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Home » Leisure Venues » Theaters » Citywide Theater Index Citywide Theater Index Index sections: Early Nickelodeons | A-B | C-D | E-G | H-J | K-L | M-N | O-Q | R-S | T-Z | Suburban               Theater Location Built Opened Seats Present Condition Notes Abbey 723 E 47th - - - - j(1913) Aberdeen 1059 W 59th - - - - j(1913) Academy 16 S Halsted 1915 - 962 Demolished a,b,c,p Acme (Temple) 5241 N Clark - - - Retail stores - Adams 20 E Adams 1921 6/-/21 291 - a,b,c Adelphi 7074 N Clark 1917 11/10/17 1308 Closed 2002 a,b,c Admiral 4710 S Indiana - - - - j(1913) Admiral 3940 W Lawrence 1925 - 1500 Adult theater b,c Alamo 3639 W Chicago 1925-26 8/18/26 1556 Demolished b,c Albany 3050 W Madison - - - - j(1913) Albany Park (Albany) 3317 W Montrose 1915 12/9/15 300 - a,b,c Alcazar 69 W Madison - - 298 Demolished a,b,c Alice 34 S Halsted - - - Demolished a Alma 5352 S Wentworth - - 292 - a,b,c Alpha 5419 S Ashland - - - - j(1913) Alpha 4717 N Robey 1911-12 - - - p Alvin 860 E 63rd - - - - j(1913) Alvin 1614 W Chicago 1913 - 540 Retail store a,b,c Ambassador 5825 W Division 1925 10/20/25 2500 Church b,c American 8 N Ashland 1913 - 1220 Demolished c American 1252 N Milwaukee 1904 - 275 Retail store a,b,c,s,t Americus 3437 W Ogden - - 664 - c,j(1913) Annex 5152 S Halsted - - - - j(1913) Angelus 124 E 51st - - - - j(1913) Apollo Randolph near Clark - - - - - Apollo 530 E 47th 1909 - 696 Renamed Earl, 1920; demolished a,b,c,d,p Archer 2008 W 35th 1910 - 1000 - b,c,s Argmore 1040 W Argyle 1913 - 625 Retail stores a,b,c,p Aristo 2650 N Lincoln - - 600 Retail stores a,j(1913) Armitage 3553 W Armitage 1916 - 943 - b,c,r,s Arrow 1436 W Fullerton 1908 - 250 Apartments a,s,t Ashland 1656 W 12th - - 290 Demolished j(1913),s Ashland 1611 W Madison - - 800 Demolished a,b,c Ashland Square 1618 W 18th - - 297 Demolished a,s Astor 10 S Clark 1922 9/2/22 300 Demolished a,b,c Atlantic 3950 W 26th 1917 - 1158 Retail stores a,b,c Atlas 4711 S State 1914 - 695 Retail store a,c,r,s Auburn 7835 S Halsted - - - - j(1913) Auerbach's 2111 W Division - - - - a Austin 5619 W Madison 1913 - 533 - a,c,r Avaloe 2811 W Diversey 1927 11/23/27 299 Demolished b,c,s Avalon 1675 E 79th 1926 8/29/27 2414 Performing arts center; closed 2003 b,c Avenue 306 S Cicero - - 595 Demolished b,c Avenue 3110 S Indiana 1913 - 636 Demolished b,c Avers 3825 W 26th 1910 - 299 Retail store a,s,t Avon 3327 W Fullerton 1914 - 750 Church a,b,c Baird 5331 W Madison - - - - - Band Box Madison, near LaSalle 1915 10/16/15 - - - Banner 1611 N Robey - - 796 Demolished 1952 a,c,s,q Barbee's Loop 57 W Monroe - - - Demolished a Beach 1504 E Hyde Park ca. 1913 - 1000 Closed 1921; became bank; demolished j(1914-17) Bell 1539 N Milwaukee 1912-13 - 600 Store r,s Bell 3062-64 W Armitage - - 570 Demolished a,b,c,s Bell 2407 W Madison - - - - a,j(1913) Belmont 1635 W Belmont 1925 9/13/26 3252 Converted to condos, 1996-97 b,c Bel-Park 3231 N Cicero 1926 3/11/27 2600 Bingo hall c Ben Hur 306 S Cicero 1917 9/15/17 530 Demolished r Bertha 4717 N Lincoln 1913 - 591 Retail stores a,b,c,p Beverly 1545 W 95th 1935 - 1242 Church s Bijou 300 S Halsted 1883 12/31/83 1300 Opened as Standard; demolished s Bijou Dream 178 S State - 1905 500 Closed 1922 - Biltmore 2046 W Division 1920 1/15/21 1800 Demolished a,c Biograph 2433 N Lincoln 1914 - 1000 Movie theater a,b,c Bishop 1815 W Ogden - - 282 - c,j(1913) Bismarck 1252 N Milwaukee - - 275 - j(1915-17),s Blaine 3743 N Southport 1912 - 299 Theater a,b,c Bonita 6435 S Halsted - - - Closed 1924 a Boulevard 1606 W Garfield 1915 11/25/15 971 Demolished a,b,c Bowen 3021 E 92nd - - 298 - a,b,c Bridgeport 2837 S Archer 1910 - 295 - a,b,c,p Brighton 2843 W 38th - - - - j(1913) Brighton (Brighton Park) 4221 S Archer 1919-20 - - Closed 1991 a,c,p Broadway 5206 N Broadway - - - Closed 1918-21; became auto dealership j(1914-18) Broadway Strand 1641 W Roosevelt 1917 11/10/17 1587 Demolished 1998 b,c Brookline 7107 S South Chicago - - - - a,j(1913) Bryn Mawr 1125 W Bryn Mawr 1912-13 - 780 Grocery store a,b,c,p Buckingham 3319 N Clark 1913 - 965 Theater a,b,c Bugg 3940 N Robey 1916-17 3/3/17 998 Demolished a,b,c,p Burford's 202 S State - - - - a Burnside 9304 S Cottage Grove - - 282 - a,b,c Burton 3830 S Indiana - - - - j(1913-16) Burton's 560 W Madison - - - - a Butler 518 W 26th - - 299 Store a,b,c,s Byrd 4730 W Madison 1917 - 1438 Demolished - Notes: (a) Listed as "motion picture theater" in the 1923 edition of Polk's City Directory; (b) listed as "motion picture theater" in the 1928-29 edition of Polk's City Directory; (c) listed in The Film Daily 1929 Year Book; (d) data from Chicago Defender; (e) built/opened dates based on Billboard coverage of the event; (f) location based on Motion Picture News articles from the period; (g) opening date based on Motion Picture News coverage of the event; (h) seating capacity based on Motion Picture News articles from the period; (j) name and location based on Chicago Tribune theater listings; (p) construction dates based on city of Chicago building permit ledgers; (q) demolition date based on city of Chicago building permit ledgers; (r) date built from Sanborn Fire Insurance Company maps; (s) capacity from Sanborn Fire Insurance Company maps; (t) date built derived from Cook County Assessor's Office records. Other Considerations: 1. Locations, years built and razed, and opening dates have been compiled from a variety of sources, including theater advertisements, city directories, and fire insurance maps. 2. Seating capacities have been compiled primarily from those listed in fire insurance maps. 3. The present condition of the theater is indicated only if known and independently verified. 4. This database is under constant revision; new or more accurate information is added as additional research is completed. Alternative Street Names: 12th=Roosevelt, 22nd=Cermak, Armitage=Center, Crawford=Pulaski, Evanston=Broadway, Grand Blvd=South Parkway=Martin Luther King Drive, Robey=Damen. Last updated: 31 July 2005 Suggested Reading · George D. Bushnell, "Chicago's Magnificent Movie Palaces," Chicago History 6 (Summer 1977), 99-106. · Ben Hall, Best Remaining Seats: The Story of the Golden Age of the Movie Palace (DaCapo Press, 1988). · Lary May, Screening Out the Past: The Birth of Mass Culture and the Motion Picture Industry (Univ. of Chicago Press, 1983). · Michael Putnam, Silent Screens: The Decline and Transformation of the American Movie Theater (Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 2000). · Robert Sklar, Movie-Made America: A Cultural History of American Movies (Vintage, 1994). · Maggie Valentine, The Show Starts on the Sidewalk: An Architectural History of the Movie Theater (Yale Univ. Press, 1996). 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