Road Theatre
3723 W. Roosevelt Road,
Chicago,
IL
60624
1 person favorited this theater
Additional Info
Firms: Oman & Lilienthal
Styles: Art Deco
Previous Names: Independence Theatre
Nearby Theaters
This North Lawndale neighborhood theatre could seat 608, and opened in 1912. It was located on Roosevelt Road (then still called W. 12th Street), between Independence Boulevard and S. Lawndale Avenue (though it actually was closer to S. Lawndale Avenue, it was named after the grander Independence Boulevard).
The Independence Theatre was remodeled in an Art Deco style and renamed the Road Theatre in 1938. It remained in operation until closing in 1951. It was razed during the 1960’s. A gas station is on the site today.
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
The Independence was renamed the Road Theatre in the late 30s, and operated well into the 40’s, according to Beatrice Shapiro’s book on the Lawndale community.
Here is the Road Theater in 1938:
http://tinyurl.com/c97o69
The bottom photo on this page of Boxoffice for January 7, 1939, has a photo of the Road Theatre auditorium, in which 608 new seats from the Ideal Seating Company had recently been installed.
This was designed by Chicago architects Oman & Lilienthal