Thanks BK and BW for your information. Essaness did get folded into the Plitt chain. I just wish that C-O had kept the original Golf Mill open. The last time I was there was in 2000 to see the director’s cut of the original Excorcist and the theatre was full (the Lincoln Village was sold out so I trekked to Niles).
The Golf Mill was one of my favorite theatres for first run films. Although the Norridge was much closer to my neighborhood, my buddies and I would take the #270 bus to get there from Jefferson Park. Back in the day, we thought that this theatre was an amazing place—we never liked the Norridge. Even as teen-agers in the 1970s, we thought it was a bland place.
I thought that into the 1970s, it was a Plitt. I know that the nearby Golf Glen was an Essaness, one of the last theatres built by that chain.
Now according to the local paper, Keresotas will build a new theatre at Golf Mill. What a waste! Wouldn’t it have been cheaper to renovate the old Golf Mill Theatre? And if Cineplex-Odeon couldn’t make it there, why does Keresotas think it will be successful?
My parents, senior citizens, come to this place often. One would think that people in their 70s would prefer older theatres. However, my father who has great difficulty seeing in the dark, likes places like this which have wider aisles and track lighting in the aisles and good sightlines.
Oh, BTW, I wouldn’t necessarily support the demolition of the Portage Park Theatre. I’m simply stating that if I HAD to choose between the two, it would make more sense to retain the Gateway.
I rode past this theatre recently on METRA’s Union Pacific NW Line. Workmen were up on the roof and it looked like they were doing a major tuckpointing project. So I’m holding out hope that this place can survive and not be demolished for condos (I know, I know, I could have such a nice view of the Kennedy).
If they MUST claim an old theatre for a condo project, then take the Portage Park. At least that’s in deplorable shape (although it could probably be used for concerts)! The Gateway is in good shape and should be saved.
This seems to be Loews’s “art house” (somewhat) for the Downtown Chicago area. Recently, they’ve shown “March of the Penguins”, “Shopgirl”, “Capote”, and “Good Night & Good Luck”. It seems to have been cleaned up somewhat and it’s not an unpleasant place to see a show. I hope that Loews keeps it open so that those of us who live near the Loop (Downtown Chicago) have a place to go to see the fare mentioned above.
Village probably realized that they’d better do some advertising of their cinemas. And ads for the Lincoln Village have been running in the Chicago Tribune but not the Sun-Times.
I walked by here today. Nothing remains to indicate that this was a movie theatre. However, it does look better than what was the Varsity Theatre in Evanston, IL (which is now a Gap store with a facade that looks like it was grafted onto the building). At least they did a good job converting the theatre.
I wonder how long this will last (that is Village’s operation of this theatre). Will it go the same way as their operation of the Burnham? It’s too bad Loews didn’t want this theatre and that someone like Classic Cinemas couldn’t take it over.
Sometimes I think that Village should just go back to operating the Village and Village North.
I went to see “Wallace and Grommitt” at the Lake on 11/03/2005. What an absolutely wonderful movie-going experience! Ticket prices, even for the regular rates, are lower than what AMC or Loews charge. Concession prices are cheaper too and if you are a registered user of Classic Cinemas' website, you can get a free small popcorn.
This was the first time that I saw a film in one of the newer auditoriums, which were built into the former retail spaces next door. These auditoriums are very well-done and they look like they’ve been there all along (and not some half-assed job, like the Pickwick in Park Ridge). I’ve never had a bad experience at any Classic Cinemas Theatre and I can safely say that Classic Cinemas is a class act!
And now Village Theatres has the Lincoln Village too! Of course, they are not advertising it (at least in the Sun-Times), so we’ll see how long it lasts.
Anyways, I recently took a walk past the Burnham. It is already almost completely gutted. Even the marquee, which was more like a signboard, has been completely removed. Virtually nothing remains except the pay booth to indicate that this was a theatre.
