Probably one of the most elaborate and one of the largest movie theaters on the north side of Chicago was the Granada Theater.  It was built in the Spanish Baroque Style. It was located at 6427 N. Sheridan Road in Rogers Park.  It was built for the Marks Brother Circuit. The architect was Edward Eichenbaum.

     The Granada opened in 1926.  It was designed for live stage shows  and movies.  It had one screen.  Its capacity was 3,448 seats.

     The theater was sold to Balaban and Katz chain in 1932. After a brief closure, it reopened in 1933.  It began showing double feature films.   By the 1940’s, the Granada was only showing movies.  During the ensuing years, the theater was managed by United Paramount, ABC Great States and Plitt Theaters.  It closed in 1978.

     From 1978 until the mid 1980’s, it was occasionally used for rock concerts.

      The theater was purchased by Senior Life Styles Corporation .  They demolished the building in 1989–1990.     A joint venture of SLC (senior life styles corporation) and Loyola Development Company was responsible for construction of a 16 story mixed use complex to be called the Granada Center.  The project began in March, 1990 and completed by spring, 1991. 

     The plan was for 166 rental apartments and a parking garage. There was  to be 75,000 square feet of rental  retail and office space.

     Loyola University was to occupy 31,000 square feet of office space on the second, third, and fourth floors.  The ground floor and the balance of the second floor was to be occupied by retail shops, convenience and service businesses.

     The architect for the project was the firm of Mann, Gin, Ebel & Frazier, Limited.    Project cost was $24.5 million.   Financing was through American National Bank and Trust Company of Chicago.

     The building was subsequently purchased by Loyola University.  This was used for student apartments, retail space and university offices.

The New 400 Theater is located at 6746 North Sheridan Road in Rogers Park. This is the most recent of many names given to this location

The first name of this venue was the Regent Theater. It opened in late 1913 as a vaudeville and movie house. It had one screen and a capacity of 725 seats.

In 1930, it was renamed the 400 theater. This was a reference to a popular term describing the top 400 individual in high society.

In 1990, the venue was divided into four separate auditoriums–3 with seating of 200; one with seating of 150.

It was purchased by the owners of the Village Theater in Old Town. It was modernized and renamed the Village North Theater.

In September, 2008, it began operating as a Visionary Theater.

In January, 2009, it closed.

It reopened in July, 2009 as the New 400 Theater

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    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.

     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.

     

 

     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

     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.

      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.

    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.

     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.

    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.