Wow. Welcome news for downtown.
It’s a shame a new building had to be built though, when we had all those beautiful theaters sitting there vacant as recent as 25-30 years ago.
Maybe this facility could display some sort of tribute/photo gallery of what the old downtown theaters looked like back in their heyday.
Any ideas on the basis for the Dishman name?
Also, it’s funny to see the 1984 photo with the gun store sign on the side of the building. Since the Dishman blade itself actually looks like the barrel of a Glock.
It should be mentioned that in the link that CWalczak posted, there is another great website embedded within the readers comments section at the bottom of the article.
It includes some great pictures of the Granada and even it’s interior.
So be sure to read all the way down.
It seems there’s no mention in the article on what happened or why the non for profit effort failed. Though it seemed as recent as 2008 if I read correctly.
FYI. MSN Entertainment News posted a story that singer Amy Winehouse was charged this Wednesday in connection with an assault at a Milton Keynes Theater last Saturday.
MSN cited media reports that the altercation took place after she heckled a performance.
Though neither theater appears to currently have live performances.
Let’s hope she wasn’t heckling a movie.
I see that there are recent remakes of of St. Trinian’s films too.
I remember the original ones with Alistair Sim.
It would be a shame if they can’t make it. The closest competition is miles away. I’m guessing Webster Place. There’s no reason up to and including a poorly run place, that Piper’s Alley couldn’t stay in business. Wells Street still bustles with an eclectic crowd.
I can only guess that by running the older films, that that is their shot at being a revival house. Maybe they are unable to acquire or afford 1st run films or something.
Also this week all the old Second City alum were in town for it’s 50th.
So that may have had something to do with it. But that’s a stretch. If they had run “Home Alone”, “Strange Brew” or the like, I would see the connection.
It will be interesting to see what develops.
But if anyone who runs it is reading, get your hands on “Miracle On 34th Street”, “Scrooge”(1970 version) and whatever else you can dig up. Even the Pickwick is running “It’s a Wonderful Life”. For free no less.
FYI to all. The “Remembering Chicago” series is back in rotation on WTTW/PBS Channel 11 currently. Lots of glimpses of dowtown theatre footage from long ago. And references to the live shows that would follow the films at many.
Benny Goodman, Stooges, Les Brown etc.
I remember when this aired. It should be posted over on the Colonial/Iroquois page too.
I posted in Nov. 2008, a story of a woman who used to always walk around that site in “Widow’s Weeds”, when my grandmother was a child. Some type of mourning veils.
FYI. I’ve been perusing a June 3rd, 1965 Chicago Daily News.
It shows the LaGrange Theater located at 84 South LaGrange Road. Not 80 South as currently used.
I also just added a drive-in called the 66 Drive-In, located at Route 66 & LaGrange Rd. An intersection touched on in Gary Rickert’s May 31st 2007 post as Ogden(66) & LaGrange Rd.
And not mentioned by name or as a drive-in.
It’s possible the ownership was then the same, as they were both playing the same film “Circus World” starring John Wayne.
If that 66 Drive-In went by another name I hope the CT admins catch it. Cause I couldn’t find another one.
I’m looking at a June 3rd, 1965 Chicago Daily News that lists it’s name as only the “Palace Theatre, Randolph at LaSalle”. “My Fair Lady” is the film.So maybe “Palace” should be added as one of it’s former names.
This is a lttle off topic but not really. I toured the Sanfillipo Mansion near Barrington in 2005. Had I been up on my CT reading back then, I would have known to asked the more than gracious host to point out the various architectual gems saved from the Granada. There were numerous pipe organs, Victrola’s & kaliopies throughout. Even a fully equipped retro diner.
The grounds had an outbuilding that had a reconstructed 1890’s indoor fairgrounds with a working carousel from the era.
Their was white terra cotta stone work that adorned some of the building’s interior. So I wonder if that was some of it.
