It’s too bad that the former State-Lake Theatre space has not been converted into a modern, live theatre. It would certainly be a welcome addition to the Loop theatre district. The ABC studio is fine, although the video marquee is dwarfed by the gigantic marquee of the Chicago Theatre across the street.
It could still happen, someday. Of course, it would be up to the current owners and occupants of the space. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to see a re-design of old State-Lake marquee? They could call it “The New State-Lake Theatre.”
I am planning to go out to Rosemont to check this theatre out.
I am also anxiously awaiting the Muvico theatre at Block 37 in the Loop. I hope that Muvico’s design will strongly evoke some of the classic theatres of the Loop. The interior could re-create Randolph street of the 1950s and 1960s, with its colorful and carnival-like atmosphere. Why not? That’s the reason we go to the movies anyway, to escape for a few hours, so why not make the experience memorable?
I wonder if the theatre will be called The Studebaker or renamed. I regret never going there when it was showing films. I remember when it was showing “Hilary and Jackie,” but for some reason I chose not to see the film there.
The Fine Arts building is really a treasure. I used to take music lessons there when I was a kid. I love the old elevators, which still require manual operation and a live operator. I still go to The Artists Cafe sometimes before or after classes at Roosevelt University.
I think downtown Chicago needs a smaller theater for showing more intimate dramas and comedies. The Oriental is perfect for musicals and extravagant entertainment.
I was never inside The Woods, but from vague memories and photos, it looks like the theatre itself was extended north from the back of the office building, and the site of the current restaurant, Petterino’s, is here. When you enter the Goodman, the mainstage theatre is south of the entrance. This main entrance would have led straight to the Harris/Michael Todd in its previous incarnation. This is all conjecture on my part, however, so I could be wrong.
Incidentally, there is a smaller theater on the north end of the building which is roughly where the Selwyn/Cinestage was. When you are in the lobby, everything is new, except an old marble staircase (presumably leading nowhere) from what I assume was the Selwyn.
Was the marquee of Michael Todd ever replaced? A photo I saw, which I assume is from the late 40s, shows “A Streetcar Named Desire” on the Harris marquee. The marquee basically looks the same as the one for the Todd, only the panels with the name changed. Also, it looks like the same thing was done when the theatres became the Dearborn Cinemas.
It looks the marquee of the State-Lake was the same from the early 40s on, whereas most other Loop theatres changed more frequently.
On a side note, it occurred to me recently in walking past the Goodman theatre, that technically the theatre is on the site of the Woods Theatre. The facades of the Harris and Selwyn are further north and do not front the theatre itself.
According the website for Broadway in Chicago, The Oriental briefly showed live concerts when it was managed by M&R amusements in the early 1970s. However, in the run down of film presentations posted above by JRS40 on Sep 5, there appears to be no break in the sequence. So, is there an error somewhere, or were films and concerts shown simultaneously?
I just read an article from Chicago Magazine about White Way Sign Company. It said that while some of the Chicago marquees were lost, some made their way to a museum in Cincinatti called the American Sign Museum; the article did not say which ones are there. I went to the museum’s website and did not find any information on theatre marquees.
I did learn some interesting things about White Way Sign Company from the article, though. Did you know that at 9p.m. every Thursday, about 20 White Way trucks came to the Loop and changed the signboards, going on until as late at 2 and 3a.m.? I always just assumed that the staff of the individual theatres would change the signs, but I guess it does make sense, since it would probably need expert attention. White Way also provided maintenance to the signs, and in fact still overs this service.
Anyway, does anyone know about the American Sign Museum, and which signs it holds?
Is it possible that the glorious marquee from the UA was salvaged? It would make an interesting artifact if Chicago’s theatre museum ever comes to fruition. And for that matter, how about the great marquees of the Woods, State-Lake, and others?
Perhaps in someone’s basment, these great works of art are collecting dust (?)
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the above-mentioned MUVICO CINESTAGE 7 THEATRES featured recreations of the classic Chicago theatre marquees above each auditorium entrance?
I can see the bright lights of the State-Lake, the Woods and the United Artists flashing now!
The front marquee, which faced 63rd Street, was made up of large capital letters that spelled out MARQUETTE. I can imagine it was impressive when lit-up.