During the late 80s, I dated a woman from Streamwood and we used to patronize all of the theatres in the area: The Barrington Square, The Tradewinds, The Woodfield. Now all are gone. The Streamwood, The Rolling Meadows and The One Schaumburg Place didn’t exist at the time, but now they’ve come and gone too!
I hope that this does not turn into another “he said/she said” a la the DuPage or the Wheaton Grand. I don’t know much about you and I’ve heard both good and bad things about you. But as you’ve said above, it can be nearly impossible to deal with City Hall here in Chicago. And yet, a bankrupt firm like General Cinemas received special incentives from the City to build the City North 14 (the City wanted the old Goldblatt’s Site demolished and replaced). The City North 14 was built in less than 6 months! (I do admit that I like the City North 14, though!).
I had the opportunity to walk down Milwaukee Avenue at 6 Corners for the first time in many years yesterday. I was on my way to the costume shop there and I could not believe how desolate and run-down the street is! Vacant storefront after vacant storefront. Even the big steakhouse was closed. Was I in Portage Park (a good neighborhood) or somewhere in the ghetto.
I’ve often said that I’m not “pro-preservation-at-any-cost.” I believe in preservation where it make sense and a redeveloped Portage theatre could greatly aid Milwaukee Avenue. And as you said above, at least you tried to preserve this place.
By the way, the marquee on the Portage now says “Go Sox.”
I must add a correction to my entry. In reviewing entries for the Ford City theatre on both Cinema Treasures and Cinema Tour, I was unable to determine exactly when that theatre opened.
A better comparison would have been the Yorktown 18. That theatre also was built around 1998, only a few years before General Cinema was taken over by AMC.
One memory I have of this place occurred during a showing of “Tortilla Soup.” The fire alarm went off in the building (and it appears that the projectors shut off automatically if this happens), and we got up and quickly and quietly filed out of the auditorium into the alley. Apparently, all of those fire drills in grade school paid off! After the fire chief pronounced the theatre safe, we were allowed back in and the movie resumed.
The Piper’s Alley is known for playing some “indie” flicks and fare that other Loews Theatres don’t show. They even have “eclectic” toppings for your popcorn such as apple-cinnamon!
I have two good memories of the Piper’s"
1) In 1999, during a revival of STOP MAKING SENSE, some senior citizens went into the auditorium by mistake. They must have been somewhat deaf because they were saying “What!” “What’d he say?” “What movie is this?” Well, Talking Heads fans are serious fans and the audience was annoyed because they wanted to hear the music and were turning around en masse to “shh!” these people.
2) In 1995, my cousin and I went to see CLERKS. The movie was playing to a full house. The starting time came and went. 10 minutes. 15 minutes. 20 minutes. The audience was beginning to “buzz and whisper” so after about 25 minutes, I went out to find the manager. I saw the Chicago Fire Department in the theatre! The fire chief told me “Theatre’s closed for tonight sir, water main break. If you want your money back, you’ll have to talk to the manager.” “Well, I’d better go tell the others.” I replied. “What do you MEAN, ‘THE OTHERS?’” the fire chief asked me. “Well there’s a whole auditorium full of people waiting for the movie to start.” I told him. The fire chief went back with me to tell the others, and as I recall, he said that he told the manager to evacuate all of the auditoriums. I’m sure heads rolled over that one!
It’s too bad that the NHL is no longer locked out. Because we really need their referees and linesmen to separate both parties from all the fighting going on here! (And, by the way, BOTH sides should sit 5 minutes in the penalty box). It truly amazes me that both sides think they’re right and neither one is willing to see the other’s point of view.
This “all-or-nothing” approach is actually hurting your cause. When you go “all-or-nothing”, “nothing” is what you usually get! Would you not be willing to see the theatre put into adaptive re-use? Don’t you think that using the facade and marquee for a libary (or something else) is at least better than total demolition?
BOTH SIDES should have stopped the bickering and name calling a long time ago and met with your city council and tried working out an amicable solution.
