Hawthorn Theaters
295 Center Drive,
Vernon Hills,
IL
60061
295 Center Drive,
Vernon Hills,
IL
60061
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And the decor was brown and maroon. Lots of dark red, the curtains in particular.
The big theater in the building was cinema 1, on the west side of the building. It was pretty big. I’d guess more than 500 seats. The two middle theaters were real boxy rectangles – nothing special at all. The theater on the east side of the building wasn’t, as I recall, as large as the left-side theater, but it was an ok showplace. I will say that sometimes the sound from the theaters on the other side of the walls drifted over. The screens also had curtains that opened and closed before every show.
And Poltergeist. Can’t forget that. Many a time did I meet friends here. It was definitely a place to be. It had a really long concession stand that covered almost the whole front foyer. There was also a small video game arcade on the west side of the foyer.
Saw so many great films here. Alien, E.T., 1941, Return of the Jedi on opening day, Temple of Doom, Ordinary People, Twilight Zone: The Movie… even Battlestar Galactica in sensurround!
The Hawthorn and Fox Valley opened simultaneously on December 18, 1977. They closed in July 1998.
Here is a July 1982 ad from the Daily Herald:
http://tinyurl.com/r48p5r
This was one of at least four 1970s multi-screen theaters designed for Plitt Theatres by the Chicago architectural firm of Finck, Stowell & Frolichstein. The others were:
Cherryvale Mall Cinema, Rockford, Illinois.
Orland Square Cinemas, Orland Park, Illinois.
Fox Valley Theatres, Aurora, Illinois.
Wait, I just remembered seeing Star Wars at this theater on Christmas night 1977 with my family.
Wow! How times change. I went on countless dates to this theater starting in 1980 (The Blues Brothers) and into the mid 80’s and now, it’s gone.