Alex Theater
3826 W. Madison Street,
Chicago,
IL
60624
3826 W. Madison Street,
Chicago,
IL
60624
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Firms: Postie & Mahler
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Previous Names: Hamlin Theater
Nearby Theaters
This theater was originally known as the Hamlin Theater and was located close to Garfield Park on W. Madison Street at S. Hamlin Boulevard in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. It opened in 1910 as a vaudeville house with 1,200 seats. It later turned to movies as the primary entertainment. In 1925-1926 it operated as the Wigwam dance hall. It was reopened as the Hamlin Theaters again and closed in 1934.
In 1938, the theater was remodeled in an Art Moderne style and also received a new name, the Alex Theater when it reopened on May 22, 1938 with Claire Trevor in “Walking Down Broadway”. It continued to operate until closure in 1976.
A parking lot is on the site of the former Alex Theater.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft, Ray Martinez
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 71 comments)
I assume they were lawyers or doctors right?
Their clients may have been. These ladies were engaged in what is referred to as: “The world’s oldest profession.”
I can remember a gym on one of the upper floors where Pro Boxers trained ? When a young kid a friend and I went up to see it.
Anyone rem. the Crawford theater at about 100 s. Pulaski… orig. called Crawford av. back then. It later changed names to the National theater and showed Spanish movies. It was located just s. of Goldblatts
Went there many times. Hard to understand the beautiful Marbro being closed and the Alex and Crawford stayed open for awhile.There were hold-ups outside the Marbro as well as inside and we were told to keep our eyes open around us. I can only imagine what went on inside the Alex & Crawford!
It wasn’t only TV that killed movie theaters…. It was the clientele ! The Gangs and Thugs that moved into what were once decent neighborhoods was a huge factor.
The Hamlin re-opened as the modernized Alex on the night of May 22nd, 1938. An ad has been uploaded to the photos section.
Old ads and program flyers show the address as 3826 W. Madison.
Original 1911 Hamlin Theatre facade image added.
The Hamlin/Alex was evidently an elaborate but failed dance hall called the Wigwam from 1925-1926. The Tribune gives the address of the Wigwam as 3826 Madison. The owners were Butch Crowley, a Joliet bootlegger, and Ned Allen, former warden of Joliet prison. http://archive.org/details/variety81-1926-01/page/n109/mode/1up?view=theater