” on Lawrence and St.Louis. We had a Coca Cola machine in the window and in the summer many people would drop a dime into the machine, slide the BOTTLE to the end of the row, pull out their Coke, and open it in the bottle opener. I got to play with the bottle caps! Nearby were Zahn’s, Harriet’s Variety, Wallen & Levy’s Furniture, and a Jewish book store (I can’t recall the name). I also remember Cooper’s, very near the Terminal.
I went to Hibbard, and Volta. We lived at 4904 N Hamlin. I ate at least a hotdog a week at Lerner’s, Mutt & jeff’s, or the shrine of Albany Park, Maury’s.
I suppose everyone has a fondness for where they grew up but it feels like that was a special place.
Snowball
My parents moved to Albany Park in 1960. We lived at Kimball and Ainslie across the street from a Boys Club (now a daycare center). I’d love to see photos from the 60’s showing the stores on Lawrence Avenue like Bob’s Coin Shop, Sam’s Smoke shop, the Terminal Grill and the Terminal Theatre. I went to Hibbard and Von Steuben and graduated from Roosevelt. So many many memories.