On November 1st, 2018, the process of dismantling another Chicago landmark is set to begin. The Chicago Avenue Bridge over the North Branch of the Chicago River.is set to be demolished. The current bridge was built over 104 years ago. This is a steel pony truss bascule bridge. It would have been eligible to be on the National Register of Historic Spaces. During its life span, there have been 14 Chicago mayors and 18 U.S. Presidents. Due to lack of regular maintenance, the current bridge has severely deteriorated. It currently supports only one.lame of traffic in each direction.

The current project will be occurring in stages. The current bridge will be removed. For a period of months, there will be no bridge at this site. A temporary bridge will be installed. It will have 3 lanes–2 eastbound and one westbound.

The permanent bridge will be installed in 2021. It will be a fixed bridge. It will have two lanes in each direction.

Old Chicago Avenue Bridge

Old Chicago Avenue Bridge

Bridge House Chicago Avenue Bridge

This Drive In was located at Firano Drive and Davis Boulevard in Naples, Florida. It opened on February 29, 1974. The facility was built by A.W. Cook, Jr of Cook Theaters. He was the contractor for the facility. It had a capacity of 700 cars on two parking ramps. There were 2 screens measuring 80 X 40 feet. Air conditioning units were available for the cars.

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     The drive in was part of a family recreational center.  Included was the drive in theater, miniature golf course, and a driving range.There was a flea market on Saturday and Sunday. Different movie formats were attempted including first run movies, B movies, X and R rated movies.

     The drive in property was sold to a new owner from Fort Lauderdale.  In 1994, they hired Jack Hegarty and his family to manage the Naples Drive In.  He previously managed drive in theaters and worked for General Cinema of Fort Lauderdale.  Changes made by the new management included year long operation of the drive in, farmers market and flea markets Saturday and Sunday. 

   Last movie were shown on April 30, 2006.   Property was sold.  The drive in was demolished.  The property was redeveloped for luxury homes.

   

 The Lincoln Drive In opened at 3901 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Fort.Myers on February 19, 1953.  It was advertised as a theater for people of color only. The Lincoln closed.  It reopened on May 9, 1953 as the Starlite Drive In.

     In 1955, the theater was operated by M. Solomon and ABC Theatrical Enterprises.  The parking ramp had a capacity of 350 cars.  It closed in January, 1970.    It was demolished.

The City Drive In Fort Myers was located at 3853 Cleveland Avenue. It opened in 1952. The theater was opened by C.L. Singleton and Park T. Pigott. By 1955, it was operated by Robert Blatchley. Its capacity was 388 cars. Blatchley also operated the Lee Theater in Fort Myers.

The drive in closed in March, 1966. It was demolished. At one time a K Mart occupied the site. There currently is a Floor and Decor Store at the site.

 

This facility is located at 10 Pine Island Rd. North Fort Myers.

Twistee Treat was a corporate owned chain of ice cream stores founded in 1983. It originated in the North Fort Myers area. It had 23 locations. It was notable for its building in the shape of a soft serve ice cream cone. The chain went bankrupt in the 1990’s.

A new Twistee Treat Company was formed in the Orlando area in 1996. The new company had 35 locations in Florida and Missouri.

In 2010, a new company called Twistee Treat USA was formed. It acquired the patents and the rights of the predecessors. It purchased buildings owned by previous franchisees. Several privately owned locations of the prior companies were allowed to maintain this status. They were given the right to use the Twistee Treat name and the building. design. All new locations are company owned.

    The Northside Drive In is located at 2521 N. Tamiami Trail in North Fort Myers.  It opened  on February 4, 1949 with the name Fort Myers Drive In.  It was operated by S.J. Geiger and Exhibitors Services Company (Jacksonville,FL).  It featured a parking ramp for 500 cars.  There were in car speakers for all of the cars.

     In 1954, the screen was enlarged to allow allow for projection of Cinemascope Movies.

     In 1969, Floyd theaters acquired the Fort Myers Drive In, the Edison Theater, and land for the future Southside Drive In.

     In August 12, 1970, the Fort Myers Drive In was reopened as the Northside Drive In.

     In 1979, a second screen was added to the drive in.

     In January 1996, the drive in was purchased by by Carmike Cinemas.  It was subsequently sold to an independent operator.  The drive in was operational until 2004 at which time it closed.

     The site is currently operated as a flea market.    The property is currently.for sale.

     The Lee Theater was located at the corner of Main Street and Hendry in Fort Myers.  It opened in 1941.  The architect was Frank Bail.  Construction costs were $52,000.    The theater was built for the Cojac Theater chain.  This was a subsidiary of Warner Brothers.    It had one screen and a capacity of 600 seats.   It was still operational as an independent theater as late as 1961.  The building was apparently demolished.

The Biograph Theater is located at 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago. It opened on September 5,1914 as a movie venue. It had 942 seats on a single floor. The architect was Samuel Crowen.

The building style is classical revival. Features included store front width lobby, recessed entry, free standing ticket booth. Exterior was finished with red pressed brick and white glazed terra cotta. In the 1970’s, the second floor was converted to two small auditoriums each with its own screen. Movies were shown until 2001. The theater was closed until 2002. It reopened under management of Village Theaters. It closed again In 2004.

In July 2004, the building was purchased by Victory Guardian Theater (a professional theater company). An architect named Daniel Coffers was hired to supervise a multimillion dollar renovation. Included in the project was a proscenium thrust stage, seating in the main auditorium was reduced to 209, restoration of grand stair case, conversion of the second floor to 135 seat studio theater and an adjacent rehearsal room/multiuse theater. Facades of the theater and adjacent buildings were restored to the 1934 appearances. The remodeling project was completed in 2006. The name of the theater was changed to Victory Gardens at the Biograph.

During the years that the Biograph operated as a movie theater, it was managed by multiple movie chains. These included: Cineplex Odeon, Essaness Theater Corporation, Lowes Cineplex, Lubliner and Trinz, Meridian Theater, Plitt Theaters, and Village Theaters.

The Biograph Theater was listed on the National Register of Historic Spaces in 5/17/1984.

It was named a Chicago Landmark on 3/28/2001.

The area around the Biograph Theater is probably best known as the site where John Dillinger was shot and killed on in July 22, 1934. He was attending a showing of Manhattan Melodrama (starting Clark Gable). After leaving the theater, he was confronted by a group of FBI agents led by Melvin Purvis. He was killed in the alley adjacent to the theater.

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     This sculpture is located in Lincoln Park at 2045 N. Lincoln Park West, Chicago.  It was installed in 1891.   The winning artist was Louis T. Rebisso.  He was one of 12 competitors for the project.

   His sculpture consisted of an 18 foot tall equestrian bronze statue above an elegant stone arched structure.  At the dedication in 1891 over 200,000 people attended.

     In the mid 1990’s, the structure was renovated.  Included in the project was cleaning and tuckpointing the masonry, treating the bronze sculpture, and installing new lights.