The Woods Theatre was a

movie palace A movie palace (or picture palace in the United Kingdom) is any of the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opening every year between 192 ...

located at the corner of Randolph and Dearborn Streets in the

Chicago Loop The Loop, one of Chicago's 77 designated community areas, is the central business district of the city and is the main section of Downtown Chicago. Home to Chicago's commercial core, it is the second largest commercial business district in Nort ...

. It opened in 1918 and was a popular entertainment destination for decades. Originally a venue for live theater, it later converted to show movies. It closed in 1989 and was demolished in 1990.

History

Live theater

The Woods Theatre was built by theatrical producer Albert H. Woods. He had opened the

Eltinge Theatre The Empire Theatre (originally the Eltinge Theatre) is a former Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 234 West 42nd Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1912, the theater was ...

in New York City to host his Broadway productions, and wanted a similar venue in Chicago for his road companies. The Woods opened on March 11, 1918, with a production of '' Friendly Enemies''. It was designed in a

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style by the firm

Marshall and Fox Marshall and Fox was a United States architectural firm based in Chicago from 1905 to 1926. The principals, Benjamin H. Marshall and Charles E. Fox, designed a number of significant buildings of many types in Chicago and other cities, but they were ...

, which also designed such still-extant Chicago structures as the Blackstone Theatre (later renamed the Merle Reskin Theatre) and the Drake Hotel. The ten-story building included the theater at the ground level and offices above.

Movie theater

The Woods converted to show movies in 1932. It later became the flagship venue for Essaness Theatres, which moved its headquarters into the building. Starting in the 1950s, the building featured an unusually large marquee facing Dearborn Street. The facade and its marquee can be seen in the parade scene of the 1986 film ''

Ferris Bueller's Day Off ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' is a 1986 American teen comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes and co-produced by Tom Jacobson. The film stars Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, and Alan Ruck with supporting roles by Jennifer Grey ...

''.

In its later years the quality of the venue declined. In 1982, the management had to pay for medical treatments when a patron was bitten by a rat during a show. By 1988, the Woods had become the last of the Chicago Loop movie houses. It closed on January 8, 1989, after a screening of '' Hellbound: Hellraiser II''.

Demolition

After being considered for entry in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, it was demolished in 1990. The demolition was part of a controversial urban renewal project. Beginning with the demolition of the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play ...

on Randolph, many of Chicago's classic theaters were demolished either because of disuse or disrepair. The Woods was located on the parcel directly northwest of the controversial

Block 37 108 North State Street, also known as Block 37, is a development located in the Loop community area of downtown Chicago, Illinois. It is located on the square block bounded clockwise from the North by West Randolph Street, North State Street ...

, which once housed the

Roosevelt Roosevelt may refer to: *Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th U.S. president * Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd U.S. president Businesses and organisations * Roosevelt Hotel (disambiguation) * Roosevelt & Son, a merchant bank * Rooseve ...

and

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

theaters. The site of the Harris and Selwyn (later Cinestage and Michael Todd, then Dearborn Cinemas) is now occupied by the

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the lan ...

Center. Block 37, which remained vacant until 2005, is southeast of the Goodman site.

Premieres

Movies that held their premieres at the Woods Theatre included: * '' The Big Sky'' (August 6, 1952) * ''

The Moon Is Blue ''The Moon Is Blue'' is a play by F. Hugh Herbert. A comedy in three acts, the play consists of one female and three male characters. Performance history ''The Moon Is Blue'' premiered at The Playhouse in Wilmington, Delaware on February 16, 19 ...

'' (June 22, 1953) * '' Monkey on My Back'' (May 14, 1957) * '' It's Alive'' (April 26, 1974)

References

External links

Cinema Treasures: Woods Theater, Chicago, IL
{{Chicago Theatre District Demolished buildings and structures in Chicago Demolished theatres in Illinois Former cinemas in the United States Former theatres in the United States Buildings and structures demolished in 1990