Patio Theater
 | |
| Address | 6008 West Irving Park Road Chicago, Illinois 60634 United States |
|---|---|
| Owner | Privately Owned |
| Type | Cinema |
| Capacity | 1494[1] |
| Current use | 2nd Run / Special Screening |
| Construction | |
| Opened | January 29, 1927[2] |
| Closed | 2001 |
| Reopened | June 3, 2011 |
| Architect | R.S. Wolff |
| Website | |
| http://www.patiotheater.net/ | |
The Patio Theater is a movie palace located in the Portage Park community of Chicago.
The theater originally opened in 1927 with a capacity of 1,500 people. Its atmospheric auditorium was designed in the Neo-Pompeiien fashion, with various Spanish and Italian architectural influences present as well. One of the theater's most prominent design features is the auditorium ceiling. The ceiling replicates a night sky by use of dark blue paint, blinking lights, and clouds that are displayed on the ceiling via projector. The original horizontal theater marquee is still in place. The vertical section was removed in the 1970s.
Still in place within the auditorium is the theater's original Barton pipe organ. Once used to accompany silent films, the organ fell into disrepair and was restored in the 1960s. After its restoration, it provided music for various shows and sing-alongs.
The theater was shuttered in 2001 due to failure of its air conditioning chillers and issues regarding a then new license instated by the City of Chicago. Renovations began on the theater in 2010, and were finished in 2011. The theater officially reopened on June 3, 2011. The first film to touch the screen in over 10 years was Thor.
The theater installed a 2k digital cinema projector in late 2012 after a Kickstarter campaign. It retains dual 35mm film projectors.
After a period of showing "intermediate run" new releases, the theater transitioned to a rental-based business model in June 2013. The nonprofit Northwest Chicago Film Society is currently in residence there. [3]
Notes
External links
- Theatre Website
- The Patio Theater at cinematreasures.org
- [1] Theater Organ information
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