It was an all day affair celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Ford Thunderbird. They even allowed the number 50 to be spelled out on the sprawling lawn in parked Thunderbirds. Photographed from a helicopter no less.
Hauntingly, a playerless pipe organ that rose from a stage floor in the house gave us a concert at the end. We also toured the pipe organ mechanicals room. Like the Granada, it’s fascinating what men could build.
If it was fully renovated & updated as recently as 1999, it should be able to be kind of a turn key operation to start running films again. The official website at the top of this page still shows it owned by the same owners as the Rotunda Theatres.
Who are adverstising all first run at their other theaters on the same site.
If they still don’t own it, Why not rent it back to them for a low fee and show some of those first run films there also? It would keep it open and in the public eye. And also make it appear more viable to any investors who might be willing to take a chance on it.
Sitting empty (or filmless) just adds to the stigma. The only upside is it appears they still are doing open mic events with bands etc. If that information is as current as the other half of the page on their website.
Chicago and Evanston Illinois had a number of theatre’s that tried the revival house concept in the late 70's & early80’s. The Parkway, Varsity, Coronet, Music Box & others.
They would run different double features every day and/or every other day of old Sci-Fi, classic comedy’s, Hitchcock thrillers etc. Even midnight shows at some. Some had old cartoons & newreels deliberately added in for schtick.
They would print & place full color calenders in the Reader newspaper each week. With all the old taglines blazing across each page.
As someone else posted, the novelty crowds were there at first. And mind you this was also the era when the VCR & VHS rental was starting to go full steam.
It was great for just a few years. But eventually the theaters couldn’t hang on with only that. It seemed that was the last gasp for some of them.
The Varsity, Coronet & Park West for sure. The Music Box is still around, but is more of a true arthouse theater now. With occasional revival films and/or hometown premieres.
If there was a way to sell the movie tickets far in advance like stage plays & musicals, maybe someone could get a revival house to fly full time. But whose going to buy tickets to an old movie, and then remember to go on a regular basis?
Any idea as to what year the original Oriental style roof treatment was removed?
I bet there’s a lot of nice old brick work behind all those false facades.
Great story Tim. I still stay in touch with the former manager of the Carnegie during it’s heyday in the mid `70’s.
I’ve posted before that he called all the promotions the “Genius of Oscar Brotman”.
I’ve in the past informed him of CT’s existence and it’s importance in keeping these long lost gems alive.
I patiently await his finally adding the many insights and stories he has of Oscar Brotman.
As a courtesy, I have not named him until he submits to CT on his own.
I also have some recently found some pics of the Carnegie I will add when I can.
Yes maybe. But the ability to maximize the space in a completely new structure, built from the ground up has to be more doable than renovating an existing space.
Even if they were to keep the mutiple floors currently at the Esquire, how big could each shoebox be to be viable? Versus new shoeboxes that can be built to spec in an open floor plan of their own design?
I would think they’d need many mores screens with potentially different pictures playing on each to make it work.
I remember how big the auditorium was at the Esquire back when it was a one screen. I still don’t envision it as workable as a multi story building they can build from scratch.
As truly great as that scenario would be, I think the Muvico folks would probably consider the Esquire space too restrictive for what they’d want out of a new venture.
In comparison to the space downtown that they passed on. Which is considered by the city the “theater district”.
The Muvico out in the suburbs looks like a palace. Even with multiple screens inside of even a reconfigured Esquire, it likely wouldn’t be enough space to satisfy them, and without parking.
I’d think size wise McClurg Court would be more doable if they were even to entertain the idea of renovating an existing space, versus building a new facility to their own specs.
The Esquire probably seems like an arthouse in size to them.
The demographic on paper for movie goers around Oak St. probably wouldn’t be enough for them even if it included everyone on CT. Because sadly there are no other theaters left in the Rush St. area with/from which to even properly gauge theater foot traffic.
Plus I think they’d probably require massive parking access wherever they choose to go.
If Muvico did magically want the space, I’d fear they rip it down and build their own structure anyway.
