As an unbiased third party, i’d like to say that I read Mr. Rankin’s comment as the compliment it was apparently intended to be. It is possible to compliment and offer gentle criticism at the same time. It seemed clear to me that he was using the word ‘ignorant’ in its original, rarely-used sense; literally, ignoring the conventions of paragraphing. (And I think a comment like “Or were these entries of interest simply a passing of time; a break from the stale routine of manhandling the remote, eating a frozen dinner and scratching your ass?” is far cruder. It did not seem to me that he was saying it was overlong; rather that it was far more detailed than almost any post seen here.
Thank you so much for posting your vivid recollections of the Patio, Mr. Antoneli. It inspired me to drive out there yesterday in the rain to look at it and see what it would bring out in me. However, going there, I saw an unexpected sight: The sides of the marquee have been covered over by vinyl advertising banners for a local Cingular Wireless outlet! Perhaps the strangest part about this advertising display is that at the bottom is the text that has occupied the side panels for years now: advertising the “Theater Renovation” that, by all appearances, has not and is not occuring. Otherwise, the marquee remains sad and forlorn, missing its neon, bulbs, and beaten by the ravages of trucks having backed into it. Large sections of paint seem to have fallen away this winter. I really hope that marquee glows again one day. Maybe another knight like Alex can swoop in and bring it back.
Thanks again for the reply, Tracy, I really do appreciate it. I’ll be there tonight, and i’ll bring photos, so we could perhaps discuss it? I wear a green jacket.
The marquee is now up and windows are in. The re-lighting ceremony will be tonight. Unfortunately, I don’t think it is quite historically accurate. These are the issues I saw: The new typeface for ‘Biograph’ is correct, but the outer ribbon as shown in Dillinger-era photos was evidently two distinctly colored thin ribbons, as opposed to the one thick one it is now. I’m guessing one ribbon was likely red and one yellow. The underside of the canopy is done in black semi-corrugated metal, as in the last iteration, but old photos as well as uncoverings during the removal of the old marquee show it was smooth and white. The Essaness lettering was neonized; the Victory Gardens lettering is not. The lettering boards are white movable lettering where the originals were reverse lettering. The new box office is in again and looks pretty good. So do the windows. The poster area is dark gray textured cement over sheetrock where vintage photos show what is likely glazed brick and poster cases. Maybe they’ll be putting up poster cases over that tomorrow, but that wouldn’t be accurate to the Dillinger-era anyway. The bases of the support piers should be green pulsichrome terra cotta to look like granite, but are instead painted. Overall it looks nice, and fresh, and certainly a major improvement, but it’s disingenuous to call it historically accurate, because it just isn’t.
Regarding what you saw – last year stabilization work was carried out that removed the upper parapet of the facade as well as terra cotta on the sides that was in danger. It is now in storage.
The Lincoln Village opened August 2, 1968 with 1440 seats for the Brotman & Sherman chain. It featured “All dimension screen and cine-focus 35&70mm projection equipment, full six-channel stereophonic sound, luxurious wide aisle seating, and free coffee”
There are a couple shots of the shoeboxes. They didn’t come out too clearly though- my camera unfortunately does poorly in low-light and so many of the photos are not in sharp focus. But you get a good sense of the space nonetheless. There were 27 patrons in the final showing of Woody Allen’s “Scoop”.
Carson Pirie Scott’s parent company recently announced it will close the State Street Carson’s location following the holiday season due to rising maintenance costs and falling profits.
Well, “Mole Men” came out in 1951. I would guess that it did close at the beginning of July 1952. It makes some sense that they would close at the beginning of a month. When I say it was the last listing, I mean that it was in that day’s paper and not the next. So unless there was a temporary closing, that was probably it.
Everything i’ve ever seen shows both theaters between Spaulding and Christiania: the Terminal (I)/Metro at 3308 W Lawrence, on the north side of the street, with the facade pictured above, and the Terminal (II) at 3315 W Lawrence, south side of the street, adjacent to the CTA terminal, now the site of the Village Discount Store.
The Terminal (I) is pictured in a 1915 Tribune article, the same facade shown above. A 1918 movie listing shows the address as 3308 W Lawrence. A 1926 listing shows that when the Terminal (II) opened, the Terminal (I) became the Metro. A July 1, 1952 listing, likewise shows the address as being 3308 W Lawrence. The final listing I can find for the Metro was July 31, 1952, showing Just This Once and The African Queen.
