I moved to the Rogers Park neighborhood in the late 1970’s, to attend Loyola U. I lived on Estes Avenue, and I think the Adelphi was on the southwest corner of Clark and Estes.
The Adelphi’s entrance on Clark Street had a very unusual sidewalk in front it. It wasn’t anything like a typical Chicago “Streets and San” sidewalk, because it contained two very large inlays, that were art-deco style images of ushers. There was one on each side, and they looked as if they were bowing to you. Each usher extended one arm to welcome you to the show, and tucked the other behind his back.
I found them remarkable for two reasons. First, they belonged to only the Adelphi, in that were created right there on that spot, and would never be used anywhere else. Second, they only made sense because the building was a theatre. If someone converted it into a grocery store, for example, customers would wonder what kind of oddball has two theatre ushers outside his grocery store.
My brothers and sisters and I saw a lot of movies at the Rialto (also at the Mode and at the Princess) in the 1960’s and 1970’s. I have two memories to share.
The first is, of course, it’s size. It seemed like everything at the Rialto was gigantic. It was a large theatre, and I believe it had entrances on three different streets. The first lobby was about three stories high and had mirrors everywhere. There were also six or eight HUGE thrones along the walls. Four or five of us could sit (or stand) on one chair, and you could easily hide behind a chair’s leg. The second lobby was the rotunda. It had a chandelier that must have been twenty feet from top to bottom. The third lobby, which had the doorways to the main floor of the theatre, was as long as the other two lobbies combined. Off of the third lobby, there was a kind of dining room or cafe.
The second memory is of a picture that was always hanging in the lobby. It was of a young woman, and looked like it was from the 1920’s. Underneath, it said her name, and that she was from Joliet, and that she was the first Miss America. I don’t know if that is so, but I am sure that is what it said. We would always stop and look at the picture, and make some weird mental note that the first Miss America was from Joliet, as if it were an important and useful fact. It sounds outrageous now, but it was so normal then.
I moved to the Rogers Park neighborhood in the late 1970’s, to attend Loyola U. I lived on Estes Avenue, and I think the Adelphi was on the southwest corner of Clark and Estes.
The Adelphi’s entrance on Clark Street had a very unusual sidewalk in front it. It wasn’t anything like a typical Chicago “Streets and San” sidewalk, because it contained two very large inlays, that were art-deco style images of ushers. There was one on each side, and they looked as if they were bowing to you. Each usher extended one arm to welcome you to the show, and tucked the other behind his back.
I found them remarkable for two reasons. First, they belonged to only the Adelphi, in that were created right there on that spot, and would never be used anywhere else. Second, they only made sense because the building was a theatre. If someone converted it into a grocery store, for example, customers would wonder what kind of oddball has two theatre ushers outside his grocery store.
My brothers and sisters and I saw a lot of movies at the Rialto (also at the Mode and at the Princess) in the 1960’s and 1970’s. I have two memories to share.
The first is, of course, it’s size. It seemed like everything at the Rialto was gigantic. It was a large theatre, and I believe it had entrances on three different streets. The first lobby was about three stories high and had mirrors everywhere. There were also six or eight HUGE thrones along the walls. Four or five of us could sit (or stand) on one chair, and you could easily hide behind a chair’s leg. The second lobby was the rotunda. It had a chandelier that must have been twenty feet from top to bottom. The third lobby, which had the doorways to the main floor of the theatre, was as long as the other two lobbies combined. Off of the third lobby, there was a kind of dining room or cafe.
The second memory is of a picture that was always hanging in the lobby. It was of a young woman, and looked like it was from the 1920’s. Underneath, it said her name, and that she was from Joliet, and that she was the first Miss America. I don’t know if that is so, but I am sure that is what it said. We would always stop and look at the picture, and make some weird mental note that the first Miss America was from Joliet, as if it were an important and useful fact. It sounds outrageous now, but it was so normal then.