Yesterday, the City Council finance committee once again extended the Fullerton/Milwaukee TIF district to help protect the Congress Theatre against the oncoming winter and easing the path toward its full $87.8 million restoration. Last year, Ald. Daniel LaSpata asked the commissioners to extend the TIF district to 1/1/2027.
December 3rd, 2024 marks 20 years since the Genesee Theatre reopened to the public after a 15-year closure. The 5-year $23 million renovation included a Broadway-sized stage and rigging system, the addition of 600 seats (1,799 to 2,403), a reproduction of the 1927 marquee with over 2,000 lights, new lighting and sound systems, and more. https://www.geneseetheatre.com
Even today, passersby along busy 52nd Street might imagine, if they squint a bit, the old Vogue Theatre alive again with several hundred school-age kids in line for a 1940s Saturday double-feature Western show, each clutching his or her ten-cent admission, and a harried staff struggling to keep up with the crush.
The Vogue Theatre was an unpretentious neighborhood theatre that never attempted to outdo the bigger, grander movie palaces downtown. It fulfilled its modest role in Kenosha’s entertainment scene until the change in national trends that sealed not only the Vogue’s late but that of thousands of similar neighborhood movie houses Across America.
In 1913, most movies were brief little novelties shown in converted storefronts with blackened windows and rows of benches seating perhaps 75 people, with a sheet for a screen. (One of the first of those in Kenosha was the Electric Theatre operated by Adolph Alfieri on north Seventh Avenue east of Union Park.) But in the early 20s the movies were eager for respectability, so real movie theatres were being built everywhere by recently-formed chains or by single entrepreneurs eager to cash in on America’s growing love for the ever-improving medium.
Walker Schlager ran several taverns in Kenosha with his wife Rose. But prohibition was on, and those who once sold or made liquor and beer were looking to invest in other ventures. (Racine’s Klinkert Brewery had just built the Butterfly (later Hollywood) Theatre in Kenosha at 4902 Seventh Avenue.)
In 1923, Kenosha’s operating film theatres included the Rhode Opera House, the new Orpheum, the Butterfly, the Burke (later Cameo) at 618 56th Street, the Majestic on Main Street, the Lincoln at 6923 14th Avenue, the Strand (later Norge, demolished 1982) at 5611 22nd Avenue, and the Columbia at 2220 63rd Street. (The Kenosha, Gateway and Roosevelt Theatres were still four years in the future.) But in a time when people were much less mobile and by far more apt to function mostly within their home neighbor hoods, Kenosha’s central city had no movie house of its own.
Schlager selected some long-vacant property at 1820 52nd Street and had well-known Kenosha architect Charles Augustine design a state-of-the-art theatre for the site. Augustine lived then with his wife Lillian at 7428 22nd Avenue; his designs include the Terrace Court Apartments, the West Branch Library, the old Barden Store and the Roosevelt Theatre.) Then Schlager signed on long-time contractor George Lindemann of 4724 Fifth Avenue to build his new Vogue Theatre.
Work continued throughout the summer of 1923 as passing motorists and passengers on the Grand Avenue line of the Kenosha Electric Railway monitored the theatre’s progress. The final touch was the installation of the vertical VOGUE sign, visible for over ten blocks in either direction, the clue the Vogue Theatre was ready, and in early September small teaser ads appeared in the papers. A full-page ad appeared at 6pm on the opening night of Saturday, September 15, 1923, at which manager Clarence Eschenberg welcomed present and future patrons with “This is your theatre.” Adult tickets were 25 cents and children paid a dime
The opening program was modest; the Kenosha premier of Ralph Ince’s horseracing yarn “Counterfeit Love,” an Our Gang comedy “The Cobbler, an Aesop’s Fables short subject, a Pathe Newsreel, and solos from the Vogue’s new two-manual Moller pipe organ which Schlager had obtained through the Salak Bros. Piano Co. of Racine.
Schlager announced that the Vogue was fully equipped for live stage acts, but that only films would play the theatre for the foreseeable future. (The Vogue’s lifelong policy of second, third and fourth-run films were indeed matched with occasional stage shows through the 1920s and into the ‘30s.)
No doubt there are people today who gaze at the long-silent theatre and imagine all sorts of architectural wonders within. But Charles Augustine had to work within a budget, and saved most of the ornament for the outer facade, most of which is still visible. The Vogue Theatre got a well-proportioned face-brick facade trimmed in cream terra cotta above colored Irish tiles at ground level in American neo-classic architectural style. Inside though, the economies were apparent - a tiny lobby leading to the auditorium, straight walls were relieved only by pilasters, panels of fabric, and shaded double-candle light sconces of plaster. The lower walls were trimmed to resemble stone. The decorator, Eugene Potente of 7302 14th Avenue selected shades of deep cream for the interior, so patrons would be “bathed in a sunshine glow.” The lofty ceiling gave a feeling of more spaciousness than there reallly was. Unusual cast-plaster ceiling fixtures were shaped like six-pointed stars with a bare bulb at each point and a large bulb in the center. They had to be relamped from the floor with an immensely long wooden pole.
Advertising puffery was common in the 1920s; a total of 650 seats were promised but photos show no more than 560 and of those, 52 were in a tiny balcony. The seats themselves had wooden backs and raiseable padded seat cushions, much like in junior high school auditoriums. It was a classic little theatre like thousands of others in American neighborhoods or in the downtowns of small towns - comfortable, plain but pleasant, with just enough ornament to avoid boredom. Still, when those odd bare-bulb overhead lights went out and the Vogue’s chain-driven arc projectors ground into life, some will argue that there was as much magic on that screen as in the classiest Times Square movie palaces.
For firstnighters on that inaugural Saturday evening a century ago, it would be the Vogue’s finest hour.
LOVES PARK. II. (AP) - An X-rated theater that a city anti-obscenity ordinance, legal maneuvers and attacks by church and parents groups could not close, finally has had to toss in the towel.
The building was sold out from under the movie house by a crusading real estate man who tracked down the owner.
But Linda Miller, 35, the operator. said Wednesday that the people of Loves Park have not heard the last of her.
She said she has a book full of names of persons who belonged to her Park Adult Motion Picture Club - “names of ministers, judges, attorneys, police officers, doctors, people who wanted me to get out.” she said. “And they are not just names of local persons.” Asked if she were going to release some of the more prominent names, or if she plans to go to court to try to stay open, she said “no comment but I have called a news conference for Thursday (today).”
Keith Iverson, a real estate man with strong religious convictions, says he spent years trying to search out the owner of the quonset hut-type building that seats about 650 persons. He recently found that it was in a Rockford trust and was being rented out to Miller and her truck-driver husband, Don, 40.
Iverson attributed the sale to “the Lord and the power of prayer.” “This is the start of Jesus and me and our venture to eliminate such places,” said Iverson after completing the sale. “I have a personal spiritual conviction to get rid of that theater and other businesses associated with pornography.”
(By MYRACYN ANICH, Freeman Correspondent) For the first time in over 50 years there are no films being shown in Mukwonago and the advertising boards are bare on the theater front.
One more of the nostalgic Institutions of a small town has gone. The Vista theater closed its doors on the showing of movies for the last time.
Owned and operated by one family since 1913, the decline in attendance and the illness of the widow of the last owner forced the demise of the long established business.
John Nowatake came to America in 1885 from Posen, Germany with his wife Albertina and six children. With a broad musical education, he had been a member of a military band.
After arriving in Mukwonago he purchased the large and well known Dillenbeck Hotel on Rochester St.
With the advent of silent pictures, a portion of the hotel, used for a bellroom, was converted into a small theater in 1913, and the musically adept sons of the owner were pressed into service as the orchestra to accompany the films.
The famly orchestra was known throughout the county for their ability and played at the many dances, festivals and masquerades held in the early days.
The orchestra consisted of Father John, who was proficient at many instruments, the violin, bass viol and bass horn. Son Paul Nowatske played the violin, Max the bass viol, Alfred the violin, Fred the saxophone and flute. The other members of the musical family were Emma, Elsie and Walter.
