I think this theatre is now a pc service place and it may share space with a Tak Kon Do studio. A lot of this part of the city is being bought up and made into condos and mix use buld`s.
Thank you for the information that sounds like what i was told.
I used to be part of the FOH staff during “Ragtime” and that was one of the examples that we used in the brefing of the staff before the show.Great job finding the articles to share please keep them comming.
All that i have to say is WOW! great find and thank you for putting it up for us to see. It is hard to envision that happing but it did.
I recall something also about there being a fire in the balc. do you know if the gangs did it or was it just someone not doing their job?
The way that i was told was that their was some one not putting out a cigerett the correct way, and the ash started a big blaze in the balc. that destroyed the upper floors and did some damage to the seating area (the smoke and the water i mean) can you or any one help shed some light on this for me . thank you.
Bryan Krefft: That is a very good pic of the Orential thay did something like that for “Ragtime” also i think that thay are going to do that for any long running show.
Bryan Krefft:Thank you for the information i did not know what happened to them. I was part of the FOH crew that took over when livevent reopened the Oriental i was there when thay were in the middle of it i was there for the first run of “Ragtime”,the uniforms that were worn the “first time Out” did not look like thay do now and thay did not look like the “Arabian Night`s” inspired back when it was opened for the first time. The uniforms that we used oddley enuf looked something like the uniforms that the UA personell wore. There were some better upgrades like the doors to the aisles are now controled by remote control when the show starts if the usher is busy and can not get to the door a controll room operator can close them.Not to mention the very useful intercom system.Thank You for your time and information.
The sight of the Fashion Theatre was a large parking lot 2 levels it was a city lot,if you watch the movie “Running Scared” you can see it in the background,it was tourn town and recofigured to be just a simple parking lot. But now their is a bulding on the spot witch is a joint venture with DePaul University, Columbia Collage(Chicago) and Roosevelt Univeristy called “The University Center of Chicago"
The 1st parking lot was opperating untill i think the mid 90s and was taked down and made into a singel level lot. Then the Universitys bult this new buld. on the spot.
The National Theatre apears to be ny if not on the same block as the Paris Theatre it looks like the land is now being used by Jones High School in Chicago`s “South Loop” area.
Sometimes you luck out i just hope that the crew working on it find more of the same and really bring it back to the way that it was.
Something like that happened when the reffurb. of the Auditorium Theatre thay found some of the first stage or some kind of a lift for the stage that no one knew about. But i hope that thay find more of the same at the Shubert like the reporter at the sun-times says in the opening of the report “The Shubert was always the red-headed stepchild of Chicago`s great loop theatres” this is no lie.
Before this resteration started it was BAD! But now with all that is happing i hope that it is brought back to the real crowning
glory.
The Goodman`s old home on Columbus Drive was behind the Art Instuted of Chicago and it was a very small theatre,so i am so very glad to see the goodman move over to the “Theatre District” allso i would like to thank whom ever was responsible for the goodman to reclame the area that it did the Harris and Selwyn from what i was told were just on this side of ending up on the scrap heap.And to take back the spot ware the Woods and the Garrick were thank you bravo!
The Roosevelt as well as the UA were on a block of land that is knowen in Chicago as “BLOCK 37”. What happened is that the deal to buld on this spot fell out after the block was leveled except 4 the one bulding,it sat empty and vancant untill i want 2 say the 1990`s when the city started to use the sopt for art fairs and summer programs.But now their are plans to buld on the sopt i just hope that some one some how rembers the theatres that once stood on this spot,the UA and the Roosevelt and it would be nice if they put up a plack or something to mark “on this spot once stood”! kind of thing but you can hope and you can dream.
If you watch the movie “Ferris Buellers day off" right around the "paraide" sceen if you have the dvd it should be around th 1:01:41 ? mark on the counter pay attention to the part whear the police man pushes Sloane and Cameron off of the route during ferris rendetion of duk a sheen you can see clear as the day is long the marquees of the Woods and The U.A , the UA is the one on the right of the screen an d the Woods is on the left of the screen. This works great if you have it on dvd.This movie was flimed in 1986 just at the hight of the Go Go 80`s i think shortly after this was flimes bouth of the theatres were torne down. The sight of the Woods is now part of the Goodman Theatre Complex and where the UA was is now an empty lot. The way it was explaned to me was the deal that was to buld a new bulding on the sight of the UA fell out of favor after the place was leveled,i think that thay ran out of mony or something or the bulding boom just went flat.