Brian, that would be a good idea to build the condos on their parking lot. But, as I said above, one good point about the Gateway IS the parking lot. And, there’s a parking deck about 1 block north of the theatre too. I also forgot to mention in my above post that the now condo-ized area east of the Gateway was light industrial for a reason. NOISE! I wonder if the idiots who buy these condos will complain about the noise AFTER they move in!
It would be a great shame to lose this theatre, especially one which appears to be in good condition. It could be used for concerts (Abba appeared here recently, I believe) and unlike the Uptown, there is adequate parking.
I don’t dispute the amount of tax dollars condos can raise. Done sensibly, condos have breathed new life into aging downtowns (Des Plaines and Arlington Heights are good examples). And in my neighborhood, the South Loop, they make sense as people can live walking distance from work, entertainment, etc.
But the Jefferson Park area has already reached the point of “enough is too much!” I returned to the neighborhood recently—I used to live in adajacent Portage Park near the Patio Theatre—and I was stunned. And not in a good way. One block of stores has been demolished and replaced by a CVS. East of the Gateway, a whole neighborhood of condos, some in the $500,000 (I believe) have gone in where a light industrial area was. This is in an area bounded by two expressways, two major railroad lines, the L, etc. so you can imagine the noise.
I’m not against progress and change. I’m not “pro-preservation-at-any-cost.” (just read my comments on the DuPage Theatre page). But our neighborhoods are losing their character with all of these look-alike condos and CVS’s, etc
And BTW, for $500,000 bucks, I can get a condo in my nieghborhood with a view of Lake Michigan
And so the Burnham closed after today, Labor Day, 2005! The final movies were The Cave, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Red Eye, Four Brothers, and Skeleton Key.
The Burnham is yet another cinema, built by Cineplex Odeon circa 1987-1989, to close. Out of some 16 theatres built by C-O in the Chicagoland Area during that time, only about 5 remain.
I believe that the Burnham may have been the last theatre of the ill-fated Meridien chain to close.
Thanks BK and BW for your information. Essaness did get folded into the Plitt chain. I just wish that C-O had kept the original Golf Mill open. The last time I was there was in 2000 to see the director’s cut of the original Excorcist and the theatre was full (the Lincoln Village was sold out so I trekked to Niles).
The Golf Mill was one of my favorite theatres for first run films. Although the Norridge was much closer to my neighborhood, my buddies and I would take the #270 bus to get there from Jefferson Park. Back in the day, we thought that this theatre was an amazing place—we never liked the Norridge. Even as teen-agers in the 1970s, we thought it was a bland place.
I thought that into the 1970s, it was a Plitt. I know that the nearby Golf Glen was an Essaness, one of the last theatres built by that chain.
Now according to the local paper, Keresotas will build a new theatre at Golf Mill. What a waste! Wouldn’t it have been cheaper to renovate the old Golf Mill Theatre? And if Cineplex-Odeon couldn’t make it there, why does Keresotas think it will be successful?
My parents, senior citizens, come to this place often. One would think that people in their 70s would prefer older theatres. However, my father who has great difficulty seeing in the dark, likes places like this which have wider aisles and track lighting in the aisles and good sightlines.
Oh, BTW, I wouldn’t necessarily support the demolition of the Portage Park Theatre. I’m simply stating that if I HAD to choose between the two, it would make more sense to retain the Gateway.
I rode past this theatre recently on METRA’s Union Pacific NW Line. Workmen were up on the roof and it looked like they were doing a major tuckpointing project. So I’m holding out hope that this place can survive and not be demolished for condos (I know, I know, I could have such a nice view of the Kennedy).
If they MUST claim an old theatre for a condo project, then take the Portage Park. At least that’s in deplorable shape (although it could probably be used for concerts)! The Gateway is in good shape and should be saved.
This seems to be Loews’s “art house” (somewhat) for the Downtown Chicago area. Recently, they’ve shown “March of the Penguins”, “Shopgirl”, “Capote”, and “Good Night & Good Luck”. It seems to have been cleaned up somewhat and it’s not an unpleasant place to see a show. I hope that Loews keeps it open so that those of us who live near the Loop (Downtown Chicago) have a place to go to see the fare mentioned above.
