According to Cinema Treasures:
"The Pantheon opened its doors in 1918 for the Lubliner & Trinz chain, located in the Uptown neighborhood on Sheridan Road at Eastwood Avenue. At the time it opened, it was said to have 3000 seats. It was the largest movie theater in the area until seven years later, when the nearby Uptown Theatre opened. The theater cost over $750,000 to build, and was decorated in the style of the Italian Renaissance, complete with a double organ and a 30-piece orchestra. Within a few years, the operation of the Pantheon was taken over by Essaness until, like so many other theaters in Chicago, it was added to the always-expanding Balaban and Katz chain. By the 50s, the Uptown neighborhood was no longer the entertainment mecca it was from the 1910s through WWII, and the Pantheon's fortunes rapidly declined, as did the rest of Uptown. The Pantheon remained in operation into the early 60s. It was demolished in 1962 and was replaced by a parking lot."
If Ahlschlager's name sounds familiar, it's because he designed a number of Uptown's most prominent buildings, including the Sheridan Plaza Hotel. Get a PDF download of some of his work here: Walter Ahlschlager.
3 comments:
Bill,
I just found this fabulous article on the theatres in Uptown. It is wonderful to see the pictures and learn their histories. Also, it was great to see that someone else remembers Happy Jack's Restaurant of which I had many hot corned beef sandwiches there. They were a little fatty and greasy but really good, especially the kosher pickles and the rye bread. I lived at 835 W. Lawrence at the time. It is also great to get a better perspective of the location of the Lakeside and the Pantheon theatres. I had the Lakeside closer to Lawrence. I lived on Leland across the street from the Pantheon,also after Lawrence. I was the first building behind the liquor store on Sheridan Road on Leland. I think it was the S&L Liquor store or maybe the S&L was across from Walgreens adjacent from Happy Jack's. I remember the Pantheon to be black shiney marble on the outside. I believe I saw Gone With the Wind there. It was bigger than life. So many happy memories of the theatres I went to, the Lakeside, Pantheon, Uptown and Riviera. Thank you so much for all your pictures and information. It was great!!!
Cheryl Peck
The Pantheon was our "go to" theater when I was a kid. I remember the black marble facade. I seem to remember that it had some stylized figures with wings or flowing hair attached to the black marble.
I think you are mixed up about the locations. I believe that the Pantheon was on Sheridan at Eastwood and the Lakeside was on Sheridan at Leland.
Hey dick you are right about the location of the Pantheon
the Lakeside was on Sheridan at Lakeside PL. (hence the name)
bill
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