Located at 1749 West Howard in Rogers Park was the Norshore Theater.  It opened on June 17, 1926.  The architects were Cornelius Ward  Rapp and George Leslie Rapp.  The theater was a large structure with 3017 seats and one screen. 

     It was quite an elaborate structure.  It was built in The French Renaissance Style.  The lobby had crystal chandeliers.  The ceiling was elaborately decorated with Pompeian motiffs.  There were fine antiques and and a Wurlitzer pipe organ.

     Originally, the Norshore was managed by Lubliner and Trinz Circuit.  Later Balaban and Katz assumed the management.

     The theater closed in 1957.  It was demolished in 1960.  At the former site, there is the Gateway Center Shopping Plaza.

Gateway Center Shopping Plaza

Gateway Center Shopping Plaza

Gateway Center Shopping Plaza

Norshore Theater Internet Photo

Norshore Theater Management was Balaban and Katz

Lobby of Norshore Theater. Internet Photo

     This theater was located at 6225 N. Broadway in the Edgewater neighborhood.  When it first opened in 1915, it was called the Knickerbocker.  It had one screen and 949 seats.  It was part of the Lubliner and Trinz Circuit.

     The name was changed to the Devon Theater in 1929.  The management of the theater was taken over by Essaness at the same time.  It operated as a second run house.  It had a plain appearance compared to the neighboring Granada.

   The theater operated until the 1970’s.   For a while a church operated in the building.  The theater was razed in 1996 by Loyola University.

Devon Theater Internet Photo

Devon Theater Internet Photo

Devon Theater Internet Photo

Likely Site of the Devon Theater

     From 1912 to 1916, there was a small Nickelodeon theater in Rogers Park at 6916 N. Clark Street.  It was called the Park Theater.  It had one screen.  Its capacity was 300 seats.  It was owned by Tagney and Hudson and Edward Benson. 

The site is currently occupied by a muffler and auto store

Site of former Park Theater

Former Site of Park Theater

Internet Photo Casino Theater

     For a brief period of time, there was a movie theater at 7051 N. Clark in Rogers Park.  It was named the Casino Theater.  It had only one screen.  Its capacity was 299 seats.    It apparently operated only from 2013 to 2014.  The former site of the Casino Theater is unrecognizable.  An arched parapet at this site was removed a long time ago.

Former Site of the Casino Theater

Former Site f the Casino Theater

      One of Rogers Park former treasures was the Adelphi Theater.  It was located  at 7074 N. Clark Street (Clark and Estes).  It was designed by John E.O.Pridemore.  It opened on November 10, 2017.  It was managed by Archer Brothers Circuit.  It had one screen and had 999 seats.

     In the 1930’s, it was remodeled in the Art Deco Style.  It was remodeled in the 1940’s and in the 1950’s.

     Starting in the 1960’s, it began to show second run features.  It closed briefly in the early 1980’s.  In the mid 1980’s, it reopened as the North Shore Cinema.  It closed briefly again and reopened as the Adelphi. At this time, it showed East Indian films and Bollywood features.  Unfortunately, over the years the theater deteriorated.  It closed in January, 2002.  Despite efforts to save the structure, it was demolished in 2006 to make way for a condo project which was never completed.  It is now an empty lot.

Adelphi Theater Internet Photo

Adelphi Theater Internet Photo

Adelphi Theater Newspaper Photo

Adelphi Theater Internet Photo

Prior Site of the Adelphi Theater

Former Site of Adelphi Theater

    On the north side of Devon Avenue West of Clark Street at 1618 W. Devon once stood the New Devon Theater.  It was designed by Henry Ross.  It was built in 1912.  It had white glazed brick with dark green glazed brick trim.   It had one screen and 556 seats.  The theater opened in 1913 and closed in 1917.  It was a smaller theater and was unable to compete with larger venues.

     Over the following years, the building served many purposes.  In 1923, it was a Ford Dealership. (Hughey Motor Company).  In 1936, it served as an American Legion Hall.  In 1941, it housed a chapter of America First–an anti-war group.  In the 1950’s, it housed Devon Clark Radio Store which later morphed into Devon Clark TV Store. Since 1963, it has served as a site for the Assyrian American Association of Chicago.

Site of Prior New Devon Theater

Site of New Devon Theater

Site of New Devon Theater

Site of New Devon Theater

Site of New Devon Theater

Site of New Devon Theater

Site of New Devon Theater

     On the north side of Devon Avenue just east of Clark stands a long time Rogers Park establishment known as the Devon Clark Hardware Store.  Many people are unaware that this was the site of a movie theater.  

     Built in 1919, it was a 1200 seat theater.  It had only one screen. The architect was Robert Smith.  It opened on March 1, 1919.  The theater name was the Ellantee.  It was managed by Lubliner and Trinz.  It was closed in 1928.  

     In September of 1930, the building reopened as the Ridge Theater. It closed in 1952.

Ridge Theater Internet Photo

Ellantee Theater

Ellantee  Theater

    It sat empty until September 17, 1930 at which time it reopened as the Ridge Theater.  This business ran until November, 1952.   For a brief time in the 1950’s, it was known as the Capri Ballroom.

     Clark Devon Hardware, the urrent business at this location actually started at a different site in 1924 and relocated to the current site in 1980.

West Fork South Branch Chicago River

Same as above

     At one time, there was a West Fork of the South Branch Chicago River. It roughly followed the tour of the Chicago Portage.   For all practical purposes, the West Fork no longer exists.  It was filled in by the city in the 1920’s.  There are few traces.

     This is an impressive structure located along the North side of the Main Branch Chicago River at McClurg Court.  There is a water canon.   During warm weather water is shot across the River in an eighty foot arc.  This occurs every hour for ten minutes.  The water fountain has an impressive stepped granite pavilion representative of the eastern continental divide.

     The fountain marks the Centennial of the Metropolitan Sanitary District.  The structure was built by Blinderman Construction at a cost of $3.65 million.

Fountain Plaque

Fountain

Same as above

Stepped Granite Wall Representing Eastern Continental Divide

     The fountain was named after Nicholas J. Melas.  He had a long history as a commissioner and President of the Metropolitan Sanitary District.