Grand Theater
3433 W. North Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60647
3433 W. North Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60647
2 people
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Grand International Theater, Grand Playhouse
Nearby Theaters
This Humboldt Park neighborhood theater located on W. North Avenue at N. St. Louis Avenue originally had a Style E Wurlitzer theater organ. It opened in 1913.
In the mid-1960’s the theater went by the name of the Grand International for a brief time, showing Polish and Czech-language films. By 1968, it was renamed the Grand Playhouse, screening adult movies. When the Grand Theater closed in the mid-1970’s, it was showing Spanish-language films. The theater was demolished in the early-1980’s and the site remains an empty plot in 2018.
Contributed by
Ray Martinez
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Recent comments (view all 17 comments)
Here is a 1982 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/cquaar
Thanks for the picture of the Grand Theatre, and that’s exactly how I remember it, being so small. I believe there was a shoe store just west of the theatre and a soda show just east of it where they had the most delicous lime rickeys.
To enjoy a photo gallery of magnificient theaters, go to: chicagotribune.com/chicagotheaters
If anyone has any stories about going to/ working at this threatre in its adult days, I would love to hear them. I am chronicling the histories of adult theatres in the US. Please contact me at Thanks!
if ever there was a photo of dear old GRAND Theatre in its dying days that black & white one is it. of course i remember the ‘soda shop’ immdiately to its east with the delicious lime rickey drinks, it was run by the family of one of my grammar school classmates, and they sold buttered popcorn that was so over-drenched with topping that’d always oil stain my clothes yet i couldn’t resist
I was an usher there in 1962 – 1963. The soda shop next door was called the “slop shop” by the guys that hung out there. The actual name was Wisel’s sweet shop. The owners Joe and Sam lived in the apartments above the shop.
thank you Dennis
Thank you for the photo and comments. I remember going to the Sweet Shop for the most delicious Lime Aid or Lime Ricky drink. I believe it was made with seltzer water, and lime juice possibly, and then it had pieces of real lime on top, and it was so so refreshing. One time, in 1969, I took the pieces of lime into my mouth, and then I developed pretty bad cold sores, but I truly enjoyed the lime drink. There was a shoe store just west of the Sweet Shop, and my Mom would take us there too.
shoe store maybe at the corner w/ st louis
The Slop Shop. Do you remember the guy behind the counter? He looked like Groucho Marx. Great place for Cherry Cokes and Vanilla Cokes and Green Rivers. Do you remember the spinning racks in the middle filled with those plastic silly joke/toys? Buzzer shaking hands,flower that squirt water, fake puke,etc.?
Christmas Eve 1971 print ad added for Grand Playhouse, via ProQuest. Advertising: “Two 16mm FILMS”–“On Our Full Screen & Color!”