Lincoln Village 1-6
6341 McCormick Boulevard,
Chicago,
IL
60659
6341 McCormick Boulevard,
Chicago,
IL
60659
8 people
favorited this theater
Showing 126 - 150 of 187 comments
Truth Revealed,
What are your sources for why AMC Loews unloaded this place? Also,I called the Bloomingdale Court theatre today. Per the recording, it is a Village Theatre still and it is still playing movies.
After reading these comments, I must clarify a few assumptions about this theatre:
1.) During negotiations for the AMC-Loews merger, AMC had to choose which theatres to keep and which to dump because of monopoly laws governing businesses. Thanks to a Loew’s district manager who didn’t like individuals working at Lincoln Village at the time, she suggested that the LV be one of the theatres to dump.
My opinion: if AMC had known the opportunities present at LV, they most definitely would’ve kept the theatre, while providing the necessary updates and renovations currently in desperate need today.
2.) It is not the building’s managers that are to blame, it is the company/owner of Village Entertainment that are to blame. If they believed that investment leads to profit, then L V wouldn’t not be as shabby as it is today (those pictures make the theatre look a lot better than it really is). The company is too cheap to provide basic repairs.
3.) The real story on the parking lot- The city only asked one requirement for the lot to be re-opened: to re-pave the lot to rid it of the many potholes. The owner didn’t want to spend any money, so the lot is closed.
4.) Actually, Bloomingdale has already switched owners: It is now owned by an Indian movie company. Don’t know details of that switch of hands.
5.) Lincoln Village has entirely too much potential to be run into the ground, but Village Entertainment managed to make it fail, those comments were true.
Currently, the problems at Lincoln Village:
No working escalator or elevator
No heat
No working water fountains
No parking lot
Torn and ragged carpet
Dirty carpet
And I’m sure there are other problems unknown to me. Unfortunately for customers, none of these inconveniences will be corrected for the duration of the theatre’s existence. The company doesn’t care enough. It isn’t up to the management of the theatre itself to make the decisions as they don’t have the money to pay for these repairs, but the company, including owners, don’t care enough to fix anything. They just want to see how much money they can make before the theatre gets shut down.
North Riverside is currently closed, but will re-open in about two weeks.
Village North will stay open for a while.
Glenwood will stay open too. It’s more of a community theatre. No real competition there. But it doesn’t do much business.
The fate of Lincoln Village will be revealed by Nov. 30th. But I suspect it will be shut down by the city sometime soon.
There is hearsay about the theatre being turned into a School for Jewish Girls, but I remain unsure about that fate.
And Village Entertainment likes to find ways to avoid contacting them as they would surely get more complaints and continue to do nothing. Even if you get the number to a corporate office, it will lead you to a voicemail.
There’s no hope with Village. It’s going down. It needs to be put to rest. There has been enough suffering. Customers have been neglected long enough.
I re-reviewed BW’s photos above and it looks like this place is in fairly decent, if not spectacular, shape. Nothing that some general renovations couldn’t fix.
Someone else stated that the nearby Lincoln Village Shopping Center has been recently renovated and is now doing well. Why can’t this theatre fare just as well? Between the LV Shopping Center and the Home Depot across the street (and that the theatre building is enormous), it’s not like this place is hidden.
I wonder why AMC-Loews gave up on the place.
I stopped in last night. They are open and playing current films (30 Days of Night, Dan in Real Life). The employees do not know when the theater will close.
It was still open as of October 20, as was the neighboring car wash.
I noticed that Village apparantly has not updated its website since September 21. Also, I tried calling the phone number for the L-V, but it kept on ringing. Perhaps it is already closed?
What a crazy situation.
It appears that it is “curtain call” for this theatre. I dare say that operations are day-to-day, so you’d better get there quickly if you want to see it.
This artice View link appeared in the PIONEER PRESS, a local paper.
Cinemark Fan,
Could it be that Classic Cinemas might not want to pay the high City of Chicago amusement tax?
If this place got a good makeover, (but keep some of the CO decor) it would do well as a 2nd run, but it could still bring in business as a 1st run. I belive the only real competition is the Kerasotes Village Crossing 18 in Skokie. And I was also wondering why Classic Cinemas doesn’t step in and come to the city? Now looking at the structure, it’s possible to add stadium seating, and maybe a few screens to it. But that’s what I would do.
As far as my project is going, I’m still trying. It’s a hard business to get in to, but I’m not giving up. When I finally make it, my goal will be to bring back the old school flavor to theaters today.