I have never seen the inside of this theatre. Are there any photos?
It’s too bad that the former State-Lake Theatre space has not been converted into a modern, live theatre. It would certainly be a welcome addition to the Loop theatre district. The ABC studio is fine, although the video marquee is dwarfed by the gigantic marquee of the Chicago Theatre across the street.
It could still happen, someday. Of course, it would be up to the current owners and occupants of the space. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to see a re-design of old State-Lake marquee? They could call it “The New State-Lake Theatre.”
I am planning to go out to Rosemont to check this theatre out.
I am also anxiously awaiting the Muvico theatre at Block 37 in the Loop. I hope that Muvico’s design will strongly evoke some of the classic theatres of the Loop. The interior could re-create Randolph street of the 1950s and 1960s, with its colorful and carnival-like atmosphere. Why not? That’s the reason we go to the movies anyway, to escape for a few hours, so why not make the experience memorable?
I wonder if the theatre will be called The Studebaker or renamed. I regret never going there when it was showing films. I remember when it was showing “Hilary and Jackie,” but for some reason I chose not to see the film there.
The Fine Arts building is really a treasure. I used to take music lessons there when I was a kid. I love the old elevators, which still require manual operation and a live operator. I still go to The Artists Cafe sometimes before or after classes at Roosevelt University.
I think downtown Chicago needs a smaller theater for showing more intimate dramas and comedies. The Oriental is perfect for musicals and extravagant entertainment.
I was never inside The Woods, but from vague memories and photos, it looks like the theatre itself was extended north from the back of the office building, and the site of the current restaurant, Petterino’s, is here. When you enter the Goodman, the mainstage theatre is south of the entrance. This main entrance would have led straight to the Harris/Michael Todd in its previous incarnation. This is all conjecture on my part, however, so I could be wrong.
Incidentally, there is a smaller theater on the north end of the building which is roughly where the Selwyn/Cinestage was. When you are in the lobby, everything is new, except an old marble staircase (presumably leading nowhere) from what I assume was the Selwyn.
Was the marquee of Michael Todd ever replaced? A photo I saw, which I assume is from the late 40s, shows “A Streetcar Named Desire” on the Harris marquee. The marquee basically looks the same as the one for the Todd, only the panels with the name changed. Also, it looks like the same thing was done when the theatres became the Dearborn Cinemas.
It looks the marquee of the State-Lake was the same from the early 40s on, whereas most other Loop theatres changed more frequently.
On a side note, it occurred to me recently in walking past the Goodman theatre, that technically the theatre is on the site of the Woods Theatre. The facades of the Harris and Selwyn are further north and do not front the theatre itself.
According the website for Broadway in Chicago, The Oriental briefly showed live concerts when it was managed by M&R amusements in the early 1970s. However, in the run down of film presentations posted above by JRS40 on Sep 5, there appears to be no break in the sequence. So, is there an error somewhere, or were films and concerts shown simultaneously?
I just read an article from Chicago Magazine about White Way Sign Company. It said that while some of the Chicago marquees were lost, some made their way to a museum in Cincinatti called the American Sign Museum; the article did not say which ones are there. I went to the museum’s website and did not find any information on theatre marquees.
I did learn some interesting things about White Way Sign Company from the article, though. Did you know that at 9p.m. every Thursday, about 20 White Way trucks came to the Loop and changed the signboards, going on until as late at 2 and 3a.m.? I always just assumed that the staff of the individual theatres would change the signs, but I guess it does make sense, since it would probably need expert attention. White Way also provided maintenance to the signs, and in fact still overs this service.
Anyway, does anyone know about the American Sign Museum, and which signs it holds?
Is it possible that the glorious marquee from the UA was salvaged? It would make an interesting artifact if Chicago’s theatre museum ever comes to fruition. And for that matter, how about the great marquees of the Woods, State-Lake, and others?
Perhaps in someone’s basment, these great works of art are collecting dust (?)
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the above-mentioned MUVICO CINESTAGE 7 THEATRES featured recreations of the classic Chicago theatre marquees above each auditorium entrance?
I can see the bright lights of the State-Lake, the Woods and the United Artists flashing now!
The front marquee, which faced 63rd Street, was made up of large capital letters that spelled out MARQUETTE. I can imagine it was impressive when lit-up.