In recalling some of the early times, Fred Nowatske remembers he had the honor of selling the first ticket to a silent movie in the hotel theater, at 5 cents.
The films were not always accompanied by the full orchestra and usually Mrs. Mattie Hillier or Barry Clefton played the plano accompaniment. One of the songs best remembered as being used was “The End of a Perfect Day.”
In the early 1900s John Nowatake had a specially made orchestrion player piano installed, which in addition to the regular rolls played facsimile music of several instruments. The family orchestra played along with the mechanical music, producing the effect of a large and varied orchestra.
The hotel passed to son Paul Nowatske, and in 1927, half of the 130 foot long building was demolished to make room for the present theater building.
When the building was torn down and the basement for the new building being excavated, so much fill was needed that anything at hand was used. Some small part of the fill consisted of bowls and pitchers that had stood on the wash stands of the old hotel. These were thrown from the second story windows down into the hole below.
Since the beginning of the theater in 1927, films were obtained from the same source continuously to 1965, Film Service, inc. of Milwaukee, operated by Ray Trampe.
Besides showing films, until the death of the theater this month, the third generation of the family-operated enterprise, Walter Nowatski has used the building for weekly auctions for the past 15 years.
Sad and silent on Saturday nights, the theater building can still re-echo the whole long era of moviedom from 1913 to 1965.
The theater is being closed because of poor attendance and other family financial interests. The theater, which seats 400, will still be used for auctions. (October 1, 1965)
Milwaukee’s newest amusement center, the Venetian theater, located at Thirty-seventh and Center streels, is now open to the service of the public. It is one of the most modern and beautiful motion picture houses in the city. Built at a cost of over $500,000 it gives to the Northwest side an amusement house which is a credit to this populous and growing neighborhood.
The Venetian theater is admirably named. Its architecture is of the Italian Renaissance period and its interior decorations bespeak the unsurpassing beauty of a summer night in ancient and romantic Venice.
Milwaukee’s newest theater is a tribute to the Universal Pictures, Inc., which owns it and the Milwaukee firms advertised on these pages, which had a part in its actual creation. It is a product of the combined efforts of expert craftsmen in stone, concrete, steel, lighting, ventilation and every other phase of the building art which is necessary to make up a complete, modern motion picture theater, which will give its patrons every comfort in a healthful and beautiful atmosphere.
The building is fireproof throughout. It is of the very newest de luxe type, with main floor and balcony seating 1600 persons. It has a 20 foot stage, permitting vaudeville performances and feature presentations in addition to the regular motion picture program.
The opalesque blue of a Venetian sky at dusk is represented on the arched ceiling and a special “cloud machine,” one of the few in the North-west, creates a soft cloud effect, while behind this screen of vapory light twinkling stars are created by still another device.
Along the walls are hung heavy wine-colored and blue drapes, that add an atmosphere of courtly splendor, and the walls are done in heavy panels, etched in gold. The auditorium itself is lighted by huge flood lamps, concealed in coves to give indirect reflecton and thus create a true night effect. Fresh air is drawn into the building by means of a special ventilating system, which also washes the air and changes it constantly.
Another feature of the theater is the inter- communicating telephone system which enables manager, projection machine operator, orchestra leader and ushers to keep in constant communication with one another.
In the basement will be two large rest rooms designed for the utmost comfort of patrons. The exterior of the building is done in buff terra cotta, making it one of the most beautiful buildings on the Northwest Side.
Over the sidewalk is suspended a huge canopy designed to offer adequate protection during inclement weather, and surrounding this is an electric sign which can be seen for blocks east and west along Center street.
One of the most attractive small theatres to be built recently is the 600-seat Towne, Fox Lake, Ill.
The building is owned by Robert J. Bartelt, a real estate broker in this popular resort city whose winter population of 7,000 jumps to 20,000, or more, during the summer vacation season. It is leased by Robert Nelson Corporation, Libertyville, II. Architects were Sebes, Inc., Minne- apolis, and Kroehler Manufacturing Company supplied the all-mohair covered “Push-Back” chairs.
To the Hanna L. Teichert studios goes the credit for the Towne’s charming and unsual decor. A large black-light mural of the Chain-of-Lakes region sets off the lobby, which is of natural Indiana limestone, blood-striated plywood, and plaster decorated in forest green and watermelon.
Another striking touch is the installation of large flower boxes filled with tropical plants in the four corners of the auditorium. The leaves of these plants are painted with black-light paint, and are illuminated by special lights.
Every known convenience for patrons' comfort and enjoyment is provided at the Towne. There are free parking facilities, modern air conditioning, hearing aids, and the best in projection and sound equipment. The cry room in the rear of the auditorium permits a clear view of the screen, is fitted with individually-controlled speakers and ventilators, and is complete with a handy bottle warmer.
In the spotless restrooms, the walls are done in a new hometown product, “Glamour Tile”. This is the first theatre installation of the product, and the results are pleasing. The foyer Boot is also of antique-ish “Glamour Tile”.
For better vision in the rear of the house, the last 15 rows of “Push-Back” seats are staggered in accordance with a novel seating plan worked out by the Kroehler Company. The projection booth is but five feet above the floor of the lobby, an arrangement which has proved highly satisfactory.
The Towne has been expressly designed to meet the theatre needs of a small community, and in providing a friendly, inviting atmosphere with all the comfort, convenience, and technical excellence that modern equipment can supply, it has fulfilled these requirements
well.
(Kenosha News, 12/ 21/1927) New Roosevelt Theater Opens Door Christmas - Splendid New West Side Play- house Completed and Open- ing is Announced.
Another beautiful new Kenosha theater, the first to be erected on the far west side of the city, will be opened to the public on Christmas day when Dahl’s Roosevelt Theater, located on Roosevelt Road at 29th Avenue, will give its initial performance beginning at noon. The theater opening will mark the completion and occupancy of the modern new Dahl block.
This block, costing approximately $450.000 to construct, was erected by the Dahl Construction Company, and the theater has been leased to the United Theaters Company, operators of the Butterfly, Vogue and Lincoln theaters in Kenosha.
Work on this splendid new building was begun last spring by the Dahl Company. The construction is of brick and concrete, with a beautiful face brick front. It accommodates, beside the theater, six stores, bowling alleys, barber shop, three business offices, dentist’s office and seven apartments entirely furnished. Four of the stores and the apartments on the second floor of the building have been finished for some time and are all occupied.
Equipment Magnificent
The magnificent Dahl’s Roosevelt theater will open equipped with furnishings and appointments that equal. if not surpass, the finest theaters in the city of Kenosha. The organ installed in the theater of Marr-Colton make is the largest and most costly in the city of Kenosha. The seats, capable of seating 1,000 persons, are of high grade and are so arranged and made as to insure the maximum of comfort and a splendid view of the stage from any part of the theater.
The equipment in the operators booth has been pronounced by those familiar with such equipment as even finer and more complete than that installed in the Kenosha high school building, which is conceded to have the best equipment in the city.
The stage, while not the largest in the city, is amply large and has equipment such as is rarely seen in theaters of its size, or even larger. The interior decorative scheme is an old Spanish egect, is most pleasing to the eye and is in harmony with everything else that goes to make up the theater. The electric wiring and fixtures are of the very latest and also harmonize with other features of the theater. The theater is acoustically arranged to provide for every contingency.
Other Features of Building
Beneath the theater there will be a billiard parlor and bowling alleys which are built in foundations of steel and which are adjustable and of the latest type permitting wear and sagging to be easily taken care of. They are being installed by W. F. Bleck & Company of Chicago, The ceiling in the bowling alley, as well as all walls, have been so arranged that no noises whatever from the operating of the alleys will be observed in the theater proper. This has been guaranteed. The barber shop will likewise be beneath the theater and the same entrance will be used as that for the billiard parlor and bowling alleys. Two of the stories in the Dahl block are on either side lobby of the theater
Designed by Einer Dahl
The design of the entire building is a credit to Einar Dahl who superintended its design and construction. and by hard, faithful and untiring work brought to a realization the hope of the people of the west side. While the building and theater were designed by Einar Dahl the theater plans were revised by Architect Charles Augustine.
