Tivoli Theatre
5021 Highland Avenue,
Downers Grove,
IL
60515
5021 Highland Avenue,
Downers Grove,
IL
60515
35 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 66 comments
He’s an amazing man that made the Chicago Metropolitan Area and all of Illinois shine with love and entertainment, and I’m so sad and heartbroken on the news of his passing at age 86 today.
RIP Willis, you’ll be missed! God bless Willis and his great family.
Willis Johnson, co-founder of largest Illinois-based theaters, dies at 86. He loved ‘being part of the fun’ with moviegoers.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/obituaries/2023/8/18/23837893/willis-johnson-co-founder-movies-theaters-dies-at-86-classic-cinemas-obituary?fbclid=IwAR0jaRNPJLxc-WAVHYyshdyhoVgY9CcPQttVMMqew5oAaddgyfwtOPP0Y-w
They used to bus us from D.G. North to the bowling alley for PE class and seeing the exterior of the Tivoli a couple times a week was always cool!
Paywall at above link.
Documentary to salute Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove By Shaw Local News Network April 17, 2023
https://www.shawlocal.com/news/2023/04/17/documentary-to-salute-tivoli-theatre-in-downers-grove/?fbclid=IwAR0xWLixTJ15–jjX654kFfqB9EI0l0TCCLRuD-5LUFDQuM7DalMPcu2soU
“YOURS TO ENJOY - A beautiful new building designed in the sumptuous architecture of the Spanish Renaissance period; a spacious foyer brilliantly lighted and decorated; an interior gay with color and breathing an air of comfort and refinement - that is the Tivoli Theatre. The realization of a long dream - a de luxe metropolitan theatre right in the heart of Chicago’s Western Suburbs.
Planned and executed with the utmost care and thought for your comfort and enjoyment, it brings to your very door the latest sensation in Cinema entertainment - Sound and Talking Pictures. Not only will the feature pictures be the same as at the largest Chicago theatres - synchronized with music played by large Symphony Orchestras, and containing actual sound effects and in many cases Spoken Dialogue by your favorite screen stars, but the surrounding program will contain the latest Vitaphone and Movietone Singing and Talking Acts. These will bring you the greatest stars of vaudeville and musical comedy. Also the Movie-events of the world both visually and in sound. Pres. Elect Hoover, King George, of England, King Alfonso of Spain, Premier Mussolino (sic), and many others will speak to you from our screen. Amazing in its scope, it puts you in direct touch with events and people the world over.
We feel therefore that the Tivoli can rightfully be called ‘The Wonder Theatre of Suburban Chicago’."
(Advertisement: Downers Grove Reporter; Friday, December 21, 1928)
Your seating information is a little off. There are 1024 seats in the original auditorium and 33 in the new “Willis” auditorium (named for the founder and president of Classic Cinemas). I’ll post a picture if the new screen.
It is now a two screen theater
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2021/04/08/chicago-movie-theater-owners-pandemic-hollywood-hits-eased-capacity/
“Johnson felt sure enough in the industry to install a fancy new theater at the Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove, despite a rollercoaster year.”
Tivoli looking to expand into storefront. 11/12/20 Daily Herald article below.
https://www.dailyherald.com/business/20201112/tivoli-theatre-in-downers-grove-looking-to-expand-?fbclid=IwAR2UpTX2wZa9A1xDx-8nxdm3E4T1M49PN2dRPLUF8M9mfKG85t5bRmH8SaY
With the Covid19 shutdown and no patrons, the Tivoli is offering curbside pickup of popcorn and concessions over the weekend of May8-10. https://patch.com/illinois/downersgrove/tivoli-theatre-offer-popcorn-concessions-pickup-may-8-10?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_term=arts+%26+entertainment&utm_campaign=autopost&utm_content=downersgrove&fbclid=IwAR1yxbMal6hms7TpBVEvRQzX6fhUDXff5lflo-WPd-alrruKyUqvvXxH1VM
Updated website: http://www.classiccinemas.com/location.aspx?house=912
Trivia: the Curtiss One-Hour Dry Cleaners building at 935 Curtiss was constructed to be a movie theater. However, the Tivoli was begun soon after and the other project was dropped due to inability to compete with B&K. The unfinished auditorium of the theater on Curtiss was later used as an auto dealership and garage.
Apparently the Tivoli Theatre is now also hosting live concerts. WXRT just announced a John Hiatt show for 02/26/14.
Wow, wish I had a cinema near me like this! I’d be there every weekend.
The Tivoli is such a wonderful theater, we’ll drive the hour it takes to get there; always clean, always friendly, still feels like a small town old time theater…love going there!
Remodeling for better sound Boxoffice
Here’s the link to the Geico commercial featuring the exterior of the Tivoli. I hope this works. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjrXRXFCIwo
The exterior of this theater shows up in the new Geico commercial about the gecko ventroliquist. Not sure if the auditorium shots are from the theater, but there are a few organ chords thrown in at the end.
I took my wife to see “The Artist” at the Tivoli on Valentine’s day. It was pretty cool to see this silent film, set in the 20’s and 30’s, in a theatre from 1928. Especially cool because the Tivoli was built to house talkie movies but openned with one of the last great silent films “Fazil”
Back in 1965, my parents and I traveled from Southern California to Illinois so they could visit friends and family in their old stomping grounds. Lucky for me, the Dave Clark 5 were out promoting their latest film and stopped by the Tivoli. They simply walked on stage, waved, and left. So, yes, Mary, I was there, too. After their appearance, I ran outside, under the arms of the police officers surrounding their tour bus, and got right up next to the bus. I just stood there with my mouth hanging open, too shy to try anything else.
Mary, if you see this, I have some great photos I took of the DC5 that day.
Was there any relationship between Van Gunten and Van Gunten and Eugene De Rosa? To me the Tivoli looks similar to this place:
View link
From 1949 a photo postcard of the Tivoli Theatre & Hotel in Downers Grove.
Here is a photo taken at the Tivoli with the lights out, showing the proscenium arch and the organist playing the Mighty Wurlitzer.
I grew up in Downers Grove and went to the “Tiv” on a regular basis as a kid. I remember that in 1965 the Dave Clark 5 appeared at the Tivoli Theater because their movie was premiering one evening and they showed up on a bus. Does anyone else remember this? It did deteriorate over the years, but it has been renovated (not necessarily restored)to the previous grandeur. Glad to see D.G.’s old Grand Dame is surviving and thriving!
Very nice.