As I recall, the Aardvark was an art house theater, showing stuff like Warhol movies and especially, Bob Dylan: Don’t Look Back by D. A. Pennebaker, which they showed nightly, for years. Then, in about 1972 they became an XXX rated movie theater. (So did the Towne Theater on Armitage). Anyway, some of the ladies that worked at the X rated Aardvark, left at some point in 1973 or ‘74, and operated one of the first sex movie and massage parlors in town, on Hubbard St., called Just Filmz.
The photo shows the last half of the outdoor part of Piper’s Alley. The Smoke Shop would be to the left. Through the swinging doors ahead was the indoor part, which had several shops…
the Aardvark entrance to the right of the doors, a leather clothing store, jewelry store, a juice cart, a sweet shop, a glass blowing place, candle shop, restaurant, and a bookstore where I worked.
Thank you for the comment about my photo, and your personal memories.
– Pete Lekousis
By the way, photo credit for the Aardvark Theater picture is:
Photo by: P. Lekousis 1972
As I recall, the Aardvark was an art house theater, showing stuff like Warhol movies and especially, Bob Dylan: Don’t Look Back by D. A. Pennebaker, which they showed nightly, for years. Then, in about 1972 they became an XXX rated movie theater. (So did the Towne Theater on Armitage). Anyway, some of the ladies that worked at the X rated Aardvark, left at some point in 1973 or ‘74, and operated one of the first sex movie and massage parlors in town, on Hubbard St., called Just Filmz.
Here is a link to a photo of the Aardvark and Termite Theaters sign in Piper’s Alley, Old Town, Chicago, from 1972.
[http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photo.php?pid=1181897&id=1345252335]http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photo.php?pid=1181897&id=1345252335]http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photo.php?pid=1181897&id=1345252335](http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photo.php?pid=1181897&id=1345252335)
The photo shows the last half of the outdoor part of Piper’s Alley. The Smoke Shop would be to the left. Through the swinging doors ahead was the indoor part, which had several shops…
the Aardvark entrance to the right of the doors, a leather clothing store, jewelry store, a juice cart, a sweet shop, a glass blowing place, candle shop, restaurant, and a bookstore where I worked.