Will Rogers Theater

5641 W. Belmont Avenue,
Chicago, IL 60634

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Showing 76 - 81 of 81 comments

fab4fan
fab4fan on February 10, 2005 at 5:09 am

I remember seeing many of my favorite Disney movies there in the 1980s (Snow White, Cinderella, etc.) As the previous poster pointed out, the theater probably would have gotten a lot of business nowadays, considering it’s in a well-traveled area.

Jayne2
Jayne2 on November 24, 2004 at 7:13 pm

I used to pass by this theater on the bus to work every day in the late 80’s while it was still open and then when it closed and was demolished. It seems when it was open, they didn’t do much to try to increase business or interest in the theater. I always thought it would be a great place to restore, it wasn’t in bad shape or anything, just needed some TLC and someone to take interest. It’s in a very busy area with lots of foot traffic. Today, I think it would do very well. It’s unfortunate that the owners sold out for a strip mall.

lucyvanpelt
lucyvanpelt on September 20, 2004 at 7:44 pm

I saw many Disney movies there as a child. I was so sad to see this theater torn down.

acarlson
acarlson on July 21, 2004 at 9:38 pm

I beleive that the chair was ABC theatre’s. I worked there in 1973 as an usher.

richardg
richardg on December 12, 2003 at 1:43 am

I was visiting Chicago during the early stages of the theatre’s demolition and went inside. I’d estimate the seating to be in the 1200 range including the balcony. The Belmont/Central area of Chicago is a nice section of the city and the theatre looked as though it had been well cared for. I have some interior pictures of the theatre which I’ll submit when the process is back online.

josephshapel
josephshapel on July 11, 2002 at 8:12 pm

What a 60"s theater!I use to go there on Tuesdays at 10am.for their fun show which showed cartoons and had prize give-aways.My mother Frances would take me there in her 1965 Ford Falcon.This theater had bright red carpeting and was very small in size.Had a very twinkling sky ceiling that was beautiful to watch.They truly dont build them like this anymore.It was a shame to knock it down to make way for a mini-mall.