Village probably realized that they’d better do some advertising of their cinemas. And ads for the Lincoln Village have been running in the Chicago Tribune but not the Sun-Times.
I walked by here today. Nothing remains to indicate that this was a movie theatre. However, it does look better than what was the Varsity Theatre in Evanston, IL (which is now a Gap store with a facade that looks like it was grafted onto the building). At least they did a good job converting the theatre.
I wonder how long this will last (that is Village’s operation of this theatre). Will it go the same way as their operation of the Burnham? It’s too bad Loews didn’t want this theatre and that someone like Classic Cinemas couldn’t take it over.
Sometimes I think that Village should just go back to operating the Village and Village North.
I went to see “Wallace and Grommitt” at the Lake on 11/03/2005. What an absolutely wonderful movie-going experience! Ticket prices, even for the regular rates, are lower than what AMC or Loews charge. Concession prices are cheaper too and if you are a registered user of Classic Cinemas' website, you can get a free small popcorn.
This was the first time that I saw a film in one of the newer auditoriums, which were built into the former retail spaces next door. These auditoriums are very well-done and they look like they’ve been there all along (and not some half-assed job, like the Pickwick in Park Ridge). I’ve never had a bad experience at any Classic Cinemas Theatre and I can safely say that Classic Cinemas is a class act!
And now Village Theatres has the Lincoln Village too! Of course, they are not advertising it (at least in the Sun-Times), so we’ll see how long it lasts.
Anyways, I recently took a walk past the Burnham. It is already almost completely gutted. Even the marquee, which was more like a signboard, has been completely removed. Virtually nothing remains except the pay booth to indicate that this was a theatre.
Boy, that Destinta Chain really did a number on new multi-plexes in the Pittsburgh Area. It also killed the Loews 20 North Versailles!
During the late 80s, I dated a woman from Streamwood and we used to patronize all of the theatres in the area: The Barrington Square, The Tradewinds, The Woodfield. Now all are gone. The Streamwood, The Rolling Meadows and The One Schaumburg Place didn’t exist at the time, but now they’ve come and gone too!
Does anybody know what went in here after the theatre was demolished?
Paul Warshauer,
I hope that this does not turn into another “he said/she said” a la the DuPage or the Wheaton Grand. I don’t know much about you and I’ve heard both good and bad things about you. But as you’ve said above, it can be nearly impossible to deal with City Hall here in Chicago. And yet, a bankrupt firm like General Cinemas received special incentives from the City to build the City North 14 (the City wanted the old Goldblatt’s Site demolished and replaced). The City North 14 was built in less than 6 months! (I do admit that I like the City North 14, though!).
I had the opportunity to walk down Milwaukee Avenue at 6 Corners for the first time in many years yesterday. I was on my way to the costume shop there and I could not believe how desolate and run-down the street is! Vacant storefront after vacant storefront. Even the big steakhouse was closed. Was I in Portage Park (a good neighborhood) or somewhere in the ghetto.
I’ve often said that I’m not “pro-preservation-at-any-cost.” I believe in preservation where it make sense and a redeveloped Portage theatre could greatly aid Milwaukee Avenue. And as you said above, at least you tried to preserve this place.
By the way, the marquee on the Portage now says “Go Sox.”
I must add a correction to my entry. In reviewing entries for the Ford City theatre on both Cinema Treasures and Cinema Tour, I was unable to determine exactly when that theatre opened.
A better comparison would have been the Yorktown 18. That theatre also was built around 1998, only a few years before General Cinema was taken over by AMC.
One memory I have of this place occurred during a showing of “Tortilla Soup.” The fire alarm went off in the building (and it appears that the projectors shut off automatically if this happens), and we got up and quickly and quietly filed out of the auditorium into the alley. Apparently, all of those fire drills in grade school paid off! After the fire chief pronounced the theatre safe, we were allowed back in and the movie resumed.
Maybe (Hopefully) Classic cinemas?