I’m for saving the Esquire structure & facade no matter what ends up going in there.
Nice. As we learned here in Chicago, it was never about what the meters could earn. It’s about the tickets/fines that will be generated. Evidenced in the article’s “Master Plan” of the area being renamed a “commercial zone”.
That’s a way to structure the ticket fines to be higher in that “zone” than other zones. In Chicago it’s called “Central Business District”. Even though such areas includes massive residential clusters. Most living there long before the overdevelopment and the new applied “designation”.
They are $50 tickets…for a meter. Miss the payment deadline and it doubles. Amass three unpaid tickets (down from 5), and it’s the boot.
Oh, and they are 2 hour maximum. So seeing a movie and making it back to the car in time would be a stretch.
The fact that Hoboken’s parking manager already factored in they’d be 4 hour meters, implys they always expected to add them specifically around the theater. Guess that was a gift, or maybe a way to appease esidents who would be forced to use them too.
I wonder if the proposed meters were ever a factor in the minds of the theater’s developers beforehand? It’s kind of mentioned by one of the council members.
Theater tickets should be the only ones to worry about.
So how does closing them all at one time improve Redstone’s chances for an overall sale?
You’d think that having them up & running would make them appear more viable to buyers.
At least they could still sell off individually too stop whatever bleeding he thinks the whole chain is suffering. If that. Cutting their losses in such broad strokes just alienates everyone involved. All those people suddenly put out of work, when it can’t really be necessary.
If they are retaining some theaters, why not figure out why the under performing ones
are doing so, and adjust to remedy it.
Also contacting the local governing bodies of those individual towns affected couldn’t hurt.
To help get the ball rolling on possible theater conversions to cultural or performing arts centers.
Wow. Welcome news for downtown.
It’s a shame a new building had to be built though, when we had all those beautiful theaters sitting there vacant as recent as 25-30 years ago.
Maybe this facility could display some sort of tribute/photo gallery of what the old downtown theaters looked like back in their heyday.
Oh…duh, A.T. Dishman. Guess I should read ALL the past posts first.
Any ideas on the basis for the Dishman name?
Also, it’s funny to see the 1984 photo with the gun store sign on the side of the building. Since the Dishman blade itself actually looks like the barrel of a Glock.
It should be mentioned that in the link that CWalczak posted, there is another great website embedded within the readers comments section at the bottom of the article.
It includes some great pictures of the Granada and even it’s interior.
So be sure to read all the way down.
It seems there’s no mention in the article on what happened or why the non for profit effort failed. Though it seemed as recent as 2008 if I read correctly.
FYI. MSN Entertainment News posted a story that singer Amy Winehouse was charged this Wednesday in connection with an assault at a Milton Keynes Theater last Saturday.
MSN cited media reports that the altercation took place after she heckled a performance.
Though neither theater appears to currently have live performances.
Let’s hope she wasn’t heckling a movie.
I see that there are recent remakes of of St. Trinian’s films too.
I remember the original ones with Alistair Sim.
It would be a shame if they can’t make it. The closest competition is miles away. I’m guessing Webster Place. There’s no reason up to and including a poorly run place, that Piper’s Alley couldn’t stay in business. Wells Street still bustles with an eclectic crowd.
I can only guess that by running the older films, that that is their shot at being a revival house. Maybe they are unable to acquire or afford 1st run films or something.
Also this week all the old Second City alum were in town for it’s 50th.
So that may have had something to do with it. But that’s a stretch. If they had run “Home Alone”, “Strange Brew” or the like, I would see the connection.
It will be interesting to see what develops.
But if anyone who runs it is reading, get your hands on “Miracle On 34th Street”, “Scrooge”(1970 version) and whatever else you can dig up. Even the Pickwick is running “It’s a Wonderful Life”. For free no less.
FYI to all. The “Remembering Chicago” series is back in rotation on WTTW/PBS Channel 11 currently. Lots of glimpses of dowtown theatre footage from long ago. And references to the live shows that would follow the films at many.
