Woods Theatre
The Woods Theatre was a movie palace located at the corner of Randolph and Dearborn Streets in Downtown Chicago. It opened in the 1920's and was popular entertainment destination for decades. The Woods was designed in the grand style of movie palaces of the early 20th century by the firm Marshall & Fox, which also designed such still-extant Chicago structures as the Blackstone Theater (later renamed the Merle Reskin Theatre) and the Drake Hotel. Although it was demolished in the 1990's, it was considered for entry in the National Register of Historic Places.
The theatre's demolition in the 1990's was part of a controversial urban renewal project. Beginning with the demolition of The Garrick Theatre on Randolph, many of Chicago's classic theatres were demolished either because of disuse or disrepair. The Woods was located on the parcel directly northwest of the controversial Block 37, which once housed The Roosevelt and United Artists theatres, and has been sitting vacant for nearly twenty years.
The facade of the Woods Theatre and its marquee can be seen in the parade scene of the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The final film to be shown at the Woods was Hellraiser 3.