Louis Theatre
108 E. 35th Street,
Chicago,
IL
60616
108 E. 35th Street,
Chicago,
IL
60616
2 people
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That is where I watched Steve McQueen in The Blob.
Scared the crap out of me. LOL
You can wonder when that was.
I used to go to this theater between 1957 and 1964. It was the first theater I went to when we moved to Chicago. We lived in the projects at 23rd and State St. My mom worked at a textile factory on Wabash near Quinn Chapel Church and may dad worked as a radar man at the Nike Missile site at Burnham Park(31st Street Beach).
The first movie my mom took me to see there was Rodan (1957). I then when on Sat. mornings with my friend, we would walk there down Michigan Ave to see Roger Corman films and Serials.
I remember seeing this theater as a little kid while passing by on the bus heading to the Loop.
Was the first black theatre in America! Pretty amazing!
The whole theatre is now unfortuatly gone they only saved the arch inside. everything else is gone. Facebook does have a page for the Louis theatre it’s Louis Theatre Chicago Il
There is nothing left staus should be demolished!
It should be demolished staus should be demolished!
The whole theatre is now unfortuatly gone they only saved the arch inside. everything else is gone. Facebook does have a page for the Louis theatre it’s Louis Theatre Chicago Il
Status should be demolished! I have a brick from there they said that they were unable to restore it because it was in too much bad shape! The audiotrium is half way demolished.
I go to s chool across from that theatre it is still there but is being used for store storage.
If the Louis closed as a movie house in 1965, it definitely reopened-for a short period -perhaps under new ownership. From the Chicago Sun Times movie listings dated Wednesday, May 18, 1966: LOUIS ACADEMY AWARD SHOW Lee Marvin “CAT BALLOU” 108 E. 35th Julie CHRISTIE “DARLING”. By Monday, July 25, 1966, the Louis was not in the movie directory.
From the Sun Times movie directory on Friday, May 17, 1957: LOUIS 108 E. 35th St. -Open 1 P.M. – 3 Hits! “JACK McCALL,DESPERADO” “Ma & Pa Kettle at Waikiki” “Fort Afrique”.
Listed as the Louis in the 1954 Chicago yellow pages. Phone number was DAnube 6-9141. Maybe that’s the nunber that Louis Rugani called in 1958. I don’t think he will remember the number, though.
Architect was Alexander Levy. Opened as the Lux in 1912 with 735 seats.
In early September of 1958 I was searching the Chicago telephone book for theatres (there still were many although it was obvious the numbers were thinning) and that’s where I found the LOUIS Theatre, which is unusual since it wasn’t in the newspaper movie listings. (I never did see the LOUIS Theatre advertised.) Curious, I called the number and a cultured, distinguished voice answered “The Louis Theatre” and gave me the double-feature over the phone.
(I agree with the hypothesis over the PICKFORD name, and I’m guessing the LOUIS renaming was to honor boxer Joe Louis.)