Cinemark Fan,
It is interesting that the theatre’s 2005 occupancy permits show it as being a Cineplex-Odeon. But if I’m not mistaken, C-O passed from the Chicago scene a few years ago. Also, the theatre doesn’t look bad at all. It looks like it just needs someone to come in, spiffy up the auditoriums, and promote the place. It makes me wonder why Classic Cinemas won’t come into the city and take over places like these.
Also, my good friend and fellow CTer Paul Fortini once said that places like these were an attempt by Cineplex-Odeon to modernize the movie-going experience for Chicagoland movie-goers. The original Linclon Village had become so run-down that this place was originally seen as an improvement. It is certainly an impressive looking structure. I think it would make money given the right management.
Speaking of which, how is your theatre project coming along? Don’t you think that this place, in the right hands, could be good again? Maybe as a 2nd-run place?
Man, looking at those photos, I am reminded of how much I miss Cineplex Odeon. I wonder if they would’ve used their zig-zag design if they opened a new theater today.
The only differences is the seats & curtains. Burnham’s seats were blue/grey, and LV’s seats are red like McClurg Court. And LV has waterfall curtains, Burnham had the regular ones in theaters 4-5. And that’s something I would like to do with screens when I finally own theaters. Thank you for posting those BWChicago, I look foward to see what you post next.
Wow, it looks just like the old Burnham Plaza!
Recent photos are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/ctid5960
When exactly is this theatre scheduled to close?
I noticed the barricades around the parking lot with “No Trespassing – property of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago” two weeks ago. The building has been donated to Chabad Lubavitch and will be renovated into their new girls' school within two years.
I believe that of all the theatres built for Cineplex-Odeon in the city of Chicago, this will leave only the 600 North Michigan. All of the others (Bricktown, Burnham Plaza, & Lincoln Village) are or will be gone.
But I believe that the 600 North was built sometime after these and of a different design.
The River Oaks 6 is currently runned by Jenco (as the Lansing Cinema 8) and the Rivertree Court is currently runned by Kerasotes Theaters.
Well, the Glenwood might remain awhile.
I know the feeling. I was surfing youtube last night, and when I typed in Cineplex Odeon and found that, I flipped out. I felt like I was five & seeing that before “GoldenEye” with my family at McClurg Court auditorium #1 again. I can also recall seeing that at River Oaks screen 10 when I saw “True Lies” with the bunch. I was four, and that was on my brother’s 19th b-day.
I have lots of moviegoing memories associated with that CO policy trailer.
Wow, pretty soon the only thing left from Village will be the Village North. Life’s Too Short was right, it won’t reach 20 years old. Which is a shame, all it needed was a good makeover, and the parking lot re-paved. Oh well, another Cineplex Odeon built around 1987-1990 bites the dust. Now that leaves just River Oaks 6, North Riverside, Rivertree Court, and Bloomingdale(who’s time will come).
Lincoln Village 1-6: June 30th 1989 – September 2007. RIP.
PS: As a nod to LV and CO, I found this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GFL3iwLHkI
LINCOLN VILLAGE 1 – 6 TO CLOSE OVER RENT DISPUTE
I was there the week of August 2, 1968 when the original Lincoln VIllage first opened. If I’m not mistaken, their debut film was No Way to Treat a Lady followed by The Green Berets. Not the most auspicious unveiling for such a lavish picture palace.
So many memories! It was where I first saw Robin fall for Marian, crossed The Bridges of Madison County and took my maiden cab ride with Travis Bickle.
The original single-screen Lincoln Village Theatre was a modern showplace: almost 1,500 seats and the capability of showing both 35mm and 70mm in addition to deluxe 6 track stereo sound. Managed by Brotman & Sherman, two shrewd impresarios who helped put the “show†back in show business; it was one of the last great movie theaters to be constructed before multiplexing took over.
For the rest of the story, visit: View link
I would definitely put my money on the Lincoln Village in the Village Deadpool. Why? Because the parking lot that served the theater has now been closed off and put up for lease by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. As a result, Village is instructing patrons to park across the street at Home Depot, as cars parking in the adjacent shopping centers would result in towing. I’m sure the fact that they’ve lost their parking lot is just that darned rotten luck that seems to befall Village rather than any poor management or business relations.
This does seem like a particularly snazzy C-O theater though. Aside from the cool fact that it’s two stories, and the unusual ziggurat exterior appearance, the auditoria have a neat little curve toward the screen like an older theater would, and they seem to all have waterfall curtains that are no longer used. It looks like things haven’t changed a bit from the Cineplex days… it’s neat to see them around still. To Village’s credit, the place seemed pretty clean, seats were more or less decent still, and projection and sound were good. The escalator doesn’t seem to still be used though.
this place used to be really nice its were i always went as a kid. now its is just terrible everytime i ago there something is broken. the patrons that go here give me the creeps too.