From what I’ve been able to piece together, James Pritzker was a silent investor in the project, and has pulled out because they’re not seeing the expected return on investment. (supposedly that’s the reason, at least)
http://tinyurl.com/dynkcd is the building I am referring to. This matches the theatre’s footprint. It hardly looks like an old building, but the back wall looks considerably older. And then compare to this pre-Renovation picture: HERE. Although it looks like a different building entirely initially, look at the columns and arched doorway. This is the same building, refaced, dating to roughly the theater’s age. I believe the columns are there to mark the theatre’s entrance.
That’s not an unusual covenant. That’s why you’ll see abandoned wal-marts, grocery stores, etc when they build a new one in the area. Also why theatres often go live instead of showing films. In this case, it was Brickyard.
The way to link directly to the pertinent page of the Tribune album would be to right click the link to that page number and “copy link location”. Pages in the tribune’s photo galleries do not require registration. Additionally, the email issue David describes is not accurate; you can in fact opt out of any emailing. LM is probably right; these photos should probably link to the Tribune’s own pages instead of being copied.
A “Little Club Cafe (Un Petit Cercle)” featuring dance music and French cuisine was opened at this site in 1924 and is probably the origin of the building. The Cinema operated as an art house even in 1930 with the slogan “The Art Theater of Shadow Silence”. The Cinema was the German-language UFA Cinema from October 1931-May 1932.
They played the Loop End starting Nov. 5, 1931.
Oriental starting September 8, 1935.
Oriental starting January 19, 1936.
Uptown starting February 23, 1936.
State-Lake starting May 9, 1937.
Cocoanut Grove (Morton Grove) starting June 20, 1937.
Palace starting July 24, 1938.
State-Lake starting February 26, 1939.
Oriental starting January 21, 1940.
Oriental starting November 29, 1942.
Oriental starting September 19, 1943.
Colosimo’s late August 1946.
No, the New Years Eve festivities were rentals by the DP Special Events Commission. The last shows DPTPS did were the Pickwick and Masonic Temple shows. Shows were ceased because they didn’t really do much to further the cause. A relaunch and reimagination of DPTPS should be coming soon.
Excerpt from 2-5-09 Chicago Tribune, article “Director Ken Kwapis talks about the blizzard of ‘79 and Gene Siskel”
Director Ken Kwapis, a Belleville native, took time while promoting “He’s Just Not That Into You,” starring Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck and a host of others, to talk to the Tribune about his formative years in Chicago and directing the late Gene Siskel on “The Larry Sanders Show.”
“For quite a while, I managed the Three Penny Theater on Lincoln Avenue, right across from the Biograph,” Kwapis said. “I managed the theater during the blizzard of 1979. We were running John Carpenter’s film ‘Halloween,’ and like many theaters during the blizzard, we didn’t change the feature, because there was no point.
“So I could basically set my clock to ‘Halloween.’ Sitting in the lobby, I would play a game with myself. Without looking at my watch, I’d say, ‘Jamie Lee Curtis is just about to scream,’ then I’d open the door and she’d scream. I knew the film down to the quarter of the minute.”
Kwapis said the management running the Three Penny couldn’t make up its mind about the theater’s focus.
“The schedule was absurd. One week we’d show a new art film, say a Werner Herzog film, and the next week we’d run a porno feature. And the owner could never understand why we couldn’t develop an audience. I said, ‘Well, they’re totally confused, nobody knows what we’re showing.’ ”
It looks like Lincoln Village is done. The property was transferred to CHEDER LUBAVITCH HEBREW DAY SCHOOL on 11/20/2008, according to a deed filed 12/16/2008. There is a deed restriction that the property may not be sold until 11/20/2011.
The first two comments actually refer to the Roscoe/Seeley theatre.
the 1923 link above is incorrect: Here
This is the second theater on the site.
1923 Sanborn Map
1950 Sanborn Map
From the MSN Live Map, it looks like the auditorium was replaced by condos.
