Roxy Theatre, Berwyn, Illinois
Once upon a time located on Grove Avenue at 32nd Street next to Beranek Pontiac.
Visited there many times in the fifties.
Does anyobody have pictures?
reply to Michael Kuecker :
The mayor’s idea to turn the bulding into a mini-mall – a cluster of retail stores in order to save Cermak Road as a retail center – was dead on arrival. The city had no money to do it and there were no business establishments willing to put money into it.(They all had gone already into the Riverside Mall)
And the cinema? Well, once there were cinemas in the Harlem/Cermak Plaza with all the free parking the Berwyn cinema was doomed also. So the LaSalle Bank seemed like a feasable ventureat the time.
The caramel popcorn shop near the Berwyn theatre? That one goes back many many years ago, much farther back than the fire that destroyed the theater. It was sometime in the early sixties, if I recall correctly, it was forced to close simply by the law of competition – the theater opened its own caramel popcorn stand in its vestibul that became frequented by people passing by. And that put the old shop out of business.
By the way, the owner of the popcorn shop was an old Greek who died and it may also have been the reason for the shop’s closing.
CORRECTION: The pharmacy at the south/east corner of Ridgeland and Cermak was PARKS Pharmacy. His former employees, husband and wife, MR and Mrs Subka split away in the early 60’s and opened a pharmacy of their own across the street, at the north/east corner.
The Pharmacy across the street(south/east corner) in the 3 story building complex that burned out in 1985 was Nosek Pharmacy.
Across the street from it (north/east corner) was also a pharmacy, husband and wife business, Subka Pharmacy. Next door to it was Neumode Hosiery and next door to it Singer Sewing Center (it was there since 1929, changed to a dealership in 1975 and that went out of business in 1979. Was later replaced by a currency exchange. Next door to it was Neisner Department store later replaced by Womens Exercise Studio. To the north of Subka Pharmacy was Mr Lee’s Shanghai Chop Suey; he actally owned at one tome the entire complex all the way to Cuyler Avenue on the east. The restaurant next to the Berwyn Theater (to the west side) was Ridgeland restaurant, a family owned bohemian restaurant that went out of business when the Berwyn Theater closed.
Roxy Theatre, Berwyn, Illinois
Once upon a time located on Grove Avenue at 32nd Street next to Beranek Pontiac.
Visited there many times in the fifties.
Does anyobody have pictures?
GREAT SHOTS OUT OF BERWYN. IT SEEMS LIKE ONLY YESTERDAY. DO YOU HAVE MORE?
reply to Michael Kuecker :
The mayor’s idea to turn the bulding into a mini-mall – a cluster of retail stores in order to save Cermak Road as a retail center – was dead on arrival. The city had no money to do it and there were no business establishments willing to put money into it.(They all had gone already into the Riverside Mall)
And the cinema? Well, once there were cinemas in the Harlem/Cermak Plaza with all the free parking the Berwyn cinema was doomed also. So the LaSalle Bank seemed like a feasable ventureat the time.
The caramel popcorn shop near the Berwyn theatre? That one goes back many many years ago, much farther back than the fire that destroyed the theater. It was sometime in the early sixties, if I recall correctly, it was forced to close simply by the law of competition – the theater opened its own caramel popcorn stand in its vestibul that became frequented by people passing by. And that put the old shop out of business.
By the way, the owner of the popcorn shop was an old Greek who died and it may also have been the reason for the shop’s closing.
CORRECTION: The pharmacy at the south/east corner of Ridgeland and Cermak was PARKS Pharmacy. His former employees, husband and wife, MR and Mrs Subka split away in the early 60’s and opened a pharmacy of their own across the street, at the north/east corner.
The Pharmacy across the street(south/east corner) in the 3 story building complex that burned out in 1985 was Nosek Pharmacy.
Across the street from it (north/east corner) was also a pharmacy, husband and wife business, Subka Pharmacy. Next door to it was Neumode Hosiery and next door to it Singer Sewing Center (it was there since 1929, changed to a dealership in 1975 and that went out of business in 1979. Was later replaced by a currency exchange. Next door to it was Neisner Department store later replaced by Womens Exercise Studio. To the north of Subka Pharmacy was Mr Lee’s Shanghai Chop Suey; he actally owned at one tome the entire complex all the way to Cuyler Avenue on the east. The restaurant next to the Berwyn Theater (to the west side) was Ridgeland restaurant, a family owned bohemian restaurant that went out of business when the Berwyn Theater closed.