The Dah! Block was financed through H. L. Bullamore & Son, one of the oldest firms of its kind in the city of Kenosha and particularly through the efforts of H. L. Bullamore was it possible to complete the building.
It is claimed the Dahl block is the largest commercial building and has more floor space than any such building in the entire city of Kenosha.
BURGLARS AS ACTORS; ‘AUDIENCE’ IS VICTIM - Logan Square Theater Safe Is Robbed of $500 While Watchman Looks On, Believing “Show” a Rehearsal.
Five burglars staged a hold-up and safe robbery in the Logan Square theater, 2542 Milwaukee avenue, owned by John R. Thompson, early Sunday morning. The audience consisted of one man, Jackson Le Maire, night watchman. The audience was entertained - also robbed.
While making his rounds, Le Maire let himself in at the front door of the theater. He found the stage bright in the glare of the footlights. He noticed five men moving about on the stage. Three of them wore masks. “These actors are going to pull some Western stuff, I guess,” said the night watchman. The “rehearsal” progressed rapidly. The “actors” went through their parts as if they were letter perfect. Le Maire caught the drift of the “lines” from time to time. “I thought the safe was in the wings,” said one “actor,” who looked like Edwin Booth. “It’ll take me about two minutes to blow her wide open,” said another “artist” up stage, in a melodramatic whisper. ‘The soup’s all right tonight, kid, belleve me,“ said a third, whom Le Maire took to be the low comedian of the sketch. "There’s an old property safe in the right wing” mumbled Le Maire. “I don’t suppose they know where it is and I’ll go back and show them. Their little drama won’t be complete without it.” He strolled down the central aisle and mounted to the stage. “You’ve got a great sketch, boys,” he said genially. “I guess you need a safe for local color. I’ll show you where it is.” His kindly criticism was rudely interrupted. One of the “actors” - undoubtedly the heavy villain - caught him a clip under the chin which knocked him down. Before he recovered, the entire troupe of “Thespians” and tied him, hand and foot, with rope. Incidentally. they rifled his pockets of seventy-five cents.Then they found the safe - not the property one, but the real one - and blew it open with a charge of nitroglycerin. They secured $500 and escaped. Two hours later Le Maire wriggled from his bonds and reported the robbery to the Shakespeare Avenue police. “I don’t mind my loss of seventy-five cents.” said Le Maire. “The performance was worth it. Those fellows are artists. They ought to land on the big time. I only hope I’m the lucky man to 'book’ them.” (April 27, 1914)
I attended a THS tour of the COLONY in mid-1983 (which also included the PEOPLES and MARSHALL SQUARE). The plaster walls had just been sprayed Bakers White.
After exactly two years in Kenosha, Leonard M. Salvo, well known piano teacher of the city and popular organist at the Gateway theater, together with Mrs. Salvo, is returning to Chicago on Monday to make his future home.
All arrangements for the change have been completed. This week Mr. Salvo turned over his plano pupils to Miss Margaret Schmitt, popular music teacher, since both he and Miss Schmitt teach the Leschetisky system of piano study. Sunday will be his last uday at the theater.
In Chicago. Mr. Salvo will start work in about two weeks for the Essaness Theater Corporation, playing at the Chateau theater at Grand and Broadway on the north side. The theater is now being remodeled, re-decorated and sound installed and will be ready for re-opening in about two weeks,
Mr. Salvo was brought to Kenosha two years ago this month by the late Charles Mensing, at that time manager of the Gateway theater here, and he has been organist at the Gateway ever since, organising piano classes of his own.
Prior to coming here, he was organist at the Capitol theater in Chicago, and has a wide circle of friends both in Chicago ard Kenosha to wish him good luck in his new venture.
Jake J. Disch, formerly engaged in the theater business in Kenosha but for more than a quarter of a century in charge of theaters in Cudahy and Milwaukee, received recognition for his long years of service in the industry recently when he was presented with a twenty-five year service plaque at a meeting of prominent film and theater leaders of Wisconsin at the Schroeder hotel in Milwaukee.
Similar plaques were presented to several others, including Thomas Saxe, of Milwaukee, and widely known in Kenosha.
Jake J. Disch was engaged in the show business in Kenosha, prior to 1910, at which time he went to Cudahy. There he has continued directing what is now the Cudahy theater and has been markedly successful in development of that theater. (Kenosha News, 9/24/1938)
ZION, III. Even the “man of steel” couldn’t stop the spread of carbon monoxide Wednesday night at the Dunes Theater, 34th Street and Sheridan Road.
A showing of “Superman” was interrupted at 8 p.m. Wednesday when customers at the theater were overcome by carbon monoxide gas that filled the theater because the fresh air intakes on the building had been blocked.
Zion Police reported 23 movie-goers had complained of headaches and upset stomachs. A rescue squad was called to the scene. Customers were taken to American International Hospital in Zion and Victory Memorial in Waukegan. All were treated an released.
A police department spokesman said no Kenosha people were in the theater at the time of the incident.
The call to the fire department for a rescue squad was made by an employee at the theater. It is the second time in less than six months that movie-goers at the Dunes have been overcome by carbon monoxide.
On Nov. 14, 1978, 45 people were taken to local hospitals for exposure to the gas.
William Swager, Zion building and health inspector, said the theater will not be allowed to reopen until changes are made in the air intake system that will not allow it to be blocked off.
Swager said he has not issued any citations against the owner of the building.
The air intake vents are right next to the water-cooled air conditioning system, Swager said. In the winter, as the cold air passed over the pipes, the water usually froze.
He said the carbon monoxide filtered up through the building from the boiler.
A Madison consultant who specializes in breathing new life into faded downtown movie palaces thinks the Kenosha Theatre, 5913 Sixth Ave., is a good candidate for restoration. But before the curtain goes up, he said, local organizations may have to raise more than $1 million.
“This is a big one. And it’s gorgeous inside. But it needs a lot of work,” said Daniel Pierotti, whose firm, Daniel L. Pierotti & Co., is is currently renovating or developing performing arts centers in Minnesota, Milwaukee, and Peoria, III.
“The Kenosha Theatre has been sitting empty for years without heat,” he said. “It’s going to need a whole new roof,electrical system, and mechanicals.”
Pierotti has been retained by the Citizens Group for the Kenosha Theatre, an organization of downtown business owners and other interested people, to conduct feasibility studies on the renovation. He spoke Thursday night at a fundraiser for the group at the Holiday Inn.
In an interview before the meeting. Pierotti said he envisions the Kenosha Theatre as a regional performing arts center serving Kenosha, Walworth and Racine counties as well as Lake and McHenry counties in Illinois. Following the pattern set by renovated theaters in other cities, he foresees the Kenosha Theatre booking a variety of touring shows - “from Chinese acrobats to Itzhak Perlman,” he said as well as local concerts, meetings and movie festivals.
Since the theater was constructed in the 1920s for both live performances and movies, he said, it would cost less to renovate than some of the other projects he has overseen.
If the Citizens Group can raise Pierotti’s $60,000 fee, he will conduct feasibility studies on the costs of renovation and marketing surveys to determine the demand for theatrical productions in this area.
“Your only competition will be in Woodstock, III. and Alpine Valley, and Alpine Valley is open only in the summer,” he said.
But before renovation can start, the Citizens Group must raise an enormous amount of money, perhaps in the millions. Pierotti’s firm will lead the fundraising effort, seeking corporate and private donations. But before they start, the Baas family, which bought the theatre building in 1983, must transfer ownership over to a nonprofit corporation.
The Baas family will retain the apartments and storefronts facing Sixth Avenue, he said, which are actually in a separate building from the massive theatre behind.
Pierotti said he would hire Architect Dan Coffey, who led the renovation of the Chicago Theatre last year, to renovate the Kenosha Theatre. In addition to replacing the roof, he said, workers would have to rebuild much of the ornate plasterwork inside the theatre.
