Maywood Outdoor Theatre
1947 5th Avenue,
River Grove,
IL
60171
1947 5th Avenue,
River Grove,
IL
60171
4 people
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Essaness Theaters Corp.
Architects: Benjamin H. Stein
Previous Names: North Avenue Outdoor Theatre
Nearby Theaters
Opened August 6, 1948, one of the earliest drive-in theatres in the Chicago suburbs, the North Avenue Outdoor Theatre was located on 5th Avenue at N. River Road in River Grove. It could accomodate 1,000 cars and was originally part of the Essaness circuit.
By the early-1960’s the North Avenue Outdoor Theatre had been renamed Maywood Outdoor Theatre. It operated until 1973 and was afterward demolished, the property acquired by Triton College.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
The drive-in was located in River Grove, not River Forest. It is now part of Triton College known as the Collins Center, which includes the Richard Burton Performing Arts Center.
I the 50’s and 60’s every winter the sign would say “Colsed for the Season, Reason, Freezin. Carol Ries
Approx. address for this drive-in was 1947 North 5th Avenue.
This opened on August 6th, 1948. Its grand opening ad in the photo section.
From what I could tell by going through the Chicago Tribune Online Archives, the final ad I was able to find for the North Avenue Outdoor appeared on Sunday, October 28, 1973. “Adult Triple Feature” was playing, including “What Do You Say to a Naked Lady?”, “Love in New York” and “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. The big marquee at the intersection of North Avenue and 5th Avenue remained for several years after the theater had closed, looking more and more ragged as time passed.