Chicago Theatre

Oriental Theatre
Milwaukee, WI
Photo courtesy Don Gardner

The Oriental Theatre gives Milwaukee moviegoers plenty to look at before the feature begins. The vertical sign catches your eye outside, but inside you'll find ornate columns, elaborate tilework, and onion-domed details. This is one theater where arriving early has its advantages.

Built in 1927 by Saxe Amusement Enterprises, the Oriental was designed by Milwaukee architects Dick & Bauer with a mixture of Asian and Middle Eastern influences. It became a three-screen cinema in 1988 without sacrificing its grand central auditorium. Another tradition began in 1978, when midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Showbrought a different kind of audience participation.

UPDATE: Operated by Milwaukee Film since 2018, the Oriental continues presenting films and special programs. Fortunately, its elaborate interior remains part of the experience. The movie may change, but the surroundings are worth another visit all by themselves. 07-26

Du Page Theatre (Demolished)
Lombard, IL
Photo courtesy Don Gardner

The DuPage Theatre gave downtown Lombard a little Spanish-style movie-palace glamour. Opened in 1928, it welcomed audiences beneath a terra-cotta facade and into an atmospheric auditorium with twinkling stars and projected clouds overhead. For the price of admission, you could spend an evening on an indoor Spanish terrace.

Later years brought discount movies and a division into three auditoriums, covering much of the original interior. Preservationists fought to save the building, but the long campaign ended with demolition in 2007. Fortunately, a few pieces escaped the wrecking ball.

UPDATE: The theater is gone, but its ornate, 1,600-pound ticket booth was restored and installed inside Lilac Station, the apartment development on the site. Reproduced decorative details also recall the old building. It's a small consolation, but something from the DuPage survived beyond the photographs. 07-26

State Theatre
Logansport, IN
Photo courtesy Emily Steele

The State Theatre brings a welcome touch of movie-house style to downtown Logansport. Its marquee marks a building that once housed Seybold's Dry Goods, making this a place where shoppers eventually traded merchandise counters for a seat at the movies.

The State opened June 8, 1940, with Cary Grant and Irene Dunne in My Favorite Wife. First-run screenings ended in 2012, but Kevin Burkett purchased the theater in 2014 and began restoring it for live entertainment. In 2016, he donated it to the nonprofit State Theatre Preservation Society.

UPDATE: The State continues hosting concerts, comedy, theatrical performances, and community programs. It's downtown Logansport's last remaining theater, where the Roxy, Logan, and Paramount once competed nearby. Fortunately, this former dry goods store is still giving people a reason to head downtown for an evening out. 07-26

Arcadia Theatre (Gone)
Olney, IL
Photo courtesy Don Gardner

The Arcadia Theatre still looks like it ought to be showing movies. Sitting along Main Street in downtown Olney, its distinctive marquee continues to catch your eye, making it easy to imagine crowds gathering beneath it on a Friday night.

Opening in 1927, the Arcadia entertained local audiences for decades before eventually being divided into multiple screens to keep up with changing times. Like so many neighborhood theaters, it remained a familiar downtown landmark long after the glory days of the movie palace had passed.

The projectors may be silent today, but the old theater still has plenty of character. Buildings like this have a way of making you slow down and wonder how many Saturday nights began beneath that marquee.

UPDATE: The Arcadia Theatre closed in 2016 and remains vacant. Its marquee survives, though the original "ARCADIA" sign above it has been removed. 07-26

Fountain Square Theatre
Indianapolis, IN
Photo courtesy Emily Steele

The Fountain Square Theatre has been anchoring the corner of Shelby and Prospect streets since 1928. Its marquee still announces an entertainment destination, although the attractions inside have changed considerably since moviegoers first filled the roughly 1,500-seat auditorium.

The building offered more than movies from the beginning. A bowling alley and billiard hall occupied the fourth floor from 1928 until 1957. Decades later, restoration brought bowling back upstairs, with eight lanes of duckpin bowling opening in a setting designed to recall the 1930s. That's quite a bonus attraction above an old movie house.

UPDATE: The former theater continues as a wedding and special-event venue within the restored Fountain Square Theatre Building. Between the auditorium, bowling, and other businesses, the property remains a neighborhood gathering place. Fortunately, there's still plenty happening behind that familiar marquee. 07-26

Town Theatre (Rem.)
Flora, IL
Photo courtesy Don Gardner

The Town Theatre has one of those facades that says exactly what it is. Its bold lettering and streamlined design still stand out along the streets of downtown Flora, reminding you of a time when nearly every town had its own neighborhood movie theater.

Built in 1950 to replace Flora's older Roxy Theatre, the Town welcomed moviegoers for more than sixty years before the final film was shown in 2012. Fortunately, the building didn't stay dark forever. A local nonprofit stepped in to restore the theater, and today it has a new life as the Nostalgia Theatre, hosting live music, plays, and community events.

UPDATE: The former Town Theatre continues operating as the Nostalgia Theatre while volunteers work to preserve and restore the historic building. 07-26