“It’s very ornate, very elaborate, kind of an Italianate/Moorish design,” he said. But moisture and cold have taken their toll on the horsehair-based plaster, he said, so workers would have to recreate it with modern, fiberglass-based plaster instead. Still, Pierotti is optimistic about the renovation.
“My feeling is, with Kenosha’s kind of upbeat atmosphere, there will be a market for this kind of theater,” he said. “As you know, the yuppies are creeping into town.”
A speeding northbound CTA bus approaching the Halsted/ 35th Street intersection crossed into the southbound lanes, jumped the curb and rammed a doorway at the Ramova, breaking a piece of its ornamental arch. Co-owner Tyler Nevius said the Ramova will conduct business as normal as he ensures there’s no structural damage. The landmarks commission just approved a landmark designation for the Ramova, pending the expected city council approval in July. “It’s crazy,” Nevius said. “We’re given landmark status, and had a city bus run into us right after.” Last week, the Ramova was part of the city’s Blues Fest.
The facade of the newly-reopened Ramova Grill was damaged in a massive June 10 crash where broken concrete and glass was strewn for two blocks. A northbound #8 CTA bus hit several vehicles along south Halsted Street near 35th Street. Six cars were smashed; five people were hospitalized; several street signs were flattened.
The Marshall Square Theatre was still screening motion pictures in 1984. The manager, a Mr. Miranda, hosted a Theatre Historical Society tour that year.
INDUSTRY PROFILE - Chicago Showman Nathan Joseph Observes 46th Year in Industry
CHICAGO - In this day and age, when the progress of time brings about vast and decided changes, Nathan Joseph’s long stand at the States Theatre presents an interesting picture. Approaching his 77th birthday, Jos eph goes about his business just as he has all his working life. He spends between seven and nine hours daily seven days a week at his own southside theatre, the States, which is open 12 hours a day.
While the States is by no means a first run house and is located in a neighborhood which has long ago seen its best days, this veteran showman knows the magic touch needed to keep the theatre a sound property. Those associated with Joseph are quick to express their admiration for him. His stamina and business ability are a continuous source of amazement. His staff, incidentally, forms quite an important segment in continuous service alone. Walter McCoy, the day man, has been with the States for 42 consecutive years. One of the two projectionists, George McCree, has been with Joseph at the States for 32 years. One of three cashiers has established a record of 21 years, and David Avery, Joseph’s assistant, has been with the States for 16 years. Joseph has been associated with theatres as an owner or on a partnership basis since 1910. In the early days of motion pictures he became an exhibitor as a partner with his father-in-law, the late Frank Salkin. Their first theatre, the Paragon, was a far cry from present day houses: it was a small one-aisle theatre, located at 51st street and Prairie Avenue in a neighborhood which at that time possessed considerable affluence and glamor. In 1912, Joseph built and opened the Lincoln Theatre at 31st and State streets. He has also been associated with the Vendome, Franklin, Speedway, Owl and Panorama. The States and Owl are the only theatres in this group still in existence.
While the Allied organization does the buying for the States, and Irwin S. Joseph, a son, is the booker, all booking is done under Nathan’s supervision and with the bulk of the films set at his recommendation.
“Due to the drastic changes in population in the area,” said Joseph, “my patrons aren’t exactly the type to concern themselves with proper social amenities and life’s niceties. Hence, operating the States has a problem or two.” He added, however, that despite the odds, he has a minimum of trouble in coping with the disadvantages and he likes his little niche. Nathan actually only recalls one disturbance in 30 years. “I quelled the molester,” he stated, “and can’t say that I’ve encountered any other real trouble.” Besides the States Theatre, Joseph has two other hobbies - his two grandchildren, Frank and Judith Joseph. He and his wife Martha are celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. Expressing gratefulness for his good health, Joseph declared that he feels he is only in the middle of his career and that currently he has no thoughts about retiring.
THEATER INVESTS $3,000 IN SEATS - Extensive Modernization Nears Completion - With the Installation of new modernistic cushion seats, valued at more than $3,000, the Himmler Theater is bringing to a conclusion a program of extensive modernisation which began over a year ago. The new seats, designed by a famous designer, have velour-backs in red and black with leather cushioned seats. They are trimmed in chromium. The standards at each end of the aisle are in red and chromium with a miniature of Venetian blinds on each one.
Also installed are new wall-lights of streamline design with silver trim. The new lights reflect rainbow colors. Other recent improvements are a brilliant marquee, enlarged screen and new projector. About one year ago, Western Electric Wide-Range Sound, believed to be the most advanced type of sound equipment, was installed. According to a statement by the management yesterday, the new program of Improvement is designed to make the Himmler Theater one of the most modern with regard to sight, sound and comfort. The feature attraction for today and tomorrow will be a return engagement of “Wee Willie Winkie,” starring Shirley Temple, Victor McLaglen, and C. Aubrey Smith. (Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, April 25, 1938)
Wisconsin Historical Society Acquires Al. Ringling Theatre
Historic Baraboo theatre will become an extension of the Society’s Circus World operations and continue to serve as a home for the local and regional arts
Madison, WI-The Wisconsin Historical Society will acquire the Al. Ringling Theatre in Baraboo, Wis., after working with the Al. Ringling Theatre Friends, Inc., to secure $3.07 million from community donors to ensure the long-term future of the beloved regional theatre. The 700-seat theatre was built in 1915 by Al Ringling, co-founder with his brothers of the world-renowned Ringling Brothers Circus, and designed in the opulent style of grand French opera houses. Ringling built the theatre for the Baraboo community in a show of appreciation for the town that the Ringling Brothers called home and the original site of the Ringling Bros. Circus winter quarters. Through the years, the theatre has hosted national touring companies, vaudeville, motion pictures and more, bringing performing arts and culture to Baraboo and the greater South-Central Wisconsin region.
“The Al. Ringling Theatre is one of the first examples of opulent design applied to the moving picture theatre in this country and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in May 1976,” said Christian Overland, the Ruth & Hartley Barker Director and CEO of the Wisconsin Historical Society. “It is an architectural masterpiece that puts Wisconsin within the broader context of the history of the United States. Acquiring the Al. to operate with the rest of the Society’s historic sites is a natural tie to our mission of connecting people to history by sharing stories and serving communities throughout our great state. We are grateful for the incredible support from the people of Baraboo-a place that is rich with history and a community where the Society has strong roots already with Circus World.”
Discussions for a change in ownership began in July 2022. The Society completed a feasibility study in February 2023 and outlined a potential model in which the theatre would become an extension of Circus World operations, which is one of 12 historic sites in the Society’s portfolio. The plan required $3.07 million in private support for facility improvements, transition costs and an operating endowment. That fundraising goal was met earlier this month and the endowment funds will be held by the Community Foundation of South Central Wisconsin.
“We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the Baraboo community members who stepped up to ensure the legacy of Al Ringling’s gift to this town can live for generations to come,” said Charlene Flygt, president of Al. Ringling Theatre Friends, Inc.
The Society’s Board of Curator’s voted to approve the theater acquisition on March 15, 2024. Programming is expected to ramp up slowly to ensure a sustainable transition and a technical director will be hired to oversee onsite operations.
Here is the new Mont Clare moving picture theater, now under construction at the southeast corner of Grand and Neva avenues. William P. Whitney is architect. Besides a 1,100 seat movie auditorium there will be seven stores and twenty-nine apartments. Now for a few words of comfort for those Chicagoans who think that a water tank on a roof is a work of art, especially when said tank is of the common variety, un-adorned by any outer covering. A careful look at the above will reveal that the Mont Clare is to have its water tank located so that it can be easily seen by all members of the Water Tank Lovers' League of America. Walter Simpson drew this picture.
Yesterday, the City Council finance committee once again extended the Fullerton/Milwaukee TIF district to help protect the Congress Theatre against the oncoming winter and easing the path toward its full $87.8 million restoration. Last year, Ald. Daniel LaSpata asked the commissioners to extend the TIF district to 1/1/2027.
