Austin Theater
5619 W. Madison Street,
Chicago,
IL
60644
5619 W. Madison Street,
Chicago,
IL
60644
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This theater opened in 1913, in the far west Austin neighborhood of Chicago for which it was named. The theater stood on Madison Street at Central Avenue, not far from Columbus Park.
Long closed as a movie theater, the Austin Theater today is home to Bethel Green Missionary Baptist Church.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
That picture is of the northwest corner of Madison and Central, whereas the Austin Theater was on the southwest side of the street. The picture that is posted is of the Cinderella Ballroom and Bowling Alley building. In the 50’s, I used to go bowling and shoot pool there, and went to high school just up the street. I also saw the original Godzilla at the Austin, went several times, in fact.
This is the building at 5619 West Madison. Looks like a church has taken over the old space.
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Cinderella bowling and Pool room were on the Northwest corner of
Madison and Central and that is what the picture is depicting.
to the right of the picture would be Central avenue and then the
Robert Emmett grammer school playground.
There was a Sherwood Forest Restaurant on the Southwest corner which
closed down in the Fifties; I remember it had a neon sign with one
of robinHoods men stirring a big Cauldron of vittles.
BillDeMar
I recall seeing a cheesy King Kong movie at the Austin in 1967 or 1968.
The church took over the abandoned Austin Theater in 1972. The front of the building has been stuccoed over, not much to make anyone think a theater was there.
http://tinyurl.com/5vtvb4
The Austin Theatre was listed at the above address in the 1919 Chicago Daily News Almanac and Yearbook, which has a copyright date of 1918, so this theater must date from the 1910s.
There is no stucco on the façade. all brick, though probably tot original.