Comments from DavidZornig

I vaguely remember this theatre, though I was very young. It was more visible from the lower CTA track to the West, than from the main ones up top. The lower track was used for express trains to go around others that were standing at Wilson. I also remember the many items that patrons of the Hotel for Men would routinely stack on their window sills facing the “L”.
There was a small, long time snack shop in between the two sets of tracks at street level. Just East of the De Luxe.
Even further East was a steak house of sorts at Broadway & Wilson. The CTA website has several photos of the Wilson Ave. station over the years. But none that look West towards the De LUxe.
Maybe Truman College has pictures of the De Luxe and/or it’s marquee in their archives.

Wow…walkin' around with almost 5 G’s in cash in 1927? With a cop, and still getting robbed? Sounds like Mr. Hogan got set-up.

Too bad the Stratford Theater building couldn’t have hung on long enough to be appreciated more as a neighborhood landmark. And restored to it’s former glory. The Bob Hope history alone should have prevented it’s fate.

Greetings. I guess I was recollecting in general, some of what I remember discussing elsewhere on how the Triple X industry both impacted older theatres, and then took off on it’s own after basically no longer needing them. Some theatres read as rebounding after Triple X, some don’t.

I like to read all the posts when I link to an unfamiliar theatre. I guess the post from 2004 about the business & advertising/money end of the Pussycat Theater, had gotten my mind going in the direction it did.
As I read on, stream of thought went where it went.

Though my comments may not have been about this particular theatre, I thought they were somewhat relevant and might be of interest to some.
If my last reading of the Studs Theatre as a “dying breed” was an unconscious catalyst, my post might have shed some light on how/why the X industry seemed to fare elsewhere.

In Chicago, once home to many X rated theatres, I can think of only one still in existence, The Admiral. And that’s really now more of the live stage show nature. With small video booths instead of a projector and mass seating as it once had. Also open 24/7.
It spent a lot of money during a remodel years back, and stayed around long after the rest of it’s like theatres closed up. So I guess that would be the ultimate of the dying breed. That is in no danger of dying anytime soon.
Someone else reading this may now very well click to the Admiral page.

If I went off topic, I certainly apologize. But if some reading my posts have other memories triggered by them, I think that’s what CT is all about. I sometimes read posts by some who have never even been in the theatres or cities they are located in. They merely post to praise any given theatre’s architecture, history or past promotions as they come across them. Then they are maybe reminded about a different forgotten theatre, or tour like Cinerama. And they begin to search CT even more. I know I do.

I just found my 07/28/93 handbill from the Oak Theatre.
Alas, I have no way to scan it.
It advertises the address in print as 2000 North Western Av. Phone 235-8502. Which still should have been a 312 area code back then I believe.
I recapped this particular July night in an earlier post.

One more little tidbit that only music fans may find of interest. The show that night was actually ELO Part II. A toring group comprised of some former ELO members from their heyday. But no Jeff Lynne, the creative force and founder.
On the handbill it clearly states “Electric Light Orchestra LIVE at Oak Theatre”. Similar versions of this type of advertising would years later rear their head as a legal issue facing ELO Part II.
Turns out some unscrupulous promoters would knowingly bill ELO Part II as ELO, in an effort to boost ticket sales. Then claimed a clerical errors when “brought” to their attention.
At the time original drummer & co-founder Bev Bevan retired and left ELO Part II in 1999, they were no longer legally allowed to use ELO in their name. They now tour as The Orchestra. After a very brief stint as, I kid you not: “Electric Light Orchestra Part II Former Members”. A mouthful indeed, that was apparently later also rejected by attorneys after Bevan’s departure. Still a dynamite show though with experienced, accomplished musicians.

I too was stunned when I saw that the Rowland Funeral Home had been torn down. Would have made a great museum dedicated to the history of the neighborhood, if nothing else. There used to be some in-ground, city run swimming pools just West of there. In a quadrant/mini public parks kind of street set-up. Then a new foundation for a building that seemed to never get finished was poured after that. I think there are trees where the pool was now.

There was also a spectacular, massive sized church at the very point where Broadway & Sheridan meet, North almost to Montrose. It too was torn down maybe 1992 or so. I think it was closed long before that though. Alledgedly, Un-Godly type activity had apparently been taking place in some of the church’s many exterior alcoves.

Interesting reading. The documents are dated 2006. So obviously the HTR group was able to meet the criteria as of then. There is no news newer than Feb. of 2008 on the HTR website. But the link is active and full of other great history and info.

I read that one of the proposal’s criteria was that 51 percent of the hires for the renovation, had to be D.C residents. Though a noble move on the District’s part, such a stipulation can end up being a double edged sword. In some cases preventing willing, qualified developers who happen to be based out of town, from ever embarking on such a monumental project. Should they not be able to hire subcontractors, even local, as they see fit. I would think the District would have been eager to entertain proposals from ANY reputable developers, as long as it meant the project would come to fruition sooner rather than later.