December 3rd, 2024 marks 20 years since the Genesee Theatre reopened to the public after a 15-year closure. The 5-year $23 million renovation included a Broadway-sized stage and rigging system, the addition of 600 seats (1,799 to 2,403), a reproduction of the 1927 marquee with over 2,000 lights, new lighting and sound systems, and more. https://www.geneseetheatre.com
Even today, passersby along busy 52nd Street might imagine, if they squint a bit, the old Vogue Theatre alive again with several hundred school-age kids in line for a 1940s Saturday double-feature Western show, each clutching his or her ten-cent admission, and a harried staff struggling to keep up with the crush.
The Vogue Theatre was an unpretentious neighborhood theatre that never attempted to outdo the bigger, grander movie palaces downtown. It fulfilled its modest role in Kenosha’s entertainment scene until the change in national trends that sealed not only the Vogue’s late but that of thousands of similar neighborhood movie houses Across America.
In 1913, most movies were brief little novelties shown in converted storefronts with blackened windows and rows of benches seating perhaps 75 people, with a sheet for a screen. (One of the first of those in Kenosha was the Electric Theatre operated by Adolph Alfieri on north Seventh Avenue east of Union Park.) But in the early 20s the movies were eager for respectability, so real movie theatres were being built everywhere by recently-formed chains or by single entrepreneurs eager to cash in on America’s growing love for the ever-improving medium.
Walker Schlager ran several taverns in Kenosha with his wife Rose. But prohibition was on, and those who once sold or made liquor and beer were looking to invest in other ventures. (Racine’s Klinkert Brewery had just built the Butterfly (later Hollywood) Theatre in Kenosha at 4902 Seventh Avenue.)
In 1923, Kenosha’s operating film theatres included the Rhode Opera House, the new Orpheum, the Butterfly, the Burke (later Cameo) at 618 56th Street, the Majestic on Main Street, the Lincoln at 6923 14th Avenue, the Strand (later Norge, demolished 1982) at 5611 22nd Avenue, and the Columbia at 2220 63rd Street. (The Kenosha, Gateway and Roosevelt Theatres were still four years in the future.) But in a time when people were much less mobile and by far more apt to function mostly within their home neighbor hoods, Kenosha’s central city had no movie house of its own.
Schlager selected some long-vacant property at 1820 52nd Street and had well-known Kenosha architect Charles Augustine design a state-of-the-art theatre for the site. Augustine lived then with his wife Lillian at 7428 22nd Avenue; his designs include the Terrace Court Apartments, the West Branch Library, the old Barden Store and the Roosevelt Theatre.) Then Schlager signed on long-time contractor George Lindemann of 4724 Fifth Avenue to build his new Vogue Theatre.
Work continued throughout the summer of 1923 as passing motorists and passengers on the Grand Avenue line of the Kenosha Electric Railway monitored the theatre’s progress. The final touch was the installation of the vertical VOGUE sign, visible for over ten blocks in either direction, the clue the Vogue Theatre was ready, and in early September small teaser ads appeared in the papers. A full-page ad appeared at 6pm on the opening night of Saturday, September 15, 1923, at which manager Clarence Eschenberg welcomed present and future patrons with “This is your theatre.” Adult tickets were 25 cents and children paid a dime
The opening program was modest; the Kenosha premier of Ralph Ince’s horseracing yarn “Counterfeit Love,” an Our Gang comedy “The Cobbler, an Aesop’s Fables short subject, a Pathe Newsreel, and solos from the Vogue’s new two-manual Moller pipe organ which Schlager had obtained through the Salak Bros. Piano Co. of Racine.
Schlager announced that the Vogue was fully equipped for live stage acts, but that only films would play the theatre for the foreseeable future. (The Vogue’s lifelong policy of second, third and fourth-run films were indeed matched with occasional stage shows through the 1920s and into the ‘30s.)
No doubt there are people today who gaze at the long-silent theatre and imagine all sorts of architectural wonders within. But Charles Augustine had to work within a budget, and saved most of the ornament for the outer facade, most of which is still visible. The Vogue Theatre got a well-proportioned face-brick facade trimmed in cream terra cotta above colored Irish tiles at ground level in American neo-classic architectural style. Inside though, the economies were apparent - a tiny lobby leading to the auditorium, straight walls were relieved only by pilasters, panels of fabric, and shaded double-candle light sconces of plaster. The lower walls were trimmed to resemble stone. The decorator, Eugene Potente of 7302 14th Avenue selected shades of deep cream for the interior, so patrons would be “bathed in a sunshine glow.” The lofty ceiling gave a feeling of more spaciousness than there reallly was. Unusual cast-plaster ceiling fixtures were shaped like six-pointed stars with a bare bulb at each point and a large bulb in the center. They had to be relamped from the floor with an immensely long wooden pole.
Advertising puffery was common in the 1920s; a total of 650 seats were promised but photos show no more than 560 and of those, 52 were in a tiny balcony. The seats themselves had wooden backs and raiseable padded seat cushions, much like in junior high school auditoriums. It was a classic little theatre like thousands of others in American neighborhoods or in the downtowns of small towns - comfortable, plain but pleasant, with just enough ornament to avoid boredom. Still, when those odd bare-bulb overhead lights went out and the Vogue’s chain-driven arc projectors ground into life, some will argue that there was as much magic on that screen as in the classiest Times Square movie palaces.
For firstnighters on that inaugural Saturday evening a century ago, it would be the Vogue’s finest hour.
Crusader closes X-rated movie (May 3, 1979)
LOVES PARK. II. (AP) - An X-rated theater that a city anti-obscenity ordinance, legal maneuvers and attacks by church and parents groups could not close, finally has had to toss in the towel.
The building was sold out from under the movie house by a crusading real estate man who tracked down the owner.
But Linda Miller, 35, the operator. said Wednesday that the people of Loves Park have not heard the last of her.
She said she has a book full of names of persons who belonged to her Park Adult Motion Picture Club - “names of ministers, judges, attorneys, police officers, doctors, people who wanted me to get out.” she said. “And they are not just names of local persons.” Asked if she were going to release some of the more prominent names, or if she plans to go to court to try to stay open, she said “no comment but I have called a news conference for Thursday (today).”
Keith Iverson, a real estate man with strong religious convictions, says he spent years trying to search out the owner of the quonset hut-type building that seats about 650 persons. He recently found that it was in a Rockford trust and was being rented out to Miller and her truck-driver husband, Don, 40.
Iverson attributed the sale to “the Lord and the power of prayer.” “This is the start of Jesus and me and our venture to eliminate such places,” said Iverson after completing the sale. “I have a personal spiritual conviction to get rid of that theater and other businesses associated with pornography.”
(By MYRACYN ANICH, Freeman Correspondent) For the first time in over 50 years there are no films being shown in Mukwonago and the advertising boards are bare on the theater front.
One more of the nostalgic Institutions of a small town has gone. The Vista theater closed its doors on the showing of movies for the last time.
Owned and operated by one family since 1913, the decline in attendance and the illness of the widow of the last owner forced the demise of the long established business.
John Nowatake came to America in 1885 from Posen, Germany with his wife Albertina and six children. With a broad musical education, he had been a member of a military band.
After arriving in Mukwonago he purchased the large and well known Dillenbeck Hotel on Rochester St.
With the advent of silent pictures, a portion of the hotel, used for a bellroom, was converted into a small theater in 1913, and the musically adept sons of the owner were pressed into service as the orchestra to accompany the films.
The famly orchestra was known throughout the county for their ability and played at the many dances, festivals and masquerades held in the early days.
The orchestra consisted of Father John, who was proficient at many instruments, the violin, bass viol and bass horn. Son Paul Nowatske played the violin, Max the bass viol, Alfred the violin, Fred the saxophone and flute. The other members of the musical family were Emma, Elsie and Walter.
In recalling some of the early times, Fred Nowatske remembers he had the honor of selling the first ticket to a silent movie in the hotel theater, at 5 cents.
The films were not always accompanied by the full orchestra and usually Mrs. Mattie Hillier or Barry Clefton played the plano accompaniment. One of the songs best remembered as being used was “The End of a Perfect Day.”
