Miss E. Mohrmann and Joe Howard signed a five-year lease for a livery building off of Sheridan Road on November 25, 1907 which Mr. Joseph E. Howard has accompanied by former Manager Takacs of the Schwartz Theatre nearby. The former livery stable was converted into the Barrison Theatre, which had a frontage of 70x46 (planned for 70x100 beforehand), a 18x35 stage with a 22x16 opening, and an original capacity of 540 seats (planned for 800 beforehand). Howard and Tekacs left Waukegan for Chicago on C&NW before the people behind the Waukegan News-SUN or real estate men had a chance to whether they intended to build up the former store. The Barrison Theatre opened less than a month later in December 1907 after various waitings.
The Valencia Ballroom opened on December 31, 1926.
It became the Valencia Theatre on March 30, 1935 with Kermit Maynard in “Wilderness Mail” (listed as a World Premiere) and Ray Walker in “City Limits” with no extra short subjects. It had an original capacity of 900 seats.
This first opened as the Waukegan Academy in 1866.
It was announced on January 14, 1916 that the Academy Theater was planned to be built in the site of the Waukegan Academy. During the theater’s construction on February 2, 1916, a worker (reports as a tuckpointer) fell 16ft from the roof to the sidewalk suffering major injuries after losing his balance headlong from a platform near the top side of the wall. He was taken to the Waukegan Hospital downtown as the tuckpointer was identified as John J. Burke, a man in his 60s.
Correction: The Schwartz Theatre Became The Majestic Theatre On October 4, 1913, After A Nine-Year Run As The Schwartz Theatre. It Operated More Than A Few Years.
On January 27, 1904, Samuel Schwartz (familiarly called “Sam”) said in a statement that he would build two places, his own theater and his own hotel. The theater and the hotel that he plans that his hotel and theater will be located at the southeast corner of County and Water streets. He said in the statement that “he have thought for sometime that Waukegan needed a down-to-date theater and a hotel and as he can at the time.”
Unlike most theaters back then, he said that his theater and hotel between it will have a store on each side of the main entrance and below the street level contains a bowling alley and a billiard hall. At the time, the name of his structure hasn’t been named yet. Less than a month later, he named the theater the Schwartz Theatre named after his last name. This was shortly before the theater being leased by Messrs. Rowland, Clifford and Wingfield of Chicago and had over $1,000 paid over on the contract. He said that he wants to have a term for ten years and was for $21,000. He wants it built by local Waukegan contractors.
After construction, the Schwartz Theatre (or Schwartz Opera House) then opened its doors in the middle of 1904, but its grand opening date was lost.
Shortly before Ned Langer opened his new airdome in 1911 off the corner of Genesee and Water streets, he began taking over operations at the Schwartz Theatre that April. For a short period of time, the Schwartz Theatre was renamed Schwartz-Orpheum Theatre by advertisements at a time for some unknown reason, but the Orpheum name was dropped soon after Langer left Waukegan for Dayton, Ohio and later Neenah, Wisconsin. It was the former spare place whenever severe weather strikes at Langer’s Airdome which was located down the street to the Schwartz Theatre.
The Schwartz Theatre closed in May 1913 and was remodeled into the Majestic Theatre which opened on October 4, 1913.
The Majestic Theatre continued to run live presentations and special events as late as 1935.
Opened with Robert Young in “Sitting Pretty” along with two cartoons: “The Magic Flute” (which I forgot where it came from), and Mighty Mouse in “The Catnip Gang”. It actually opened on May 5, 1950 according to its page.
As a single-screener, the Bel Air Drive-In originally had a capacity of 500 cars plus a 200-seat capacity seating arrangement, and has the installation of a panoramic screen. The Bel-Air was first operated by former Madison County Sheriff chief R.L. Wesemann of Collinsville.
What’s crazy about the opening date of the Bel-Air is that the Bel-Air Drive-In opened its gates while the rest of the drive-ins surrounding the metro area closed for the season.
The Bel-Air Drive-In actually opened its gates on Christmas Eve 1953 with Robert Taylor in “Ride, Vaquero”, and John Payne in “The Vanquished” with no extra short subjects, but however, the management on opening day distributed toys to the children only on first night of the occasion.
The Oh-Gee Theatre Became The Lux Theatre On May 16, 1939 With “Stagecoach” Along With A Few Unnamed Short Subjects.