If i recall right this is the only IMAX theatre in the city proper it is located in side of navy pier. I think that it is just off of the main concorse eathe right across from or right near Bubba Gupp Shimp House or some kind of resturant or bar. The seating i think is first come first serve,but it might be assinged seating. Their is an door to it from what is called “ DOCK STREET” along the pier. But if want to go best bet is to “buy before you fly” this rings true in the late spring and all summer months.
Thay did a GREAT job bring back the Orential there were some up grades but over all it looks like it did the day that it opened one thing that i recall that is missing the “Elephant Chairs” in the main lobby. The first show to open at the Ford center for the Preforming Arts Oriential Theatre was “Ragtime”. In order to convert the stage from movie to “live theatre” thay had to take out some of the back of the bulding and reconfig it, thay did a wonderfull job.
Also toward the end of the Orential i think it was back in the 80`s or something like that there was a fire in the balc. But that is in the past and now along with the Chicago,Palace,and Goodman theatres this part of the city is once agan geting back to the way that it was.
This theatre is a cross from a pizza place, it is a plane tera cotta red bulding with no orenaments it is eather for sale or rent but it has ben rehabed i beleve as office space like what you might find a Doctor or somone along those lines. But if you look realy good at it you can see whare the marquee was and you can make out whare the doors were one of witch has been bricked over.
The brighton was used for a Mexican arts center or something along those lines when it was torn down the 2 buldings next to it all so went a jewelery store and a coffie shop. I recall going to this theatre and we called it the brightion park theatre, i rember that the ticket booth was on the out side and when you bought your ticket you had to go up this very steep incline at the top of this incline was the popcorn stand the auditouium was entered via double doors on eather side of the stand, also this was the way up to the balc. but every time that we went it was closed to the public. The sight is not even being bult on as of yet just another empty lot with a fence aroud it.
The Crain Theatre is a flower shop as far back as i can recall 20 or 30 years.I am not sure but eather before or after you enter the store written on the floor in the name “crain”. If you look past the flower shop sign you will see whare the light bulbs went to light up the marquee.
The Eagle Theatre is now eather a cono or an apartment complex known as “The Old Eagle” it appears to me that who ever owens it is in some way rembering the fact that it was once a movie theatre.
The Chicago Ridge commons Cinemas was converted in to a fitness gym that is opened 24hr`s a day. Thay kept the front but a far as i know nothing on the in side. Their was a big infomation booth set up in the main mall. To get people to join.
I think this theatre is now a pc service place and it may share space with a Tak Kon Do studio. A lot of this part of the city is being bought up and made into condos and mix use buld`s.
Thank you for the information that sounds like what i was told.
I used to be part of the FOH staff during “Ragtime” and that was one of the examples that we used in the brefing of the staff before the show.Great job finding the articles to share please keep them comming.
All that i have to say is WOW! great find and thank you for putting it up for us to see. It is hard to envision that happing but it did.
I recall something also about there being a fire in the balc. do you know if the gangs did it or was it just someone not doing their job?
The way that i was told was that their was some one not putting out a cigerett the correct way, and the ash started a big blaze in the balc. that destroyed the upper floors and did some damage to the seating area (the smoke and the water i mean) can you or any one help shed some light on this for me . thank you.
Bryan Krefft: That is a very good pic of the Orential thay did something like that for “Ragtime” also i think that thay are going to do that for any long running show.
Bryan Krefft:Thank you for the information i did not know what happened to them. I was part of the FOH crew that took over when livevent reopened the Oriental i was there when thay were in the middle of it i was there for the first run of “Ragtime”,the uniforms that were worn the “first time Out” did not look like thay do now and thay did not look like the “Arabian Night`s” inspired back when it was opened for the first time. The uniforms that we used oddley enuf looked something like the uniforms that the UA personell wore. There were some better upgrades like the doors to the aisles are now controled by remote control when the show starts if the usher is busy and can not get to the door a controll room operator can close them.Not to mention the very useful intercom system.Thank You for your time and information.
The sight of the Fashion Theatre was a large parking lot 2 levels it was a city lot,if you watch the movie “Running Scared” you can see it in the background,it was tourn town and recofigured to be just a simple parking lot. But now their is a bulding on the spot witch is a joint venture with DePaul University, Columbia Collage(Chicago) and Roosevelt Univeristy called “The University Center of Chicago"
The 1st parking lot was opperating untill i think the mid 90
s and was taked down and made into a singel level lot. Then the Universitys bult this new buld. on the spot.The National Theatre apears to be ny if not on the same block as the Paris Theatre it looks like the land is now being used by Jones High School in Chicago`s “South Loop” area.
The Paris Theatre looks like that it once sat on the spot where Jones High School stands to day in Chicago`s “South Loop”.
Sometimes you luck out i just hope that the crew working on it find more of the same and really bring it back to the way that it was.