In the early 1900s John Nowatake had a specially made orchestrion player piano installed, which in addition to the regular rolls played facsimile music of several instruments. The family orchestra played along with the mechanical music, producing the effect of a large and varied orchestra.
The hotel passed to son Paul Nowatske, and in 1927, half of the 130 foot long building was demolished to make room for the present theater building.
When the building was torn down and the basement for the new building being excavated, so much fill was needed that anything at hand was used. Some small part of the fill consisted of bowls and pitchers that had stood on the wash stands of the old hotel. These were thrown from the second story windows down into the hole below.
Since the beginning of the theater in 1927, films were obtained from the same source continuously to 1965, Film Service, inc. of Milwaukee, operated by Ray Trampe.
Besides showing films, until the death of the theater this month, the third generation of the family-operated enterprise, Walter Nowatski has used the building for weekly auctions for the past 15 years.
Sad and silent on Saturday nights, the theater building can still re-echo the whole long era of moviedom from 1913 to 1965.
The theater is being closed because of poor attendance and other family financial interests. The theater, which seats 400, will still be used for auctions. (October 1, 1965)
Milwaukee’s newest amusement center, the Venetian theater, located at Thirty-seventh and Center streels, is now open to the service of the public. It is one of the most modern and beautiful motion picture houses in the city. Built at a cost of over $500,000 it gives to the Northwest side an amusement house which is a credit to this populous and growing neighborhood. The Venetian theater is admirably named. Its architecture is of the Italian Renaissance period and its interior decorations bespeak the unsurpassing beauty of a summer night in ancient and romantic Venice.
Milwaukee’s newest theater is a tribute to the Universal Pictures, Inc., which owns it and the Milwaukee firms advertised on these pages, which had a part in its actual creation. It is a product of the combined efforts of expert craftsmen in stone, concrete, steel, lighting, ventilation and every other phase of the building art which is necessary to make up a complete, modern motion picture theater, which will give its patrons every comfort in a healthful and beautiful atmosphere.
The building is fireproof throughout. It is of the very newest de luxe type, with main floor and balcony seating 1600 persons. It has a 20 foot stage, permitting vaudeville performances and feature presentations in addition to the regular motion picture program.
The opalesque blue of a Venetian sky at dusk is represented on the arched ceiling and a special “cloud machine,” one of the few in the North-west, creates a soft cloud effect, while behind this screen of vapory light twinkling stars are created by still another device.
Along the walls are hung heavy wine-colored and blue drapes, that add an atmosphere of courtly splendor, and the walls are done in heavy panels, etched in gold. The auditorium itself is lighted by huge flood lamps, concealed in coves to give indirect reflecton and thus create a true night effect. Fresh air is drawn into the building by means of a special ventilating system, which also washes the air and changes it constantly.
Another feature of the theater is the inter- communicating telephone system which enables manager, projection machine operator, orchestra leader and ushers to keep in constant communication with one another.
In the basement will be two large rest rooms designed for the utmost comfort of patrons. The exterior of the building is done in buff terra cotta, making it one of the most beautiful buildings on the Northwest Side.
Over the sidewalk is suspended a huge canopy designed to offer adequate protection during inclement weather, and surrounding this is an electric sign which can be seen for blocks east and west along Center street.
One of the most attractive small theatres to be built recently is the 600-seat Towne, Fox Lake, Ill. The building is owned by Robert J. Bartelt, a real estate broker in this popular resort city whose winter population of 7,000 jumps to 20,000, or more, during the summer vacation season. It is leased by Robert Nelson Corporation, Libertyville, II. Architects were Sebes, Inc., Minne- apolis, and Kroehler Manufacturing Company supplied the all-mohair covered “Push-Back” chairs.
To the Hanna L. Teichert studios goes the credit for the Towne’s charming and unsual decor. A large black-light mural of the Chain-of-Lakes region sets off the lobby, which is of natural Indiana limestone, blood-striated plywood, and plaster decorated in forest green and watermelon.
Another striking touch is the installation of large flower boxes filled with tropical plants in the four corners of the auditorium. The leaves of these plants are painted with black-light paint, and are illuminated by special lights.
Every known convenience for patrons' comfort and enjoyment is provided at the Towne. There are free parking facilities, modern air conditioning, hearing aids, and the best in projection and sound equipment. The cry room in the rear of the auditorium permits a clear view of the screen, is fitted with individually-controlled speakers and ventilators, and is complete with a handy bottle warmer.
In the spotless restrooms, the walls are done in a new hometown product, “Glamour Tile”. This is the first theatre installation of the product, and the results are pleasing. The foyer Boot is also of antique-ish “Glamour Tile”.
For better vision in the rear of the house, the last 15 rows of “Push-Back” seats are staggered in accordance with a novel seating plan worked out by the Kroehler Company. The projection booth is but five feet above the floor of the lobby, an arrangement which has proved highly satisfactory.
The Towne has been expressly designed to meet the theatre needs of a small community, and in providing a friendly, inviting atmosphere with all the comfort, convenience, and technical excellence that modern equipment can supply, it has fulfilled these requirements well.
(Kenosha News, 12/ 21/1927) New Roosevelt Theater Opens Door Christmas - Splendid New West Side Play- house Completed and Open- ing is Announced.
Another beautiful new Kenosha theater, the first to be erected on the far west side of the city, will be opened to the public on Christmas day when Dahl’s Roosevelt Theater, located on Roosevelt Road at 29th Avenue, will give its initial performance beginning at noon. The theater opening will mark the completion and occupancy of the modern new Dahl block.
This block, costing approximately $450.000 to construct, was erected by the Dahl Construction Company, and the theater has been leased to the United Theaters Company, operators of the Butterfly, Vogue and Lincoln theaters in Kenosha.
Work on this splendid new building was begun last spring by the Dahl Company. The construction is of brick and concrete, with a beautiful face brick front. It accommodates, beside the theater, six stores, bowling alleys, barber shop, three business offices, dentist’s office and seven apartments entirely furnished. Four of the stores and the apartments on the second floor of the building have been finished for some time and are all occupied.
Equipment Magnificent
The magnificent Dahl’s Roosevelt theater will open equipped with furnishings and appointments that equal. if not surpass, the finest theaters in the city of Kenosha. The organ installed in the theater of Marr-Colton make is the largest and most costly in the city of Kenosha. The seats, capable of seating 1,000 persons, are of high grade and are so arranged and made as to insure the maximum of comfort and a splendid view of the stage from any part of the theater.
The equipment in the operators booth has been pronounced by those familiar with such equipment as even finer and more complete than that installed in the Kenosha high school building, which is conceded to have the best equipment in the city.
The stage, while not the largest in the city, is amply large and has equipment such as is rarely seen in theaters of its size, or even larger. The interior decorative scheme is an old Spanish egect, is most pleasing to the eye and is in harmony with everything else that goes to make up the theater. The electric wiring and fixtures are of the very latest and also harmonize with other features of the theater. The theater is acoustically arranged to provide for every contingency.
Other Features of Building
Beneath the theater there will be a billiard parlor and bowling alleys which are built in foundations of steel and which are adjustable and of the latest type permitting wear and sagging to be easily taken care of. They are being installed by W. F. Bleck & Company of Chicago, The ceiling in the bowling alley, as well as all walls, have been so arranged that no noises whatever from the operating of the alleys will be observed in the theater proper. This has been guaranteed. The barber shop will likewise be beneath the theater and the same entrance will be used as that for the billiard parlor and bowling alleys. Two of the stories in the Dahl block are on either side lobby of the theater
Designed by Einer Dahl
The design of the entire building is a credit to Einar Dahl who superintended its design and construction. and by hard, faithful and untiring work brought to a realization the hope of the people of the west side. While the building and theater were designed by Einar Dahl the theater plans were revised by Architect Charles Augustine.
The Dah! Block was financed through H. L. Bullamore & Son, one of the oldest firms of its kind in the city of Kenosha and particularly through the efforts of H. L. Bullamore was it possible to complete the building.