From what I’ve been able to piece together, James Pritzker was a silent investor in the project, and has pulled out because they’re not seeing the expected return on investment. (supposedly that’s the reason, at least)
http://tinyurl.com/dynkcd is the building I am referring to. This matches the theatre’s footprint. It hardly looks like an old building, but the back wall looks considerably older. And then compare to this pre-Renovation picture: HERE. Although it looks like a different building entirely initially, look at the columns and arched doorway. This is the same building, refaced, dating to roughly the theater’s age. I believe the columns are there to mark the theatre’s entrance.
Don’t believe those are original.
That’s not an unusual covenant. That’s why you’ll see abandoned wal-marts, grocery stores, etc when they build a new one in the area. Also why theatres often go live instead of showing films. In this case, it was Brickyard.
http://mekong.net/random/photo98.htm
http://mekong.net/random/photo99.htm
Here is a 1974 Photo
Here is a great 1976 Shot, from under the Woods marquee
A shot of one of the false oriels facing the CTA
Here is a late photo of it from Daley Center.
The way to link directly to the pertinent page of the Tribune album would be to right click the link to that page number and “copy link location”. Pages in the tribune’s photo galleries do not require registration. Additionally, the email issue David describes is not accurate; you can in fact opt out of any emailing. LM is probably right; these photos should probably link to the Tribune’s own pages instead of being copied.
Here is a better scan of the previous image.
Cook County Recorder of Deeds.
A “Little Club Cafe (Un Petit Cercle)” featuring dance music and French cuisine was opened at this site in 1924 and is probably the origin of the building. The Cinema operated as an art house even in 1930 with the slogan “The Art Theater of Shadow Silence”. The Cinema was the German-language UFA Cinema from October 1931-May 1932.
They played the Loop End starting Nov. 5, 1931.
Oriental starting September 8, 1935.
Oriental starting January 19, 1936.
Uptown starting February 23, 1936.
State-Lake starting May 9, 1937.
Cocoanut Grove (Morton Grove) starting June 20, 1937.
Palace starting July 24, 1938.
State-Lake starting February 26, 1939.
Oriental starting January 21, 1940.
Oriental starting November 29, 1942.
Oriental starting September 19, 1943.
Colosimo’s late August 1946.
No, the New Years Eve festivities were rentals by the DP Special Events Commission. The last shows DPTPS did were the Pickwick and Masonic Temple shows. Shows were ceased because they didn’t really do much to further the cause. A relaunch and reimagination of DPTPS should be coming soon.
Scratch that – the correct link is View link
View link
The New Years Eve show was one such rental.
Excerpt from 2-5-09 Chicago Tribune, article “Director Ken Kwapis talks about the blizzard of ‘79 and Gene Siskel”
Director Ken Kwapis, a Belleville native, took time while promoting “He’s Just Not That Into You,” starring Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck and a host of others, to talk to the Tribune about his formative years in Chicago and directing the late Gene Siskel on “The Larry Sanders Show.”
“For quite a while, I managed the Three Penny Theater on Lincoln Avenue, right across from the Biograph,” Kwapis said. “I managed the theater during the blizzard of 1979. We were running John Carpenter’s film ‘Halloween,’ and like many theaters during the blizzard, we didn’t change the feature, because there was no point.
“So I could basically set my clock to ‘Halloween.’ Sitting in the lobby, I would play a game with myself. Without looking at my watch, I’d say, ‘Jamie Lee Curtis is just about to scream,’ then I’d open the door and she’d scream. I knew the film down to the quarter of the minute.”
Kwapis said the management running the Three Penny couldn’t make up its mind about the theater’s focus.
“The schedule was absurd. One week we’d show a new art film, say a Werner Herzog film, and the next week we’d run a porno feature. And the owner could never understand why we couldn’t develop an audience. I said, ‘Well, they’re totally confused, nobody knows what we’re showing.’ ”
-via David E. Zornig
Abt is indicating that they were founded there in 1936, not that the photo is from 1936.
It looks like Lincoln Village is done. The property was transferred to CHEDER LUBAVITCH HEBREW DAY SCHOOL on 11/20/2008, according to a deed filed 12/16/2008. There is a deed restriction that the property may not be sold until 11/20/2011.
Well, the newspaper articles quoted Costco as having no interest in the site, and said that the surrounding planned lifestyle center hinged upon it
A chicago lot is about 20 feet wide. Most theatre buildings and entrances span at least 2 lots. So addresses are interchangeable.