I went to the nightclub in the 60’s, which was known as the Holiday Ballroom North. It was still very much like a movie theater inside, except that the floor was leveled for dancing. The entire block and theater was leveled in the 70’s to make room for a strip mall and the Jefferson Park Elevated station bus terminal.
I find your comment to be rather snobbish. If you would notice in my posting that there are foreign-born people living in the neighborhood, so perhaps they might like to see foreign language films. At one time, the Patio showed East Indian and Polish films, or maybe you would prefer French and Italian.
Also, people have cars and can drive to the theater or take public transportation right to the door. Perhaps you would like to check out the former Gateway Theater (now Copernicus Center), just 20 minutes from the Patio. Literally every weekend there are foreign language films, classics, etc., being shown there to a packed house. And the parking lot is filled. Mostly with the cars of middle and working class folks.
I lived in the area for nearly 10 years until recently. It is actually, a great middle and working class neighborhood, safe and clean. Neat, tidy brick homes, a lot of Eastern European immigrant families. Closest theater is far away in the burbs. It would be a good venue for art and foreign language films.
The renovation to date has only resulted in opening a video game room in the former lobby. Other work continues in the auditorium.
When it was built, it had a “swamp” roof for cooling, which was like having a small lake on top of the building. It cause a great deal of difficulty during renovation because of water damage.
The Iris closed in 1952 and was converted to a very plush banquet hall, The Chateau Royale. I attended many functions there and it was still elegant. The owners had statuary that had been in the Paradise theater previously.
After the neighborhood ran down, it became a church.
A fun place. We used to go there to see horror films, which were its specialty in the 50’s. It also was one of the only theaters where you could buy hot dogs in the lobby. What a smell would greet you when you came in the doors!
I remember this theater as the Rockne. It was renamed after Knute Rockne of Fighting Irish fame after his untimely demise in plane crash. It was always a neat place to watch a film, especially since it was one of the few neighborhood places that had a balcony.
Unfortunately, it became a porno house in the 70,s. Nice to see it’s a church now.
I went to the nightclub in the 60’s, which was known as the Holiday Ballroom North. It was still very much like a movie theater inside, except that the floor was leveled for dancing. The entire block and theater was leveled in the 70’s to make room for a strip mall and the Jefferson Park Elevated station bus terminal.
I find your comment to be rather snobbish. If you would notice in my posting that there are foreign-born people living in the neighborhood, so perhaps they might like to see foreign language films. At one time, the Patio showed East Indian and Polish films, or maybe you would prefer French and Italian.
Also, people have cars and can drive to the theater or take public transportation right to the door. Perhaps you would like to check out the former Gateway Theater (now Copernicus Center), just 20 minutes from the Patio. Literally every weekend there are foreign language films, classics, etc., being shown there to a packed house. And the parking lot is filled. Mostly with the cars of middle and working class folks.
Remember what happens when you make assumptions.
Peace.
I lived in the area for nearly 10 years until recently. It is actually, a great middle and working class neighborhood, safe and clean. Neat, tidy brick homes, a lot of Eastern European immigrant families. Closest theater is far away in the burbs. It would be a good venue for art and foreign language films.
The renovation to date has only resulted in opening a video game room in the former lobby. Other work continues in the auditorium.
When it was built, it had a “swamp” roof for cooling, which was like having a small lake on top of the building. It cause a great deal of difficulty during renovation because of water damage.
The Iris closed in 1952 and was converted to a very plush banquet hall, The Chateau Royale. I attended many functions there and it was still elegant. The owners had statuary that had been in the Paradise theater previously.
After the neighborhood ran down, it became a church.
A fun place. We used to go there to see horror films, which were its specialty in the 50’s. It also was one of the only theaters where you could buy hot dogs in the lobby. What a smell would greet you when you came in the doors!
I remember this theater as the Rockne. It was renamed after Knute Rockne of Fighting Irish fame after his untimely demise in plane crash. It was always a neat place to watch a film, especially since it was one of the few neighborhood places that had a balcony.
Unfortunately, it became a porno house in the 70,s. Nice to see it’s a church now.