The Lux Closed For The Final Time On June 7, 1958 With “St. Louis Blues” And “Short Cut To Hell” As Its Last Films. Between Both Films Is An Extra Called “Nat King Cole” Which I Don’t Know What In The Living Heck That Came From.
The only headline I can find about the Strand is that the one-and-only Marengo native Mr. John C. Miller operated the Strand until December 1918 when the theater was purchased by C.W. Ritt, who was a former news depot in Woodstock, as the Strand was undergoing some extensive changes.
Mr. John C. Miller along with his wife Mrs. John C. Miller would later open up the famous Miller Theatre (named after themselves) almost a decade later on November 8, 1927.
The Centralia Drive-In may’ve closed in the 1970s. The Kmart that was built in the theater’s site opened in 1980 and operated until June 2002. A Home Center store now sits in its site.
The McHenry Drive-In actually started life as a single-screener on August 30, 1972 with “Kansas City Bomber”, with a capacity of 620 cars, while construction of the second screen was in process at the time of the opening. The theater was actually named McHenry Twin Drive-In 1, in connection of the construction of the second screen.
A second screen was then added nearly almost a year later on July 3, 1973 with “Deliverance” at Screen #1 and “Fiddler On The Roof” at Screen #2, renaming as the McHenry Twin Drive-In 1 & 2. Both theaters had a total investment of $350,000, while the construction pays off only $200,000.
The McHenry Twin Drive-In closed its doors for the final time in October 1984. After sitting abandoned for approximately 3½ years, the twin screens were taken down and the McHenry Twin Drive-In was demolished on May 8, 1988 to make way for houses.
Sorry to say that this was not a 3-screen drive-in, and never known as the Briggsmore 3 Drive-In.
Opened on October 17, 1946 with Bob Hope in “Monsieur Beaucaire” along with a local newsreel “Dunes Review”.
Miss E. Mohrmann and Joe Howard signed a five-year lease for a livery building off of Sheridan Road on November 25, 1907 which Mr. Joseph E. Howard has accompanied by former Manager Takacs of the Schwartz Theatre nearby. The former livery stable was converted into the Barrison Theatre, which had a frontage of 70x46 (planned for 70x100 beforehand), a 18x35 stage with a 22x16 opening, and an original capacity of 540 seats (planned for 800 beforehand). Howard and Tekacs left Waukegan for Chicago on C&NW before the people behind the Waukegan News-SUN or real estate men had a chance to whether they intended to build up the former store. The Barrison Theatre opened less than a month later in December 1907 after various waitings.
The Valencia Ballroom opened on December 31, 1926.
It became the Valencia Theatre on March 30, 1935 with Kermit Maynard in “Wilderness Mail” (listed as a World Premiere) and Ray Walker in “City Limits” with no extra short subjects. It had an original capacity of 900 seats.
It was renamed the Times Theatre in 1938.
This first opened as the Waukegan Academy in 1866.
It was announced on January 14, 1916 that the Academy Theater was planned to be built in the site of the Waukegan Academy. During the theater’s construction on February 2, 1916, a worker (reports as a tuckpointer) fell 16ft from the roof to the sidewalk suffering major injuries after losing his balance headlong from a platform near the top side of the wall. He was taken to the Waukegan Hospital downtown as the tuckpointer was identified as John J. Burke, a man in his 60s.
Correction: The Schwartz Theatre Became The Majestic Theatre On October 4, 1913, After A Nine-Year Run As The Schwartz Theatre. It Operated More Than A Few Years.
On January 27, 1904, Samuel Schwartz (familiarly called “Sam”) said in a statement that he would build two places, his own theater and his own hotel. The theater and the hotel that he plans that his hotel and theater will be located at the southeast corner of County and Water streets. He said in the statement that “he have thought for sometime that Waukegan needed a down-to-date theater and a hotel and as he can at the time.”
Unlike most theaters back then, he said that his theater and hotel between it will have a store on each side of the main entrance and below the street level contains a bowling alley and a billiard hall. At the time, the name of his structure hasn’t been named yet. Less than a month later, he named the theater the Schwartz Theatre named after his last name. This was shortly before the theater being leased by Messrs. Rowland, Clifford and Wingfield of Chicago and had over $1,000 paid over on the contract. He said that he wants to have a term for ten years and was for $21,000. He wants it built by local Waukegan contractors.
After construction, the Schwartz Theatre (or Schwartz Opera House) then opened its doors in the middle of 1904, but its grand opening date was lost.
