Acadia Theatre

The Acadia Theater was located on 55th Street between Fairfield Ave. and California Ave. 2739 W. sounds right. In 1947 I entered first grade at St. Clare of Montefalco School at 55th and Washtenaw, one block east of the Acadia. Today the Church is active but the school closed many years ago. From 1949 through 1954 I went to the Acadia Theater with my pals every Saturday. Movies told us about history, current events, good guys, bad guys, no guys (cartoons), and what it’s like when a kid grows up. All movies were family movies. The Acadia showed recent films and ones made back to 1939. Films included Wizard of Oz, original Disney films, John Wayne films about the West and WWII, Casablanca, Shane, and Samson and Delilah. Many were about American heroes who did the right thing no matter what. They stimulated our imaginations and educated us. The Acadia, St. Clare’s, and the Gage Park neighborhood were an incredible and unforgettable experience for a kid.

The Acadia was a social experience found nowhere else. In the early 50’s my pals and I enjoyed tearing empty popcorn boxes into pieces and launching them with rubber bands through the light beam from the film projector. When our projectiles went through the beam, they lit up like shooting stars. They also lit up the ushers. During Saturday matinees, which were never attended by anyone over thirteen, the ushers had to keep order. Since an ever-increasing number of shooting stars would eventually end in general chaos, the ushers did their best to find the culprits shooting them. If caught, the culprits were ejected from the theater, something I fortunately never had to suffer.

This is a great photo of a Red Cross parade heading West toward Midway Airport along 55th Street at the corner with S. California Ave. Judging by the Red Cross flag at the head of the parade and the autos, it looks to have been taken during World War II circa 1943-1944. The Acadia Theater is in the upper left near the corner of 55th and Fairfield. The building facing in upper right is on the SE corner of 55th and California. In 1947 I entered First Grade at St. Clare School at 55th and Washtenaw, another block to the rear (east) of the Acadia and on the other (north) side of 55th.

In my earliest remembrance, a Walgreen’s Drug store was on the SE corner of 55th and California. Armstead’s Bakery is shown on the SW corner. In my earliest remembrance, Gage Liquors had moved one door west to the SW corner and Armstead’s moved east to two doors west of the Acadia. Gertie’s Ice Cream Parlor was between the Acadia and Armstead’s. Just east of Armstead’s was Stanley’s Meat Market, followed by the Keyser Store (women’s and children’s clothing), and then Walgreen’s. I believe the tall chimney in the background behind the Acadia was part of Gage Park Elementary School.

In 1951 during the Korean War President Truman fired Gen. Douglas McArthur as head of UN troops in Korea. McArthur took a “victory lap” around the US to close his career. He was deeply revered by the American people for his military accomplishments in the Pacific during WW II and the Korean War. As part of his farewell tour he flew into Midway Airport and then drove East along 55th to Michigan Ave and then north to the Loop where a ticker-tape parade awaited him. 55th Street was lined with people 4 deep along his route, including the same intersection in the photo.

After this theater closed, the building was furthered used as a Polish banquet hall in the 1970’s and early 1980’s. New photograph added with the view of the old theater and marque from 1952.

Opened in 1930 per Historic Movie Theatres in Illinois, 1883-1960 – Konrad Schiecke