The Terminal (II) is pictured in a February 1925 advertisement selling bonds, with a Greek facade and the auditorium and stage running along the street east to Spaulding. The 3315 W Lawrence address appears in a Fox Theaters ad in 1929. The last listing I can find for the Terminal is April 18, 1963, as a 50-cent house showing “Sweet Bird of Youth” and “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”
The facade is already looking far better with the cleaning and tuckpointing. Could you tell us a little more about what was found with the three marquees? The first one I assume was a plain canopy, and the third the one that is familiar to us, but what was the second? I was volunteering there saturday and no one seemed to know. I also somehow missed the Terra Cotta statue, where is that located? And is the blacked-out ceiling moulding in the entry vestibule one of the pieces in the above photos? Thanks.
Also, if you e-mail me i’d be happy to provide you with the photos I have.
It’s too bad there wasn’t more to be salvaged, but there are at least a handful of similar theaters around that are more or less still there, like the Calo, Lakeshore, Logan, Lakeside, Rosewood, Pickford, and Peerless.
Here is a set of photos on flickr taken during the demolition. I think these are the features Tracy N referred to earlier. I think one part of these is still there, although now hidden partially by black paint and a ‘cloud’ ceiling decoration. Otherwise none of the original interior remains except for a terra cotta statue that was salvaged.
The one shown on the map, on the north side of the street, with the facade that is still there, is the first Terminal theater, which became the Metro when the second Terminal opened. The second Terminal was where the CTA lot is now. Right?
Looking at the Satellite view, we can see that the lobby was roughly the same depth as the surrounding storefronts. So if you compare the depths of stores in the building you should be able to tell. Since the store doesn’t kick over to the side like the auditorium does you’re probably right. It looks like the roof of the auditorium was built sort of oddly too.
Oh, they’re not mine. But it was a nice candid shot, a change from the way you usually see these. And I think it just doesn’t look busy enough to be downtown, but grant park is a possibility too. Maybe somewhere in the south loop.
As an unbiased third party, i’d like to say that I read Mr. Rankin’s comment as the compliment it was apparently intended to be. It is possible to compliment and offer gentle criticism at the same time. It seemed clear to me that he was using the word ‘ignorant’ in its original, rarely-used sense; literally, ignoring the conventions of paragraphing. (And I think a comment like “Or were these entries of interest simply a passing of time; a break from the stale routine of manhandling the remote, eating a frozen dinner and scratching your ass?” is far cruder. It did not seem to me that he was saying it was overlong; rather that it was far more detailed than almost any post seen here.
Thank you so much for posting your vivid recollections of the Patio, Mr. Antoneli. It inspired me to drive out there yesterday in the rain to look at it and see what it would bring out in me. However, going there, I saw an unexpected sight: The sides of the marquee have been covered over by vinyl advertising banners for a local Cingular Wireless outlet! Perhaps the strangest part about this advertising display is that at the bottom is the text that has occupied the side panels for years now: advertising the “Theater Renovation” that, by all appearances, has not and is not occuring. Otherwise, the marquee remains sad and forlorn, missing its neon, bulbs, and beaten by the ravages of trucks having backed into it. Large sections of paint seem to have fallen away this winter. I really hope that marquee glows again one day. Maybe another knight like Alex can swoop in and bring it back.
It appears that it was the auditorium that collapsed, but the storefronts were mostly unaffected but may be demolished anyway.
View link
View link
View link
View link
Really?! Wow, that’s very unfortunate.
Yeah, you’re right, that is a reasonable price now that I look at it. Apologies.
$1100? I sincerely hope that’s a typo.
Thanks again for the reply, Tracy, I really do appreciate it. I’ll be there tonight, and i’ll bring photos, so we could perhaps discuss it? I wear a green jacket.
The marquee is now up and windows are in. The re-lighting ceremony will be tonight. Unfortunately, I don’t think it is quite historically accurate. These are the issues I saw: The new typeface for ‘Biograph’ is correct, but the outer ribbon as shown in Dillinger-era photos was evidently two distinctly colored thin ribbons, as opposed to the one thick one it is now. I’m guessing one ribbon was likely red and one yellow. The underside of the canopy is done in black semi-corrugated metal, as in the last iteration, but old photos as well as uncoverings during the removal of the old marquee show it was smooth and white. The Essaness lettering was neonized; the Victory Gardens lettering is not. The lettering boards are white movable lettering where the originals were reverse lettering. The new box office is in again and looks pretty good. So do the windows. The poster area is dark gray textured cement over sheetrock where vintage photos show what is likely glazed brick and poster cases. Maybe they’ll be putting up poster cases over that tomorrow, but that wouldn’t be accurate to the Dillinger-era anyway. The bases of the support piers should be green pulsichrome terra cotta to look like granite, but are instead painted. Overall it looks nice, and fresh, and certainly a major improvement, but it’s disingenuous to call it historically accurate, because it just isn’t.