Shortly before Ned Langer opened his new airdome in 1911 off the corner of Genesee and Water streets, he began taking over operations at the Schwartz Theatre that April. For a short period of time, the Schwartz Theatre was renamed Schwartz-Orpheum Theatre by advertisements at a time for some unknown reason, but the Orpheum name was dropped soon after Langer left Waukegan for Dayton, Ohio and later Neenah, Wisconsin. It was the former spare place whenever severe weather strikes at Langer’s Airdome which was located down the street to the Schwartz Theatre.
The Schwartz Theatre closed in May 1913 and was remodeled into the Majestic Theatre which opened on October 4, 1913.
The Majestic Theatre continued to run live presentations and special events as late as 1935.
Opened in May 1974.
The Waukegan was first managed by William A. Haas, and opened on July 4, 1910 with a live presentation of “Rivola”.
It appears that the Deerpath closed its doors as late as March 1987.
Opened as early as 1898.
The Alcyon Theatre Opened On September 24, 1925.
Opened with Robert Young in “Sitting Pretty” along with two cartoons: “The Magic Flute” (which I forgot where it came from), and Mighty Mouse in “The Catnip Gang”. It actually opened on May 5, 1950 according to its page.
As a single-screener, the Bel Air Drive-In originally had a capacity of 500 cars plus a 200-seat capacity seating arrangement, and has the installation of a panoramic screen. The Bel-Air was first operated by former Madison County Sheriff chief R.L. Wesemann of Collinsville.
What’s crazy about the opening date of the Bel-Air is that the Bel-Air Drive-In opened its gates while the rest of the drive-ins surrounding the metro area closed for the season.
The Bel-Air Drive-In actually opened its gates on Christmas Eve 1953 with Robert Taylor in “Ride, Vaquero”, and John Payne in “The Vanquished” with no extra short subjects, but however, the management on opening day distributed toys to the children only on first night of the occasion.
The Oh-Gee Theatre Became The Lux Theatre On May 16, 1939 With “Stagecoach” Along With A Few Unnamed Short Subjects.
The Lux Closed For The Final Time On June 7, 1958 With “St. Louis Blues” And “Short Cut To Hell” As Its Last Films. Between Both Films Is An Extra Called “Nat King Cole” Which I Don’t Know What In The Living Heck That Came From.
Opened on June 14, 1949 with Monty Wooley in “Miss Tatlock’s Millions” along with an unnamed Popeye cartoon.
The only headline I can find about the Strand is that the one-and-only Marengo native Mr. John C. Miller operated the Strand until December 1918 when the theater was purchased by C.W. Ritt, who was a former news depot in Woodstock, as the Strand was undergoing some extensive changes.
Mr. John C. Miller along with his wife Mrs. John C. Miller would later open up the famous Miller Theatre (named after themselves) almost a decade later on November 8, 1927.
The Centralia Drive-In may’ve closed in the 1970s. The Kmart that was built in the theater’s site opened in 1980 and operated until June 2002. A Home Center store now sits in its site.
Opened as early as 1917.
Closed On September 30, 2012.
It was a twin screener throughout its entire history.
On its opening day, Screen #2’s first attraction was “Network” while Screen #1’s first attraction was “Norman… Is That You?”.
It was closed on June 27, 2021.
Opened On May 18, 2018, Originally Scheduled To Open A Week Prior But Delayed.
The McHenry Drive-In actually started life as a single-screener on August 30, 1972 with “Kansas City Bomber”, with a capacity of 620 cars, while construction of the second screen was in process at the time of the opening. The theater was actually named McHenry Twin Drive-In 1, in connection of the construction of the second screen.
A second screen was then added nearly almost a year later on July 3, 1973 with “Deliverance” at Screen #1 and “Fiddler On The Roof” at Screen #2, renaming as the McHenry Twin Drive-In 1 & 2. Both theaters had a total investment of $350,000, while the construction pays off only $200,000.
The McHenry Twin Drive-In closed its doors for the final time in October 1984. After sitting abandoned for approximately 3½ years, the twin screens were taken down and the McHenry Twin Drive-In was demolished on May 8, 1988 to make way for houses.
Sorry to say that this was not a 3-screen drive-in, and never known as the Briggsmore 3 Drive-In.
Correct. The screens were taken down on May 8, 1988.
Demolished In Late September 1986. The Costco That Sits In Its Site Would Later Open The Following Year In 1987.
The Palace opened as early as 1925, and it became the Straub in 1945.