Des Plaines Theatre

There are some on the Revitalize Des Plaines facebook page. We’re working right down to the wire, but I’ll be sure to post some next week.

That was nothing. It was totally contained within the furnace room; I stopped in later that day and it was already vacuumed up. I wouldn’t have known anything had happened unless someone told me. Literally just a dirty furnace.

I remember going to the Des Plaines when I was a little kid. At the time it was a twin second run theatre. It was dark. It also had a strange shape (like all such conversions): graceful curve on one side, straight wall on the other. I remember a few plaster details covered with one color of paint. But that was the only vestige of the old days. If you can say anything about the 70’s & 80’s it is that twin conversions kept some of these places from being demolished long enough for alternative uses to arise.

I honestly didn’t think anything good was going to happen here, based on what I perceived to be the attitude of the owner. But it seems like better days may be ahead.

View link This blog post of mine should have pretty much whatever you want.

Work has begun to return the Des Plaines Theatre to a single screen.

Is this theatre torn down?

It is used on a rental basis.

This is the most recent article, from June. Haven’t heard a word about it since then. If someone else paid for it, I’m sure he’d let it be restored. But he also wouldn’t sign the forms to put it on the National Register of Historic Places that would allow it to qualify for tax credits and other incentives. I have no ill will towards the owner, and have always had a good rapport with him, but I’m not confident it will be substantially rehabilitated as long as he owns it.

It was divided in 1987. The theater was well-maintained through about 1999. Spotty since then.

It was installed in 1925 and is estimated to be about 16 ranks. It was removed and sold at a tax sale in the mid-1930s. Its whereabouts are unknown.

I remember fondly the Des Plaines theater growing up in the Chicago suburb during the 1940s. I still have memories of the Saturday afternoon matinees, featuring cowboy movies, serials and cartoons for a 9 cent admittance ticket and 10 cents for a box of popcorn. The theater often had specials for the local elementary classes and I can remember walking, as a member of the 1st grade at old North (Mrs. Nelson’s class) to the theater. My uncle treated me to a movie when visiting us in Des Plaines and he “allowed” me to jump into the orchestra pit in order to look for treasure. We were both reprimand by one of the ushers. Great memories.
John Gustafson, Rockford, Illinois

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Great pics too!