Located in West Ridge at 2516 West Devon, the Cine Theater once stood..  It opened in 1937.  The architect was George Leslie Rupp.  It was operated by the Balaban and Katz Group.   It had one screen.  It had a capacity of 1200 seats.  Its style was described as stream line moderne.  It was in operation until 1953.    Apparently, the theater was inexpensive and featured B movies

     After the theater closed, the building was used as a clothing store.  More recently it houses an Indian Restaurant.

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     Beginning in January of 2013, construction started on a new CTA substation at Farrell Avenue.  The purpose was to increase capacity in the Red and Purple Lines.

     When completed, the structure was a three story brick building on the east side of the tracks.  It is 34 feet in height, 19 feet deep, and 181 feet long.  

     Incoming power of 12,600 volts from Com Ed is routed through protective switchgear,a transformer that reduces voltage and a rectifier that converts a.c. to d.c. current.  This then is fed to the third rail.

Text posted 6/1/2018

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      Located in the West Ridge neighborhood of Chicago was the Nor town Theater.  It stood at 6320 North Western Avenue.  It was built for Publix, Balaban and Katz Group in 1930.The architect was J.E.O.Pridmore.  It originally had one screen and a capacity of 2,086 seats.

     The interior was decorated in a marine motif.  There were mermaids, seahorses, and zodiac signs.  The ceiling featured a representation of the April constellation.  An astronomy professor from the Armour Institute was consulted to produce an accurate representation.

     Noted film critic Gene Siskel was a frequent attended at the theater as a youth.

     In the later years, the Plitt Theater Group acquired the theater.  In the mid 1980’s, they converted the Nortown to 3 screens.  Ownership then converted to Cineplex Odeon.  Unfortunately, this company painted over the interior of the theater including the murals.

   The Nortown closed as a movie theater in 1990. It was used as community center and a church.  Prior to its demolition, the interior decorative plaster fixtures were removed and sold.  The marquee was removed. Eventually, the theater was demolished in 2007.

     Amrit  Patel, a local business entrepreneur, wanted to build a multistory condominium at the site of the demolished theater.  The building was also to have two small theaters featuring Indian  and Pakistani films.   Due to many factors, the project never materialized.  Eventually, a Wendy’s fast food restaurant was built at the site.

     The Krause Music Store was located at 4611 North Lincoln Avenue.  It was commissioned in 1921 by William Krause to serve as a residence and a music store.  The total cost was $22,000.

     Mr. Krause chose his neighbor William Presto as the architect.  Presto had served in the past as a draftsman for Louis Sullivan.   He had asked Sullivan to design the building’s green terra cotta facade.  At this time, Sullivan was in ill health and was insolvent.  Likely for these reasons he accepted the commission.

     Sullivan designed an elaborate terra cotta facade.  It consisted  of detailed curvilinear and geometric forms.  Material for the project was supplied by the American Terra Cotta Company.

     The building opened in 1922.  It sold piano and sheet music.  It also sold radios. During the Depression, Mr. Krause committed suicide in the second floor family apartment.

     His widow rented and then sold the building to a funeral home.  For many years it functioned in this capacity.  During this time, the building was neglected, the terra cotta facade was acid washed and lightened

     In September, 1977, the facade was designated as a Chicago Landmark.  During the ensuing years, there were many owners.

      In 1990, Scott Elliott opened Kemscott Galleries.  He restored the front.  At the turn of the century, a gift shop called Museum of Decorative Art occupied the space.  In May, 2005, Pooja and Peter Vukosavich purchased the building.  They restored the Sullivan Facade.  They renovated the main floor for their company Study V Design.  

     In 2006, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Post written on June 2, 2018