Regarding what you saw – last year stabilization work was carried out that removed the upper parapet of the facade as well as terra cotta on the sides that was in danger. It is now in storage.
The Lincoln Village opened August 2, 1968 with 1440 seats for the Brotman & Sherman chain. It featured “All dimension screen and cine-focus 35&70mm projection equipment, full six-channel stereophonic sound, luxurious wide aisle seating, and free coffee”
The vertical sign’s frame has been mostly disassembled now.
Here’s a link to more info. View link
I didn’t note that specifically but I want to say it was brownish.
There are a couple shots of the shoeboxes. They didn’t come out too clearly though- my camera unfortunately does poorly in low-light and so many of the photos are not in sharp focus. But you get a good sense of the space nonetheless. There were 27 patrons in the final showing of Woody Allen’s “Scoop”.
Here is my set.
I was at the last show and took a few dozen shots. I think I was actually the last patron to leave. I’ll post them soonish.
Carson Pirie Scott’s parent company recently announced it will close the State Street Carson’s location following the holiday season due to rising maintenance costs and falling profits.
Well, “Mole Men” came out in 1951. I would guess that it did close at the beginning of July 1952. It makes some sense that they would close at the beginning of a month. When I say it was the last listing, I mean that it was in that day’s paper and not the next. So unless there was a temporary closing, that was probably it.
Good to see we all finally agree! :)
Everything i’ve ever seen shows both theaters between Spaulding and Christiania: the Terminal (I)/Metro at 3308 W Lawrence, on the north side of the street, with the facade pictured above, and the Terminal (II) at 3315 W Lawrence, south side of the street, adjacent to the CTA terminal, now the site of the Village Discount Store.
The Terminal (I) is pictured in a 1915 Tribune article, the same facade shown above. A 1918 movie listing shows the address as 3308 W Lawrence. A 1926 listing shows that when the Terminal (II) opened, the Terminal (I) became the Metro. A July 1, 1952 listing, likewise shows the address as being 3308 W Lawrence. The final listing I can find for the Metro was July 31, 1952, showing Just This Once and The African Queen.
The Terminal (II) is pictured in a February 1925 advertisement selling bonds, with a Greek facade and the auditorium and stage running along the street east to Spaulding. The 3315 W Lawrence address appears in a Fox Theaters ad in 1929. The last listing I can find for the Terminal is April 18, 1963, as a 50-cent house showing “Sweet Bird of Youth” and “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”
The facade is already looking far better with the cleaning and tuckpointing. Could you tell us a little more about what was found with the three marquees? The first one I assume was a plain canopy, and the third the one that is familiar to us, but what was the second? I was volunteering there saturday and no one seemed to know. I also somehow missed the Terra Cotta statue, where is that located? And is the blacked-out ceiling moulding in the entry vestibule one of the pieces in the above photos? Thanks.
Also, if you e-mail me i’d be happy to provide you with the photos I have.
It’s too bad there wasn’t more to be salvaged, but there are at least a handful of similar theaters around that are more or less still there, like the Calo, Lakeshore, Logan, Lakeside, Rosewood, Pickford, and Peerless.
Here is a set of photos on flickr taken during the demolition. I think these are the features Tracy N referred to earlier. I think one part of these is still there, although now hidden partially by black paint and a ‘cloud’ ceiling decoration. Otherwise none of the original interior remains except for a terra cotta statue that was salvaged.
View link
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47636110@N00/5591005/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47636110@N00/5591004/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47636110@N00/5590995/
View link
The one shown on the map, on the north side of the street, with the facade that is still there, is the first Terminal theater, which became the Metro when the second Terminal opened. The second Terminal was where the CTA lot is now. Right?
Looking at the Satellite view, we can see that the lobby was roughly the same depth as the surrounding storefronts. So if you compare the depths of stores in the building you should be able to tell. Since the store doesn’t kick over to the side like the auditorium does you’re probably right. It looks like the roof of the auditorium was built sort of oddly too.
Oh, they’re not mine. But it was a nice candid shot, a change from the way you usually see these. And I think it just doesn’t look busy enough to be downtown, but grant park is a possibility too. Maybe somewhere in the south loop.
Here is a strange montage featuring what appears to be the Cinema
Here is a nice 1935 personal shot on State Street