Former Famous Theatre 1916-1950s. Today’s All Nations Pentecostal Church in West Humboldt Park
Whether a movie palace or a storefront Chicagoans didn’t have to go too far to see a movie in the early 1900s
With almost 200 sites and 87 pictures the Movie Theaters map should keep anyone interested in former movie theaters busy. Some working theaters have been included but most of the sites no longer show movies. They have been adapted as churches for the Black community, music venues, shops and more. The oldest on the list are the Try-it Theatre and Schindler’s Theater both from 1908. The largest with seating for just under 4,400 is the tragically long time vacant Uptown Theatre. The smallest on the map is the Premier Theater on Ashland which seated just 218. Finally, an astounding 148 of them were in business during the 1910’s!
I have recently decided to stop letting “perfection” get in the way of posting, so this is even more of a work in progress than earlier maps. Check back for updates or let me know if anything needs to be fixed. If you’ve been bitten by the old movie theater bug check out the Cinema Treasures website. They cover all theaters past and present, standing and demolished.
An alphabetical list of all the sites is located below the map. A click on the list will jump you to its location on the map.
Contact CBA for a custom guided ride that includes some of these sights and for gift certificates for the cyclists in your life. Also, this map is just one layer of many on The Map, where you can plan your own ride, run, or walk around Chicago.
Sources: Cinema Treasures, Sanborn Fire Maps, Nicholas Mollet’s Map Icon Collection
