Drake Theatre

Denverpalace on April 21, 2023 at 10:04 pm

Film Daily in June 1926 reported that the Drake Theatre, located at Montrose and Drake avenues, would be finished in August 1926. The Drake is not shown in FDYB 1926, covering 1925. FDYB 1927, covering 1926, lists the Drake under Ascher Brothers. In January 1927 Film Daily noted that Ambassador Theaters Corp. had taken over the 20-year lease of the Drake, “one of the larger outlying theaters,” from Drake Amusement Company for a gross rental of $580,000. (Note the “Ambassador’s Corp.” atop the Drake’s vertical in Lou Rugani’s undated photo.) Consistent with the foregoing, the Drake is not listed under Ascher in FDYB 1928. Ambassador Theaters Corp. also operated the Ambassador Theatre (aka Rockne) on Division Street. By September 1928 Ambassador Theaters was in the hands of a receiver, joining three Chicago chains with a string of over 40 Chicago-area houses that ended up being operated under a receivership by the Chicago Title & Trust Company.

mp775 on August 14, 2007 at 1:02 pm

See BWChicago’s post right above yours. It was the same photo.

Broan on April 2, 2007 at 7:09 pm

Here is a photo of the new drake

brebel on January 31, 2007 at 6:36 am

thanks mp775 for providing the link to a photo of the theater . The gallery is centered around buses but it is loaded with great photos of Chicago neighborhoods and intersections in the late 60’s.

I used to bowl at Drake Bowling alley when I was a kid in the mid 70’s. In the late 70’s The owner of the bowling alley name was Matt and his daughter’s name was Barbara. I don’t think the lot next door was technically the lot for the bowling alley. I know the owned lot was west on Montrose and on the South side of the street. It had a sign that sadi parking for Drake bowl.

I remember the theater building but mostly because of the store fronts. I was never in an area I would recogize as a theater. One of the stores was a beer can collector store. He didn’t have a lot of beer cans, now that I’m older I have no clue how he stayed in business.

I forwarded the link photo to a friend of mine last night, who lived in the neighborhood and worked / lived at the bowling alley. At one time he was in 7 leagues in a week.
He told me that there was a rumour in the neighborhood (in the 70’s)that the buildng’s basement had been sealed off during remolding and that many films remained in the basement.

I don’t understand the post from above about a “radar that picks up on theater buildings” by Life’s too short but it might be possible that there is a small treasure under that parking lot.

Geraldo time to dig out another vault

Life's Too Short on September 1, 2006 at 4:18 pm

Pretty cool. Wonder what they were using it for at the time?

Broan on April 27, 2006 at 6:47 pm

Yeah, looks right to me. Odd that they tore down the lobby section though, in most situations like this they seem to just send the cars straight through it.

Broan on April 17, 2006 at 8:14 am

When originally announced, it was said to have a 2,200 seating capacity with a mezzanine and balcony. Seating figures usually weren’t that inflated; was the balcony plan scrapped? It also was said to have a working stage.

TRAINPHOTOS on August 15, 2005 at 6:06 pm

Correction to the above. My Dad said that another theatre had this feature. One entered the Drake facing the screen, as in most theatres. However, the Drake was in an “L” pattern with the foyer fronting Montrose Avenue and the auditorium was behind the bowling alley. This accounts for the unusual gap between the bowling alley and the city’s alley.