This restaurant was located south of the drive-in on Harlem Ave. just north of North Avenue. It disappeared in the 60’s and was replaced by a bank and a Sears auto store.
That picture is of the northwest corner of Madison and Central, whereas the Austin Theater was on the southwest side of the street. The picture that is posted is of the Cinderella Ballroom and Bowling Alley building. In the 50’s, I used to go bowling and shoot pool there, and went to high school just up the street. I also saw the original Godzilla at the Austin, went several times, in fact.
This is the building at 5619 West Madison. Looks like a church has taken over the old space.
My sentiments exactly. It would appear that by giving it away, they are trying to avoid a potential liability issue and the attendant costs connected with disposal.
Yes, the ornate 1927 lobby was torn out then and has been demolished again. The new lobby will be the former section under the balcony, which has had its ceiling restored, as seen in this photo.
Targeted opening date for the new theater is in November 2005. Many original movie house items – including two chandeliers, a Barton organ and elegant balcony – remain, and Overture officials have been careful to maintain the theater’s vintage appearance.
Tattered and dusty curtains with loose tassels still hang from the theater stage’s proscenium arch to help designers recreate a similar-looking item with identical placement.
“It’ll be a new curtain,” said a representative for Overture Development Corp., “but it will be in keeping with the idea that we want the theater to have an old, familiar feel.”
The A&E series, “City Confidential” showcased Archer City in its 100th episode. The show centered around small-town crime and corruption, but also focused on the Royal. It has been lovingly restored as a Country & Western night club by Larry McMurtry, author of Lonesome Dove and other popular books. He also runs a book store in Archer City, which has helped it to become a sort of tourist mecca.
There was one in a strip mall in Justice, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. It went to porno and finally closed. I also remember newspaper ads touting the cinemas as a way to get into the movie business, utilizing 16mm films and equipment.
Hey, Bryan. Don’t wanna flame ya or anything. It’s just that I went to a lot of movies back then and would have loved to have had another theater to go to. The only other theater that hung on in Oak Park was the Southern over on Oak Park Ave and Harrison. Maybe that’s the one that the Historical Society is referring to.
Neat photo above. The tracks in the foreground belong to the Lake Street Elevated, which ran at ground level until 1964.
Growing up in the area,I attended many movies in Oak Park at the Lake and Lamar theaters from the late 40’s through the early 60’s and never were any films shown at this location during that time.
It probably stopped showing films much earlier than is indicated above.
I don’t want to start a flame war here, but I am white and my wife and I always shopped at the mall and never felt uncomfortable. I guess perception is reality, at least for some.
The Lil had its auditorium converted into warehouse space for the liquor retailer next door. A friend of mine who worked at the store took me in back to show what remained, which wasn’t much.
I went there quite often in the 50’s. The nicest thing about the Harlem were the in-car heaters. These allowed for wintertime movie viewing without keeping your car running to provide enough heat so the windows wouldn’t steam up.
When they were tearing down the theater to build a laundromat, the brick wall of the buidling standing on the east side was exposed. Obivously, it had been covered over during the Tiffin’s construction. Still painted on the wall and fresh in appearance was an ancient advertisement for Quaker Oats cereal, at only 5 cents a serving! Kinda neat.
Yes, gas pipes feeding exit signs were very common in theaters and other buildings even through the mid-20th century. The reason being was that if the electricity were to fail, the gas lights would still illuminate the exits in an emergency. Nowadays, back up emergency light systems work with a battery circuit to continue the lighting in case of power failures.
The new Chicago customers to whom you allude, might they be of the minority persuasion? These are the kind of biased unsubstantiated remarks that don’t belong on this board.
Yes, there was an Elm theater in Elmwood Park. It was located on the north side of Grand Avenue near the Milwaukee Road RR tracks. It was converted to an Armenettis Liquor store in the late 50’s I believe.
Odd note. I was watching “My Favorite Year” (1982) on AMC today and in one scene, supposedly on Broadway in New York, they pass a movie theater called the “Music Box.” The film was primarily shot in New York, but I cannot find any reference to a Music Box Theater in New York on this site.
It’s possible that this was a set on the backlot of a Hollywood studio. Any one know?
I drove by today and saw that the theater building is not demolished, but rather is being rehabbed, probably for retail. One can see the spaces in the front where the playbills were displayed.
For years, it has been used for storage, and the front always looked like a theater, with the ticket booth covered with metal.
Yes, it is a beautiful place and needs to be reopened. Just a minor correction, tho. I also lived in the neighborhood for many years, and attended St. Pascal (no h) church at the corner of Irving Park and Melvina.
I worked around the corner on Madison St. in the late 60’s and remember that this theater had gone to Spanish-language features by then. I even took in a Mexican vampire flick there once. Fun is fun, no matter what the language.
This restaurant was located south of the drive-in on Harlem Ave. just north of North Avenue. It disappeared in the 60’s and was replaced by a bank and a Sears auto store.
That picture is of the northwest corner of Madison and Central, whereas the Austin Theater was on the southwest side of the street. The picture that is posted is of the Cinderella Ballroom and Bowling Alley building. In the 50’s, I used to go bowling and shoot pool there, and went to high school just up the street. I also saw the original Godzilla at the Austin, went several times, in fact.
