Oakley Theater

roadside57 on July 2, 2004 at 10:59 pm

Hello,

The Oakley Theater was destroyed by a gas line explosion and fire in the early morning hours of August 31, 1953, as Chicago experienced one of the worst heat waves on record. Debris from the explosion rained down on the block bounded by Chicago Avenue, Oakley Blvd., Western Ave. and Rice Street. Because this occurred around 2 a.m., the only casualty was a shoemaker sleeping in the back of his shop on Chicago Avenue, who was killed when part of the Oakley fell through his roof.

When the sun rose on the 31st, only the theater facade and marquee were recognizable, with the front of the marquee resting in the gutter along Chicago Avenue for several days. The lot stood vacant until early 1957, when a new National supermarket was opened at 2320 W. Chicago. This store lasted until the mid-1970’s, when it was demolished and replaced by a Burger King which is still in operation.

I don’t know what theater building the Ukrainian Institute converted, but it definitely wasn’t the old Oakley.

Regards,
Bill Wasik

Adoresixtyfour on May 24, 2007 at 11:53 am

The National that stood on the site of the Oakley wasn’t merely “demolished”—it too burned down, just as its predecessor on that plot of land had in one of those spectacular blazes that everyone can see from miles away and that makes all the evening newscasts. After it was determined that the building was a total loss, it was torn down to make way for the Burger King.

rclehmann on January 7, 2008 at 3:15 am

As a child, I can remember visiting my Aunt and Grandmother who lived in a garden apartment at 2332 W. Superior St., in Chicago. This was almost exactly one block South of the Oakley. My 87 year old mother still speaks glowingly of the place, as it was the only entertainment and escape from the grinding poverty of the Great Depression. In 1953, it was still a neighborhood of horse carts, and electric buses. I would, on occasion, walk up to Chicago Avenue and look at the Oakley, literally blown to bits by the gas explosion. The facade and marquee were laying sadly on the sidewalk and for some reason, cleaning up the site took a long time.

The neighborhood is immaculately kept today by it’s Ukrainian residents, and is known in Chicago slang as Uketown.

R.C. Lehmann Born 2/27/49 in Chicago, IL

kencmcintyre on December 5, 2008 at 6:26 pm

Here is part of an article from the Montana Independent Record dated 8/31/53:

Explosion Rocks Chicago Area; One Man Killed

Chicago â€" (AP) â€" An explosion rocked a west side neighborhood early Monday, killing one man and demolishing a 1,000-seat movie theater. The dead man was identified as Joseph Lochansky, the owner of a shoe shop adjoining the Oakley Theater. Cause of the blast was unknown.

Sections of several buildings on both sides of the theater were blown apart. At least nine cars parked in garages and the alley behind the theater were damaged. The blast shattered numerous windows in surrounding apartment buildings. A rear wall and roof of the theater were blown off. No immediate damage estimate was made.

Broan on January 17, 2016 at 8:55 pm

Here is a THSA photo of the Oakley’s clock marquee.