Garden Theater

3424 Main Street,
East Chicago, IN 46312

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Additional Info

Styles: Neo-Classical

Previous Names: New Garden Theater, Cine Garden

Nearby Theaters

Garden Theater

The old Garden was built in 1918 as a silent movie house and showed films for eight decades. But as the neighborhood began to change, the theater’s fortunes grew dim. After years of struggling, the Garden Theatre finally closed. The theater was sold, resold and finally auctioned off in 2000 to its current owners.

One of the owners, Pete Torres, is from East Chicago and had plans to twin the theater and show English and Spanish-language films. Ultimately, though, the cost of repairs would have reached $500,000, and, without support from the city or other sources, the project became unfeasible.

The building languished into 2001 and in January it was declared structurally unsafe by the East Chicago Board of Public Works. Sadly, the city never declared the building a landmark and it was demolished.

With the destruction of the Garden Theatre, the last movie palace in the East Chicago area has faded into the past.

Contributed by Ross Melnick

Recent comments (view all 5 comments)

Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois
Ret. AKC (NAC) CCC Bob Jensen, Manteno, Illinois on October 26, 2001 at 5:35 pm

Just to set things straight, East Chicago is really across the state line and is in Indiana.

Chris1982
Chris1982 on June 10, 2014 at 9:23 am

At one time East Chicago was known as Indiana Harbor, IN.

Denverpalace
Denverpalace on July 15, 2024 at 6:36 pm

The 1000-seat Garden Theatre stood at 3614 Main Street in the Indiana Harbor side of East Chicago, IN. It was built at a cost of $100,000 for James Piwaronas, a local grocer, by Indiana Harbor contractor James Johnston from plans drawn by Hammond, IN, architect George McClure (“Mac”) Turner. Construction started in May 1923 with a year-end target opening. The theater finally debuted July 24, 1924, seven months later than hoped. Piwaronas operated the theater until his death in 1979.

The Garden Theatre featured a $15,000 pipe organ, scientific ventilating and heating, lobby lights that were “a miniature replica of the fixtures used in the Chicago theater [and] decoration and ornamental work…copied from the various Balaban & Katz palaces of Chicago.” Decorator Supply Company of Chicago supplied ornamental work. Goldstein Decorators of Detroit installed the decorations.

Outside, a 25-foot sign illuminated the front as brightly as day. It had 30-inch-high letters. The building contained the theater, two stores and six offices.

The Garden Theatre re-launched December 6, 1929, with Vitaphone and Movietone talking pictures. The first offering was “Broadway Melody” with Bessie Love. From the mid-1950’s the showplace advertised as the New Garden Theatre. By 1981 it was the Cine Garden, presenting Spanish-language films.

waldopapnyk
waldopapnyk on August 4, 2024 at 4:42 pm

We got into the Garden looking for the organ in 1970. The interior was a very plain box with (I think) murals on the walls. The stage was filled with junk and no console was in view. A small organ chamber contained Barton chests and 4 or 5 ranks of pipes including a Bartolina metal tibia. The other chamber had early Barton electric percussions. I suspect the console was an early upright piano with a roll player, the whole thing being one step removed from a classic pit photoplayer. Sadly, I did not bring my camera that day.

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