This is the building at 5619 West Madison. Looks like a church has taken over the old space.
View link
My sentiments exactly. It would appear that by giving it away, they are trying to avoid a potential liability issue and the attendant costs connected with disposal.
Yes, the ornate 1927 lobby was torn out then and has been demolished again. The new lobby will be the former section under the balcony, which has had its ceiling restored, as seen in this photo.
View link
Targeted opening date for the new theater is in November 2005. Many original movie house items – including two chandeliers, a Barton organ and elegant balcony – remain, and Overture officials have been careful to maintain the theater’s vintage appearance.
Tattered and dusty curtains with loose tassels still hang from the theater stage’s proscenium arch to help designers recreate a similar-looking item with identical placement.
“It’ll be a new curtain,” said a representative for Overture Development Corp., “but it will be in keeping with the idea that we want the theater to have an old, familiar feel.”
The A&E series, “City Confidential” showcased Archer City in its 100th episode. The show centered around small-town crime and corruption, but also focused on the Royal. It has been lovingly restored as a Country & Western night club by Larry McMurtry, author of Lonesome Dove and other popular books. He also runs a book store in Archer City, which has helped it to become a sort of tourist mecca.
Of course, everyone wants to see the Royal.
Thanks for the pic. The street didn’t look all that different in the 50’s, but the theater had a standard type of marquee as opposed to the one shown.
There was one in a strip mall in Justice, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. It went to porno and finally closed. I also remember newspaper ads touting the cinemas as a way to get into the movie business, utilizing 16mm films and equipment.
The Orpheum reopened Friday, January 28, 2005. The fire damage has been repaired.
Movies are being screened again and the restaurant in the lobby is doing business. Great place for lunch, which I have there at least twice a week.
Hey, Bryan. Don’t wanna flame ya or anything. It’s just that I went to a lot of movies back then and would have loved to have had another theater to go to. The only other theater that hung on in Oak Park was the Southern over on Oak Park Ave and Harrison. Maybe that’s the one that the Historical Society is referring to.
Neat photo above. The tracks in the foreground belong to the Lake Street Elevated, which ran at ground level until 1964.
Growing up in the area,I attended many movies in Oak Park at the Lake and Lamar theaters from the late 40’s through the early 60’s and never were any films shown at this location during that time.
It probably stopped showing films much earlier than is indicated above.
I don’t want to start a flame war here, but I am white and my wife and I always shopped at the mall and never felt uncomfortable. I guess perception is reality, at least for some.
Peace.
Trolleyguy
This was a nice place to take a date in the 50’s. Clean and comfortable. Now, a McDonald’s stands on the spot.
The Lil had its auditorium converted into warehouse space for the liquor retailer next door. A friend of mine who worked at the store took me in back to show what remained, which wasn’t much.
I show the address as 11053 S. Michigan and seating capacity at 774.
I went there quite often in the 50’s. The nicest thing about the Harlem were the in-car heaters. These allowed for wintertime movie viewing without keeping your car running to provide enough heat so the windows wouldn’t steam up.
When they were tearing down the theater to build a laundromat, the brick wall of the buidling standing on the east side was exposed. Obivously, it had been covered over during the Tiffin’s construction. Still painted on the wall and fresh in appearance was an ancient advertisement for Quaker Oats cereal, at only 5 cents a serving! Kinda neat.
Yes, gas pipes feeding exit signs were very common in theaters and other buildings even through the mid-20th century. The reason being was that if the electricity were to fail, the gas lights would still illuminate the exits in an emergency. Nowadays, back up emergency light systems work with a battery circuit to continue the lighting in case of power failures.
The new Chicago customers to whom you allude, might they be of the minority persuasion? These are the kind of biased unsubstantiated remarks that don’t belong on this board.
Yes, there was an Elm theater in Elmwood Park. It was located on the north side of Grand Avenue near the Milwaukee Road RR tracks. It was converted to an Armenettis Liquor store in the late 50’s I believe.
Odd note. I was watching “My Favorite Year” (1982) on AMC today and in one scene, supposedly on Broadway in New York, they pass a movie theater called the “Music Box.” The film was primarily shot in New York, but I cannot find any reference to a Music Box Theater in New York on this site.
It’s possible that this was a set on the backlot of a Hollywood studio. Any one know?
Thanks.
The Iris still is in existence as a church.
The theater has now been converted into a retail shoe store. Nothing remains to indicate it ever was a theater.
I drove by today and saw that the theater building is not demolished, but rather is being rehabbed, probably for retail. One can see the spaces in the front where the playbills were displayed.
For years, it has been used for storage, and the front always looked like a theater, with the ticket booth covered with metal.
Yes, it is a beautiful place and needs to be reopened. Just a minor correction, tho. I also lived in the neighborhood for many years, and attended St. Pascal (no h) church at the corner of Irving Park and Melvina.
Peace
I worked around the corner on Madison St. in the late 60’s and remember that this theater had gone to Spanish-language features by then. I even took in a Mexican vampire flick there once. Fun is fun, no matter what the language.