Not sure if the District of Columbia is a right-to-work state, or if labor unions dictate what contractors are be used, etc. Those elements are certainly factored in when developers make their proposals. Who one hires should be left to the developers though. With full consideration to hire as many locals as possible. But not mandated.

Great info. I wonder what was spent in comparison, on the 1992 conversion to a live venue. Surely the land value trumped whatever was thought could be earned in any amount of time, running concerts.
That and an offer to develop the entire parcel throughout the Milwaukee Ave. side. I thought the White Castle back then was a reasonably new structure itself. There’s a modern looking condo building across on the N/W corner of Milwaukee & Armitage now too. Where Boston Store used to be I think. S/W corner is still vacant with temp fencing.

There are several ironies in the television & VCR’s having hastened the demise of movie theaters, premise.

One, that some theaters once claimed to having “had” to run porno in order to stay afloat, then closed anyway.
Two, that the porno film biz seemed to flourish from an industry in the shadows, into a multi-million dollar juggernaut. Once it came into video and now DVD itself.
Once the product could be purchased and brought into homes, and not sought out in theaters where interacting with others whether desirable or not, was a given.
The industry then got another giant boost, with the introduction of the internet. Then it’s customer base needn’t even leave their homes to buy the product.

I remember the day’s of “Caligula” creating an uproar when it was first released. And it had name stars in it. It’s probably multiplied it’s sales many times over since then. Probably to it’s own makers surprise.

Which theaters then video stores ran/carried the X version of “The Bad Lieutenant”, was the last such controversy. Upon it’s release, the popularity of owning your own copies of anything was on a fast uprise.

Ah, you are correct, a Drive-Thru of a bank. What a waste.
Why couldn’t the bank have been incorporated within the Walgreen’s lot? Or maybe built where that vacant Checker’s/Title Loan joint was?

The Oak Theatre had huge new potential, and the area surely would have supported it had it been given more time as a live venue. They even could have reinstalled a screen and ran some art-house type stuff in their down time.

For all the land that spanned the Oak, White Castle & subsequent parking lots along Milwaukee, they could have easily fit the Walgreen’s and bank/drive-thru on the Milwaukee side whilst keeping the Oak in place. It all just needed a better layout.
They should have built the Walgreens structure where it’s own parking is now, instead of having two walls face the Armitage/Milwaukee corner.
The entrance isn’t even ON the corner. So what was the geographic benefit? It’s silly.

Not sure who built 1st or wanted to one-up who, but CVS is notorious for building stores a block from existing Walgreen’s stores. (CVS is in a former grocery store just up Milwaukee).

Down on Division St., there are 2 CVS’s a block in each direction of an existing Walgreen’s. Which coincidentally replaced the Playboy/Sandburg Theatre.

My Festival/Mode recollections had inadvertantly gotten posted to the Sheridan/Palacio page. Probably because I was expounding on the area a bit.

The ultimate demolition & building of condos on the Mode site, likely took much longer to happen due to hesitant developer speculation in the area. That gas station at Irving & Sheridan seemed to hang in deveolpment limbo even when it doubled as Cubs parking.
There was also a hip hop clothing store under the “L” that had grafitti signage visible from the tracks. It too seemed transitional at first.

Further West on Irving at the tracks by the cemetary, I remember a small, freestanding triangular garage type building for sale in 1991 or so. They wanted an unbelievable 1.5 million or something for the thing. And it was on an alley, and later I found out had some kind of variance/clause about if the CTA ever needed space to do work.
So if that was the land pricing mindset in 1991, how long did it take for actual usable land to start hitting the high mark. It seemed the 1998-ish condo boom had passed the area by.

I just remembered that Ogden Ave. actually used to “start” back then at North Ave. Not too far West of this locale. At approximately Larrabie St.
Where the giant lot for Father & Son Pizza is.

Ogden then wound S/W starting at Clybourn, then up & over a huge bridge at Division & Halsted. A bridge that became badly deteriorated over time. Concrete falling, etc.
That portion of Ogden Ave. was closed off to traffic for many years before ultimately being torn down in 1991. Remnants of that bridge can be seen across the river from the S/W corner of Division & Halsted. Behind the towing outfit.

Several chase seens were filmed on that bridge before it’s demise.
I believe for either Steve McQueen’s “The Hunter”, Chuck Norris' “Code Of Silence” or both.

Thanks for clarifying it had closed by `74 KenMc. I knew I hadn’t missed theatre that obvious.

A lot of the Wells Street clubs & shops had promotional hawkers out front on a regular basis back then.
I could see how the Plaza Playmates might have worked double or even triple duty as advertising for the Plaza. Dancing as well as popcorn sales, etc. I haven’t reached my friend who grew up a block from there just yet. I’ll post back his recollections, and/or steer him to CT.