Benny Goodman, Stooges, Les Brown etc.
I remember when this aired. It should be posted over on the Colonial/Iroquois page too.
I posted in Nov. 2008, a story of a woman who used to always walk around that site in “Widow’s Weeds”, when my grandmother was a child. Some type of mourning veils.
FYI. I’ve been perusing a June 3rd, 1965 Chicago Daily News.
It shows the LaGrange Theater located at 84 South LaGrange Road. Not 80 South as currently used.
I also just added a drive-in called the 66 Drive-In, located at Route 66 & LaGrange Rd. An intersection touched on in Gary Rickert’s May 31st 2007 post as Ogden(66) & LaGrange Rd.
And not mentioned by name or as a drive-in.
It’s possible the ownership was then the same, as they were both playing the same film “Circus World” starring John Wayne.
If that 66 Drive-In went by another name I hope the CT admins catch it. Cause I couldn’t find another one.
I’m looking at a June 3rd, 1965 Chicago Daily News that lists it’s name as only the “Palace Theatre, Randolph at LaSalle”. “My Fair Lady” is the film.So maybe “Palace” should be added as one of it’s former names.
This is a lttle off topic but not really. I toured the Sanfillipo Mansion near Barrington in 2005. Had I been up on my CT reading back then, I would have known to asked the more than gracious host to point out the various architectual gems saved from the Granada. There were numerous pipe organs, Victrola’s & kaliopies throughout. Even a fully equipped retro diner.
The grounds had an outbuilding that had a reconstructed 1890’s indoor fairgrounds with a working carousel from the era.
Their was white terra cotta stone work that adorned some of the building’s interior. So I wonder if that was some of it.
It was an all day affair celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Ford Thunderbird. They even allowed the number 50 to be spelled out on the sprawling lawn in parked Thunderbirds. Photographed from a helicopter no less.
Hauntingly, a playerless pipe organ that rose from a stage floor in the house gave us a concert at the end. We also toured the pipe organ mechanicals room. Like the Granada, it’s fascinating what men could build.
Cue Track: “Burn Down The Mission"
-Elton John/Bernie Taupin.
If it was fully renovated & updated as recently as 1999, it should be able to be kind of a turn key operation to start running films again. The official website at the top of this page still shows it owned by the same owners as the Rotunda Theatres.
Who are adverstising all first run at their other theaters on the same site.
If they still don’t own it, Why not rent it back to them for a low fee and show some of those first run films there also? It would keep it open and in the public eye. And also make it appear more viable to any investors who might be willing to take a chance on it.
Sitting empty (or filmless) just adds to the stigma. The only upside is it appears they still are doing open mic events with bands etc. If that information is as current as the other half of the page on their website.
Chicago and Evanston Illinois had a number of theatre’s that tried the revival house concept in the late
70's & early80’s. The Parkway, Varsity, Coronet, Music Box & others.They would run different double features every day and/or every other day of old Sci-Fi, classic comedy’s, Hitchcock thrillers etc. Even midnight shows at some. Some had old cartoons & newreels deliberately added in for schtick.
They would print & place full color calenders in the Reader newspaper each week. With all the old taglines blazing across each page.
As someone else posted, the novelty crowds were there at first. And mind you this was also the era when the VCR & VHS rental was starting to go full steam.
It was great for just a few years. But eventually the theaters couldn’t hang on with only that. It seemed that was the last gasp for some of them.
The Varsity, Coronet & Park West for sure. The Music Box is still around, but is more of a true arthouse theater now. With occasional revival films and/or hometown premieres.
If there was a way to sell the movie tickets far in advance like stage plays & musicals, maybe someone could get a revival house to fly full time. But whose going to buy tickets to an old movie, and then remember to go on a regular basis?
I wish some millionaires would approach the seller and tell him they’d buy it only if it REMAINS a functioning drive-in.
Some of the photos and links about the reuse are now dead. Did this place ever actually get torn down?
