Cine Theatre

The Cine Theatre was converted into the Boys' World clothing store.

I uploaded the July 1938 Owens-Illinois Glass Company image, in case the 2009 link goes dead.

September 9th, 1937 grand opening ad posted here.

Wow, I hadn’t realized this placed didn’t even make it twenty years.

Really? I thought I donated an old catalog to them about ten years ago that had some photos of the lobby and auditorium when new. Maybe I didn’t, which would mean it is up in my parents' attic. I visit them every month or two and will try and remember to look next time.

I was just looking at your photos B. It looks to me, going by the alley views, that the second story of the auditorium might still exist above the first floor stores. Do you have any insight on the matter?

The Cine' was built in 1937 and was one of Rapp & Rapp’s later designs. A theater at this location was a long time in coming; in 1928, plans to build a 1.5 million, 2,500 seat theater one block east, at the NE corner of Devon and Campbell, designed by JEO Pridmore as the first talkie-only in the city, for Sam Meyers. These plans probably eventually evolved into the Nortown. Fall 1936 brought a flurry of cinema activity to the area- A 1,200 seat theater was announced to be built directly north of the Nortown, Sam Meyers announced plans for the $200,000, 1,200 seat Cine' (initially, ‘Maple’, and later to have been named by contest) at Devon and Maplewood, and Balaban and Katz announced their intention to build a $200,000, 1,500 seat theater, designed by JEO Pridmore at the Devon-Campbell site. Those plans were abandoned a month later – after excavation had started – because of difficulty obtaining needed land by removing an alley (perhaps the reason why the Nortown was not built there), and B&K and Meyers decided to partner in the Cine'. It originally featured a large glass block rainbow light pylon as a vertical sign, since removed. Other features touted were indirect lighting, rainbow glass walls, a crystal grand staircase and full air conditioning; opening ads touded its' rich simplicity, modern comfort, and lounge-like seats. Also, ‘owing to poor subsoil conditions, the boiler room (was to be) placed over the lobby instead of beneath the theater’, and the original drawing shows the shops as a single-story building. It opened September 4, 1937. In 1942 B&K bought out Sam Meyers' portion of the lease. After only 15 years in operation, it closed in 1953, and was converted to the Turner Brothers clothing store. None of the original theater is visible inside the restaurant (although it is quite tasty). Also, here is the new address for the photo Bryan linked earlier.