It is claimed the Dahl block is the largest commercial building and has more floor space than any such building in the entire city of Kenosha.
BURGLARS AS ACTORS; ‘AUDIENCE’ IS VICTIM - Logan Square Theater Safe Is Robbed of $500 While Watchman Looks On, Believing “Show” a Rehearsal.
Five burglars staged a hold-up and safe robbery in the Logan Square theater, 2542 Milwaukee avenue, owned by John R. Thompson, early Sunday morning. The audience consisted of one man, Jackson Le Maire, night watchman. The audience was entertained - also robbed.
While making his rounds, Le Maire let himself in at the front door of the theater. He found the stage bright in the glare of the footlights. He noticed five men moving about on the stage. Three of them wore masks. “These actors are going to pull some Western stuff, I guess,” said the night watchman. The “rehearsal” progressed rapidly. The “actors” went through their parts as if they were letter perfect. Le Maire caught the drift of the “lines” from time to time. “I thought the safe was in the wings,” said one “actor,” who looked like Edwin Booth. “It’ll take me about two minutes to blow her wide open,” said another “artist” up stage, in a melodramatic whisper. ‘The soup’s all right tonight, kid, belleve me,“ said a third, whom Le Maire took to be the low comedian of the sketch. "There’s an old property safe in the right wing” mumbled Le Maire. “I don’t suppose they know where it is and I’ll go back and show them. Their little drama won’t be complete without it.” He strolled down the central aisle and mounted to the stage. “You’ve got a great sketch, boys,” he said genially. “I guess you need a safe for local color. I’ll show you where it is.” His kindly criticism was rudely interrupted. One of the “actors” - undoubtedly the heavy villain - caught him a clip under the chin which knocked him down. Before he recovered, the entire troupe of “Thespians” and tied him, hand and foot, with rope. Incidentally. they rifled his pockets of seventy-five cents.Then they found the safe - not the property one, but the real one - and blew it open with a charge of nitroglycerin. They secured $500 and escaped. Two hours later Le Maire wriggled from his bonds and reported the robbery to the Shakespeare Avenue police. “I don’t mind my loss of seventy-five cents.” said Le Maire. “The performance was worth it. Those fellows are artists. They ought to land on the big time. I only hope I’m the lucky man to 'book’ them.” (April 27, 1914)
I attended a THS tour of the COLONY in mid-1983 (which also included the PEOPLES and MARSHALL SQUARE). The plaster walls had just been sprayed Bakers White.
Local Musician to Leave City (9-20-1930)
After exactly two years in Kenosha, Leonard M. Salvo, well known piano teacher of the city and popular organist at the Gateway theater, together with Mrs. Salvo, is returning to Chicago on Monday to make his future home.
All arrangements for the change have been completed. This week Mr. Salvo turned over his plano pupils to Miss Margaret Schmitt, popular music teacher, since both he and Miss Schmitt teach the Leschetisky system of piano study. Sunday will be his last uday at the theater.
In Chicago. Mr. Salvo will start work in about two weeks for the Essaness Theater Corporation, playing at the Chateau theater at Grand and Broadway on the north side. The theater is now being remodeled, re-decorated and sound installed and will be ready for re-opening in about two weeks,
Mr. Salvo was brought to Kenosha two years ago this month by the late Charles Mensing, at that time manager of the Gateway theater here, and he has been organist at the Gateway ever since, organising piano classes of his own.
Prior to coming here, he was organist at the Capitol theater in Chicago, and has a wide circle of friends both in Chicago ard Kenosha to wish him good luck in his new venture.
Movies Honor Jake J. Disch wer
Present Former Kenoshan with Plaque in Milwaukee
Jake J. Disch, formerly engaged in the theater business in Kenosha but for more than a quarter of a century in charge of theaters in Cudahy and Milwaukee, received recognition for his long years of service in the industry recently when he was presented with a twenty-five year service plaque at a meeting of prominent film and theater leaders of Wisconsin at the Schroeder hotel in Milwaukee.
Similar plaques were presented to several others, including Thomas Saxe, of Milwaukee, and widely known in Kenosha.
Jake J. Disch was engaged in the show business in Kenosha, prior to 1910, at which time he went to Cudahy. There he has continued directing what is now the Cudahy theater and has been markedly successful in development of that theater. (Kenosha News, 9/24/1938)
The feature picture “San Francisco Docks” was released in 1940.
Gas sickens moviegoers
By JOHN ANDREAS Staff Writer
ZION, III. Even the “man of steel” couldn’t stop the spread of carbon monoxide Wednesday night at the Dunes Theater, 34th Street and Sheridan Road.
A showing of “Superman” was interrupted at 8 p.m. Wednesday when customers at the theater were overcome by carbon monoxide gas that filled the theater because the fresh air intakes on the building had been blocked.
Zion Police reported 23 movie-goers had complained of headaches and upset stomachs. A rescue squad was called to the scene. Customers were taken to American International Hospital in Zion and Victory Memorial in Waukegan. All were treated an released.
A police department spokesman said no Kenosha people were in the theater at the time of the incident.
The call to the fire department for a rescue squad was made by an employee at the theater. It is the second time in less than six months that movie-goers at the Dunes have been overcome by carbon monoxide.
On Nov. 14, 1978, 45 people were taken to local hospitals for exposure to the gas.
William Swager, Zion building and health inspector, said the theater will not be allowed to reopen until changes are made in the air intake system that will not allow it to be blocked off.
Swager said he has not issued any citations against the owner of the building.
The air intake vents are right next to the water-cooled air conditioning system, Swager said. In the winter, as the cold air passed over the pipes, the water usually froze.
He said the carbon monoxide filtered up through the building from the boiler.
The Orpheum Theatre is being offered for sale. Call 262-220-7033 during business hours.
(9/6/1987) New future for theater?
By DANIEL FISHER Staff Writer
A Madison consultant who specializes in breathing new life into faded downtown movie palaces thinks the Kenosha Theatre, 5913 Sixth Ave., is a good candidate for restoration. But before the curtain goes up, he said, local organizations may have to raise more than $1 million.
“This is a big one. And it’s gorgeous inside. But it needs a lot of work,” said Daniel Pierotti, whose firm, Daniel L. Pierotti & Co., is is currently renovating or developing performing arts centers in Minnesota, Milwaukee, and Peoria, III.
“The Kenosha Theatre has been sitting empty for years without heat,” he said. “It’s going to need a whole new roof,electrical system, and mechanicals.”
Pierotti has been retained by the Citizens Group for the Kenosha Theatre, an organization of downtown business owners and other interested people, to conduct feasibility studies on the renovation. He spoke Thursday night at a fundraiser for the group at the Holiday Inn.
In an interview before the meeting. Pierotti said he envisions the Kenosha Theatre as a regional performing arts center serving Kenosha, Walworth and Racine counties as well as Lake and McHenry counties in Illinois. Following the pattern set by renovated theaters in other cities, he foresees the Kenosha Theatre booking a variety of touring shows - “from Chinese acrobats to Itzhak Perlman,” he said as well as local concerts, meetings and movie festivals.
Since the theater was constructed in the 1920s for both live performances and movies, he said, it would cost less to renovate than some of the other projects he has overseen.
If the Citizens Group can raise Pierotti’s $60,000 fee, he will conduct feasibility studies on the costs of renovation and marketing surveys to determine the demand for theatrical productions in this area.
“Your only competition will be in Woodstock, III. and Alpine Valley, and Alpine Valley is open only in the summer,” he said.
But before renovation can start, the Citizens Group must raise an enormous amount of money, perhaps in the millions. Pierotti’s firm will lead the fundraising effort, seeking corporate and private donations. But before they start, the Baas family, which bought the theatre building in 1983, must transfer ownership over to a nonprofit corporation.
The Baas family will retain the apartments and storefronts facing Sixth Avenue, he said, which are actually in a separate building from the massive theatre behind.