According to the website you just posted, both theatres are to be restored. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what comes out of their upcoming event.
Well now that’s some good news. Thanks for posting.
Any idea as to what year the original Oriental style roof treatment was removed?
I bet there’s a lot of nice old brick work behind all those false facades.
Great story Tim. I still stay in touch with the former manager of the Carnegie during it’s heyday in the mid `70’s.
I’ve posted before that he called all the promotions the “Genius of Oscar Brotman”.
I’ve in the past informed him of CT’s existence and it’s importance in keeping these long lost gems alive.
I patiently await his finally adding the many insights and stories he has of Oscar Brotman.
As a courtesy, I have not named him until he submits to CT on his own.
I also have some recently found some pics of the Carnegie I will add when I can.
Yes maybe. But the ability to maximize the space in a completely new structure, built from the ground up has to be more doable than renovating an existing space.
Even if they were to keep the mutiple floors currently at the Esquire, how big could each shoebox be to be viable? Versus new shoeboxes that can be built to spec in an open floor plan of their own design?
I would think they’d need many mores screens with potentially different pictures playing on each to make it work.
I remember how big the auditorium was at the Esquire back when it was a one screen. I still don’t envision it as workable as a multi story building they can build from scratch.
As truly great as that scenario would be, I think the Muvico folks would probably consider the Esquire space too restrictive for what they’d want out of a new venture.
In comparison to the space downtown that they passed on. Which is considered by the city the “theater district”.
The Muvico out in the suburbs looks like a palace. Even with multiple screens inside of even a reconfigured Esquire, it likely wouldn’t be enough space to satisfy them, and without parking.
I’d think size wise McClurg Court would be more doable if they were even to entertain the idea of renovating an existing space, versus building a new facility to their own specs.
The Esquire probably seems like an arthouse in size to them.
The demographic on paper for movie goers around Oak St. probably wouldn’t be enough for them even if it included everyone on CT. Because sadly there are no other theaters left in the Rush St. area with/from which to even properly gauge theater foot traffic.
Plus I think they’d probably require massive parking access wherever they choose to go.
If Muvico did magically want the space, I’d fear they rip it down and build their own structure anyway.
I’m for saving the Esquire structure & facade no matter what ends up going in there.
Nice. As we learned here in Chicago, it was never about what the meters could earn. It’s about the tickets/fines that will be generated. Evidenced in the article’s “Master Plan” of the area being renamed a “commercial zone”.
That’s a way to structure the ticket fines to be higher in that “zone” than other zones. In Chicago it’s called “Central Business District”. Even though such areas includes massive residential clusters. Most living there long before the overdevelopment and the new applied “designation”.
They are $50 tickets…for a meter. Miss the payment deadline and it doubles. Amass three unpaid tickets (down from 5), and it’s the boot.
Oh, and they are 2 hour maximum. So seeing a movie and making it back to the car in time would be a stretch.
The fact that Hoboken’s parking manager already factored in they’d be 4 hour meters, implys they always expected to add them specifically around the theater. Guess that was a gift, or maybe a way to appease esidents who would be forced to use them too.
I wonder if the proposed meters were ever a factor in the minds of the theater’s developers beforehand? It’s kind of mentioned by one of the council members.
Theater tickets should be the only ones to worry about.
So how does closing them all at one time improve Redstone’s chances for an overall sale?
You’d think that having them up & running would make them appear more viable to buyers.
At least they could still sell off individually too stop whatever bleeding he thinks the whole chain is suffering. If that. Cutting their losses in such broad strokes just alienates everyone involved. All those people suddenly put out of work, when it can’t really be necessary.
If they are retaining some theaters, why not figure out why the under performing ones
are doing so, and adjust to remedy it.
Also contacting the local governing bodies of those individual towns affected couldn’t hurt.
To help get the ball rolling on possible theater conversions to cultural or performing arts centers.
What an awesome looking building. Too bad it can’t be saved.