It is sad to see the current state of the Nortown, but it looks to be dead based on the pictures posted here. I saw a WTTW Chicago Tonight segment on the Uptown a few days ago and was inspired to track down information on the Nortown, and so here I am.
I grew up on the 6600 block of Campbell in the 50s and 60s and spent most of my free time in the Nortown and other north side movie palaces. It wasn’t very chancy for a 10 year old to ride public transportation alone to other north side locales or even to the Loop in those days. During one memorable Christmas break, when I was about 10, I attended the same matinee at the Nortown every day for a week, seeing a double bill of Rodan and Party Girl, the latter starring Robert Taylor and Lee J Cobb.
Although I had moved out of the neighborhood during the 70s I was back to visit the folks until my mother finally moved to the suburbs in 1992. The theater seemed to be transformed into something less attractive (and stranger on each visit.) There was a Church in there for a while, as someone else has posted.
In 1995, when my wife and I made one of our trips to Architectural Artifacts on Ravenswood, I walked in the door and was amazed at what I saw across the room. Even in a jumble of things that were piled on tables and randomly displayed I could see the remains of the Neptunic artifacts that had adorned the theater’s upper reaches â€" and I immediately knew what they were. There was no doubt in my mind, as I had spent hours staring at them while waiting for shows to start. My favorite icon was one of the available articles. And so I purchased the head of one of Poseidon’s seahorses. It is a fantastic plaster sculpture, was still then in excellent shape, and I now have a unique bit of artwork with a story behind it. The lights that had been mounted atop the light house towers high up above the theater floor were also available but were sadly too large for our house. The owner of the store had a large format paperback on America’s movie palaces on display, opened to a full page picture of the auditorium of the Nortown showing these artifacts (I have forgotten the name of the book.) He told me of the deplorable state of the Nortown’s interior and how he had stripped out the best of the remaining ornamentation.
The horse is visible in a picture displayed at View link If you look closely at the prow jutting out above and to the left of the exit doorway at the far left of the shot (and at about the midpoint of the left edge) you can see the head. For some reason I always contrived to sit on the aisle below the lantern hanging at that passage. I’ll post an image of the sea horse when I can find my camera.
Such is the sad state of affairs when these properties are no longer wanted because they are considered to be no longer useful and unattractive to the undiscriminating post-modern eye. Unfortunately the craftsmanship and artistic talent to reproduce such work is gone. With a few exceptions we will be left with pictures and memories. And a few of us will have some actual pieces of what was once magic in our lives. If anyone else out there had the opportunity to purchase or obtain some of the items that were salvaged share your story with the rest of us.
It is sad to see the current state of the Nortown, but it looks to be dead based on the pictures posted here. I saw a WTTW Chicago Tonight segment on the Uptown a few days ago and was inspired to track down information on the Nortown, and so here I am.
I grew up on the 6600 block of Campbell in the 50s and 60s and spent most of my free time in the Nortown and other north side movie palaces. It wasn’t very chancy for a 10 year old to ride public transportation alone to other north side locales or even to the Loop in those days. During one memorable Christmas break, when I was about 10, I attended the same matinee at the Nortown every day for a week, seeing a double bill of Rodan and Party Girl, the latter starring Robert Taylor and Lee J Cobb.
Although I had moved out of the neighborhood during the 70s I was back to visit the folks until my mother finally moved to the suburbs in 1992. The theater seemed to be transformed into something less attractive (and stranger on each visit.) There was a Church in there for a while, as someone else has posted.
In 1995, when my wife and I made one of our trips to Architectural Artifacts on Ravenswood, I walked in the door and was amazed at what I saw across the room. Even in a jumble of things that were piled on tables and randomly displayed I could see the remains of the Neptunic artifacts that had adorned the theater’s upper reaches â€" and I immediately knew what they were. There was no doubt in my mind, as I had spent hours staring at them while waiting for shows to start. My favorite icon was one of the available articles. And so I purchased the head of one of Poseidon’s seahorses. It is a fantastic plaster sculpture, was still then in excellent shape, and I now have a unique bit of artwork with a story behind it. The lights that had been mounted atop the light house towers high up above the theater floor were also available but were sadly too large for our house. The owner of the store had a large format paperback on America’s movie palaces on display, opened to a full page picture of the auditorium of the Nortown showing these artifacts (I have forgotten the name of the book.) He told me of the deplorable state of the Nortown’s interior and how he had stripped out the best of the remaining ornamentation.
The horse is visible in a picture displayed at View link If you look closely at the prow jutting out above and to the left of the exit doorway at the far left of the shot (and at about the midpoint of the left edge) you can see the head. For some reason I always contrived to sit on the aisle below the lantern hanging at that passage. I’ll post an image of the sea horse when I can find my camera.
Such is the sad state of affairs when these properties are no longer wanted because they are considered to be no longer useful and unattractive to the undiscriminating post-modern eye. Unfortunately the craftsmanship and artistic talent to reproduce such work is gone. With a few exceptions we will be left with pictures and memories. And a few of us will have some actual pieces of what was once magic in our lives. If anyone else out there had the opportunity to purchase or obtain some of the items that were salvaged share your story with the rest of us.