Pierotti said he would hire Architect Dan Coffey, who led the renovation of the Chicago Theatre last year, to renovate the Kenosha Theatre. In addition to replacing the roof, he said, workers would have to rebuild much of the ornate plasterwork inside the theatre.
“It’s very ornate, very elaborate, kind of an Italianate/Moorish design,” he said. But moisture and cold have taken their toll on the horsehair-based plaster, he said, so workers would have to recreate it with modern, fiberglass-based plaster instead. Still, Pierotti is optimistic about the renovation.
“My feeling is, with Kenosha’s kind of upbeat atmosphere, there will be a market for this kind of theater,” he said. “As you know, the yuppies are creeping into town.”
A speeding northbound CTA bus approaching the Halsted/ 35th Street intersection crossed into the southbound lanes, jumped the curb and rammed a doorway at the Ramova, breaking a piece of its ornamental arch. Co-owner Tyler Nevius said the Ramova will conduct business as normal as he ensures there’s no structural damage. The landmarks commission just approved a landmark designation for the Ramova, pending the expected city council approval in July. “It’s crazy,” Nevius said. “We’re given landmark status, and had a city bus run into us right after.” Last week, the Ramova was part of the city’s Blues Fest.
The facade of the newly-reopened Ramova Grill was damaged in a massive June 10 crash where broken concrete and glass was strewn for two blocks. A northbound #8 CTA bus hit several vehicles along south Halsted Street near 35th Street. Six cars were smashed; five people were hospitalized; several street signs were flattened.
The Marshall Square Theatre was still screening motion pictures in 1984. The manager, a Mr. Miranda, hosted a Theatre Historical Society tour that year.
INDUSTRY PROFILE - Chicago Showman Nathan Joseph Observes 46th Year in Industry
CHICAGO - In this day and age, when the progress of time brings about vast and decided changes, Nathan Joseph’s long stand at the States Theatre presents an interesting picture. Approaching his 77th birthday, Jos eph goes about his business just as he has all his working life. He spends between seven and nine hours daily seven days a week at his own southside theatre, the States, which is open 12 hours a day. While the States is by no means a first run house and is located in a neighborhood which has long ago seen its best days, this veteran showman knows the magic touch needed to keep the theatre a sound property. Those associated with Joseph are quick to express their admiration for him. His stamina and business ability are a continuous source of amazement. His staff, incidentally, forms quite an important segment in continuous service alone. Walter McCoy, the day man, has been with the States for 42 consecutive years. One of the two projectionists, George McCree, has been with Joseph at the States for 32 years. One of three cashiers has established a record of 21 years, and David Avery, Joseph’s assistant, has been with the States for 16 years. Joseph has been associated with theatres as an owner or on a partnership basis since 1910. In the early days of motion pictures he became an exhibitor as a partner with his father-in-law, the late Frank Salkin. Their first theatre, the Paragon, was a far cry from present day houses: it was a small one-aisle theatre, located at 51st street and Prairie Avenue in a neighborhood which at that time possessed considerable affluence and glamor. In 1912, Joseph built and opened the Lincoln Theatre at 31st and State streets. He has also been associated with the Vendome, Franklin, Speedway, Owl and Panorama. The States and Owl are the only theatres in this group still in existence. While the Allied organization does the buying for the States, and Irwin S. Joseph, a son, is the booker, all booking is done under Nathan’s supervision and with the bulk of the films set at his recommendation. “Due to the drastic changes in population in the area,” said Joseph, “my patrons aren’t exactly the type to concern themselves with proper social amenities and life’s niceties. Hence, operating the States has a problem or two.” He added, however, that despite the odds, he has a minimum of trouble in coping with the disadvantages and he likes his little niche. Nathan actually only recalls one disturbance in 30 years. “I quelled the molester,” he stated, “and can’t say that I’ve encountered any other real trouble.” Besides the States Theatre, Joseph has two other hobbies - his two grandchildren, Frank and Judith Joseph. He and his wife Martha are celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. Expressing gratefulness for his good health, Joseph declared that he feels he is only in the middle of his career and that currently he has no thoughts about retiring.
THEATER INVESTS $3,000 IN SEATS - Extensive Modernization Nears Completion - With the Installation of new modernistic cushion seats, valued at more than $3,000, the Himmler Theater is bringing to a conclusion a program of extensive modernisation which began over a year ago. The new seats, designed by a famous designer, have velour-backs in red and black with leather cushioned seats. They are trimmed in chromium. The standards at each end of the aisle are in red and chromium with a miniature of Venetian blinds on each one.
Also installed are new wall-lights of streamline design with silver trim. The new lights reflect rainbow colors. Other recent improvements are a brilliant marquee, enlarged screen and new projector. About one year ago, Western Electric Wide-Range Sound, believed to be the most advanced type of sound equipment, was installed. According to a statement by the management yesterday, the new program of Improvement is designed to make the Himmler Theater one of the most modern with regard to sight, sound and comfort. The feature attraction for today and tomorrow will be a return engagement of “Wee Willie Winkie,” starring Shirley Temple, Victor McLaglen, and C. Aubrey Smith. (Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, April 25, 1938)
There’s a glimpse of the Los Angeles theater at the beginning of “Duel” (1971).
Wisconsin Historical Society Acquires Al. Ringling Theatre
Historic Baraboo theatre will become an extension of the Society’s Circus World operations and continue to serve as a home for the local and regional arts
Madison, WI-The Wisconsin Historical Society will acquire the Al. Ringling Theatre in Baraboo, Wis., after working with the Al. Ringling Theatre Friends, Inc., to secure $3.07 million from community donors to ensure the long-term future of the beloved regional theatre. The 700-seat theatre was built in 1915 by Al Ringling, co-founder with his brothers of the world-renowned Ringling Brothers Circus, and designed in the opulent style of grand French opera houses. Ringling built the theatre for the Baraboo community in a show of appreciation for the town that the Ringling Brothers called home and the original site of the Ringling Bros. Circus winter quarters. Through the years, the theatre has hosted national touring companies, vaudeville, motion pictures and more, bringing performing arts and culture to Baraboo and the greater South-Central Wisconsin region.
“The Al. Ringling Theatre is one of the first examples of opulent design applied to the moving picture theatre in this country and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in May 1976,” said Christian Overland, the Ruth & Hartley Barker Director and CEO of the Wisconsin Historical Society. “It is an architectural masterpiece that puts Wisconsin within the broader context of the history of the United States. Acquiring the Al. to operate with the rest of the Society’s historic sites is a natural tie to our mission of connecting people to history by sharing stories and serving communities throughout our great state. We are grateful for the incredible support from the people of Baraboo-a place that is rich with history and a community where the Society has strong roots already with Circus World.”
Discussions for a change in ownership began in July 2022. The Society completed a feasibility study in February 2023 and outlined a potential model in which the theatre would become an extension of Circus World operations, which is one of 12 historic sites in the Society’s portfolio. The plan required $3.07 million in private support for facility improvements, transition costs and an operating endowment. That fundraising goal was met earlier this month and the endowment funds will be held by the Community Foundation of South Central Wisconsin.
“We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the Baraboo community members who stepped up to ensure the legacy of Al Ringling’s gift to this town can live for generations to come,” said Charlene Flygt, president of Al. Ringling Theatre Friends, Inc.
The Society’s Board of Curator’s voted to approve the theater acquisition on March 15, 2024. Programming is expected to ramp up slowly to ensure a sustainable transition and a technical director will be hired to oversee onsite operations.
Here is the new Mont Clare moving picture theater, now under construction at the southeast corner of Grand and Neva avenues. William P. Whitney is architect. Besides a 1,100 seat movie auditorium there will be seven stores and twenty-nine apartments. Now for a few words of comfort for those Chicagoans who think that a water tank on a roof is a work of art, especially when said tank is of the common variety, un-adorned by any outer covering. A careful look at the above will reveal that the Mont Clare is to have its water tank located so that it can be easily seen by all members of the Water Tank Lovers' League of America. Walter Simpson drew this picture.
I remember the Atlantic Restaurant in the Montclare Theatre Building. Its entrance was just east of the marquee.