The Piper’s Alley is known for playing some “indie” flicks and fare that other Loews Theatres don’t show. They even have “eclectic” toppings for your popcorn such as apple-cinnamon!
I have two good memories of the Piper’s"
1) In 1999, during a revival of STOP MAKING SENSE, some senior citizens went into the auditorium by mistake. They must have been somewhat deaf because they were saying “What!” “What’d he say?” “What movie is this?” Well, Talking Heads fans are serious fans and the audience was annoyed because they wanted to hear the music and were turning around en masse to “shh!” these people.
2) In 1995, my cousin and I went to see CLERKS. The movie was playing to a full house. The starting time came and went. 10 minutes. 15 minutes. 20 minutes. The audience was beginning to “buzz and whisper” so after about 25 minutes, I went out to find the manager. I saw the Chicago Fire Department in the theatre! The fire chief told me “Theatre’s closed for tonight sir, water main break. If you want your money back, you’ll have to talk to the manager.” “Well, I’d better go tell the others.” I replied. “What do you MEAN, ‘THE OTHERS?’” the fire chief asked me. “Well there’s a whole auditorium full of people waiting for the movie to start.” I told him. The fire chief went back with me to tell the others, and as I recall, he said that he told the manager to evacuate all of the auditoriums. I’m sure heads rolled over that one!
It’s too bad that the NHL is no longer locked out. Because we really need their referees and linesmen to separate both parties from all the fighting going on here! (And, by the way, BOTH sides should sit 5 minutes in the penalty box). It truly amazes me that both sides think they’re right and neither one is willing to see the other’s point of view.
This “all-or-nothing” approach is actually hurting your cause. When you go “all-or-nothing”, “nothing” is what you usually get! Would you not be willing to see the theatre put into adaptive re-use? Don’t you think that using the facade and marquee for a libary (or something else) is at least better than total demolition?
BOTH SIDES should have stopped the bickering and name calling a long time ago and met with your city council and tried working out an amicable solution.
And, just down the road, the Logan Theatre seems to be doing well, too. And that area is gentrifying.
I believe that the Walgreens has already closed.
Brian, that would be a good idea to build the condos on their parking lot. But, as I said above, one good point about the Gateway IS the parking lot. And, there’s a parking deck about 1 block north of the theatre too. I also forgot to mention in my above post that the now condo-ized area east of the Gateway was light industrial for a reason. NOISE! I wonder if the idiots who buy these condos will complain about the noise AFTER they move in!
It would be a great shame to lose this theatre, especially one which appears to be in good condition. It could be used for concerts (Abba appeared here recently, I believe) and unlike the Uptown, there is adequate parking.
I don’t dispute the amount of tax dollars condos can raise. Done sensibly, condos have breathed new life into aging downtowns (Des Plaines and Arlington Heights are good examples). And in my neighborhood, the South Loop, they make sense as people can live walking distance from work, entertainment, etc.
But the Jefferson Park area has already reached the point of “enough is too much!” I returned to the neighborhood recently—I used to live in adajacent Portage Park near the Patio Theatre—and I was stunned. And not in a good way. One block of stores has been demolished and replaced by a CVS. East of the Gateway, a whole neighborhood of condos, some in the $500,000 (I believe) have gone in where a light industrial area was. This is in an area bounded by two expressways, two major railroad lines, the L, etc. so you can imagine the noise.
I’m not against progress and change. I’m not “pro-preservation-at-any-cost.” (just read my comments on the DuPage Theatre page). But our neighborhoods are losing their character with all of these look-alike condos and CVS’s, etc
And BTW, for $500,000 bucks, I can get a condo in my nieghborhood with a view of Lake Michigan
And so the Burnham closed after today, Labor Day, 2005! The final movies were The Cave, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Red Eye, Four Brothers, and Skeleton Key.
The Burnham is yet another cinema, built by Cineplex Odeon circa 1987-1989, to close. Out of some 16 theatres built by C-O in the Chicagoland Area during that time, only about 5 remain.
I believe that the Burnham may have been the last theatre of the ill-fated Meridien chain to close.