Something like that happened when the reffurb. of the Auditorium Theatre thay found some of the first stage or some kind of a lift for the stage that no one knew about. But i hope that thay find more of the same at the Shubert like the reporter at the sun-times says in the opening of the report “The Shubert was always the red-headed stepchild of Chicago`s great loop theatres” this is no lie.
Before this resteration started it was BAD! But now with all that is happing i hope that it is brought back to the real crowning
glory.
The Goodman`s old home on Columbus Drive was behind the Art Instuted of Chicago and it was a very small theatre,so i am so very glad to see the goodman move over to the “Theatre District” allso i would like to thank whom ever was responsible for the goodman to reclame the area that it did the Harris and Selwyn from what i was told were just on this side of ending up on the scrap heap.And to take back the spot ware the Woods and the Garrick were thank you bravo!
The Roosevelt as well as the UA were on a block of land that is knowen in Chicago as “BLOCK 37”. What happened is that the deal to buld on this spot fell out after the block was leveled except 4 the one bulding,it sat empty and vancant untill i want 2 say the 1990`s when the city started to use the sopt for art fairs and summer programs.But now their are plans to buld on the sopt i just hope that some one some how rembers the theatres that once stood on this spot,the UA and the Roosevelt and it would be nice if they put up a plack or something to mark “on this spot once stood”! kind of thing but you can hope and you can dream.
If you watch the movie “Ferris Bueller
s day off" right around the "paraide" sceen if you have the dvd it should be around th 1:01:41 ? mark on the counter pay attention to the part whear the police man pushes Sloane and Cameron off of the route during ferris rendetion of duk a sheen you can see clear as the day is long the marquees of the Woods and The U.A , the UA is the one on the right of the screen an d the Woods is on the left of the screen. This works great if you have it on dvd.This movie was flimed in 1986 just at the hight of the Go Go 80`s i think shortly after this was flimes bouth of the theatres were torne down. The sight of the Woods is now part of the Goodman Theatre Complex and where the UA was is now an empty lot. The way it was explaned to me was the deal that was to buld a new bulding on the sight of the UA fell out of favor after the place was leveled,i think that thay ran out of mony or something or the bulding boom just went flat.If i recall right this is the only IMAX theatre in the city proper it is located in side of navy pier. I think that it is just off of the main concorse eathe right across from or right near Bubba Gupp Shimp House or some kind of resturant or bar. The seating i think is first come first serve,but it might be assinged seating. Their is an door to it from what is called “ DOCK STREET” along the pier. But if want to go best bet is to “buy before you fly” this rings true in the late spring and all summer months.
Thay did a GREAT job bring back the Orential there were some up grades but over all it looks like it did the day that it opened one thing that i recall that is missing the “Elephant Chairs” in the main lobby. The first show to open at the Ford center for the Preforming Arts Oriential Theatre was “Ragtime”. In order to convert the stage from movie to “live theatre” thay had to take out some of the back of the bulding and reconfig it, thay did a wonderfull job.
Also toward the end of the Orential i think it was back in the 80`s or something like that there was a fire in the balc. But that is in the past and now along with the Chicago,Palace,and Goodman theatres this part of the city is once agan geting back to the way that it was.
This theatre is a cross from a pizza place, it is a plane tera cotta red bulding with no orenaments it is eather for sale or rent but it has ben rehabed i beleve as office space like what you might find a Doctor or somone along those lines. But if you look realy good at it you can see whare the marquee was and you can make out whare the doors were one of witch has been bricked over.
The brighton was used for a Mexican arts center or something along those lines when it was torn down the 2 buldings next to it all so went a jewelery store and a coffie shop. I recall going to this theatre and we called it the brightion park theatre, i rember that the ticket booth was on the out side and when you bought your ticket you had to go up this very steep incline at the top of this incline was the popcorn stand the auditouium was entered via double doors on eather side of the stand, also this was the way up to the balc. but every time that we went it was closed to the public. The sight is not even being bult on as of yet just another empty lot with a fence aroud it.
The Crain Theatre is a flower shop as far back as i can recall 20 or 30 years.I am not sure but eather before or after you enter the store written on the floor in the name “crain”. If you look past the flower shop sign you will see whare the light bulbs went to light up the marquee.
The Eagle Theatre is now eather a cono or an apartment complex known as “The Old Eagle” it appears to me that who ever owens it is in some way rembering the fact that it was once a movie theatre.
The Chicago Ridge commons Cinemas was converted in to a fitness gym that is opened 24hr`s a day. Thay kept the front but a far as i know nothing on the in side. Their was a big infomation booth set up in the main mall. To get people to join.