Portage Theater
Encyclopedia
Located at Six Corners
in the Portage Park
neighborhood of Chicago's Northwest Side, the Portage Theater is one of the oldest movie houses in Chicago. Designed by Mark D. Kalischer and Henry L. Newhouse, the Portage Theater opened on December 11, 1920 as the Portage Park Theatre (the former name is still visible on the building's facade). Built for the Ascher Brothers circuit with 1,938 seats, the Portage was the first theater built specifically for film
(and not vaudeville
) in the area.
The Portage Theater's interior features a megaphone-shaped auditorium
based on a formal Beaux-Arts opera house
design. When the theater was taken over by Balaban and Katz
in 1940, its marquee
, entrance lobby and foyer
were redecorated in a sleek, streamlined art deco
style to complement other prominent art deco
designs at Six Corners
such as Sears department store and the Klee Brothers building.
The Portage remained a popular fixture of the neighborhood, becoming a second-run movie house in the 1960s. In the 1980s, the theater underwent a dramatic change when a wall was constructed down the middle of the existing auditorium
, resulting in two oddly-shaped cinemas. The Portage was shuttered in 2001 after operating sporadically for the previous couple years. The theater was restored and renovated, and reopened after a five-year hiatus in the spring of 2006 as a single-screen, 1300-plus seat theater showing both silent
and sound classic motion pictures as well as hosting other live events.
Today the historic Portage Theater is the home of the Silent Film Society of Chicago, The Northwest Chicago Film Society and hosts the Chicago Silent Film Festival as well as portions of the Chicago Polish Film Festival. In addition, the interior of the theater was utilized extensively in late May 2008 for filming of scenes for the film Public Enemies (2009 film) which is based on the life of 1930's bank robber John Dillinger
. The interior of the Portage was reportedly used as a stand-in for the Biograph Theater
on Lincoln Avenue
, where Dillinger enjoyed his last movie before being fatally wounded by FBI agents upon exiting the theater.
Six corners
Six Corners is a shopping district in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago's Northwest Side.-History:The area's name is from the intersection of three streets—Irving Park Road, Cicero Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue . Its history as an urban center began in the 1840s, eventually becoming the...
in the Portage Park
Portage Park, Chicago
Portage Park is located on the northwest side of the City of Chicago, Illinois and is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas. Portage Park is bordered by the community areas of Jefferson Park and Forest Glen to the north, Dunning and the suburb of Harwood Heights to the west,...
neighborhood of Chicago's Northwest Side, the Portage Theater is one of the oldest movie houses in Chicago. Designed by Mark D. Kalischer and Henry L. Newhouse, the Portage Theater opened on December 11, 1920 as the Portage Park Theatre (the former name is still visible on the building's facade). Built for the Ascher Brothers circuit with 1,938 seats, the Portage was the first theater built specifically for film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
(and not vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
) in the area.
The Portage Theater's interior features a megaphone-shaped auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
based on a formal Beaux-Arts opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
design. When the theater was taken over by Balaban and Katz
Balaban and Katz
The first incarnation of the Balaban and Katz Theatre corporation appeared in 1916 in Chicago by A. J. Balaban, Barney Balaban, Sam Katz, and Morris Katz. It held its first meeting as a Delaware corporation on January 21, 1925. Famous Players-Lasky Corporation bought a controlling interest in...
in 1940, its marquee
Marquee (sign)
A marquee is most commonly a structure placed over the entrance to a hotel or theatre. It has signage stating either the name of the establishment or, in the case of theatres, the play or movie and the artist appearing at that venue...
, entrance lobby and foyer
Foyer
A foyer or lobby is a large, vast room or complex of rooms adjacent to the auditorium...
were redecorated in a sleek, streamlined art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style to complement other prominent art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
designs at Six Corners
Six corners
Six Corners is a shopping district in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago's Northwest Side.-History:The area's name is from the intersection of three streets—Irving Park Road, Cicero Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue . Its history as an urban center began in the 1840s, eventually becoming the...
such as Sears department store and the Klee Brothers building.
The Portage remained a popular fixture of the neighborhood, becoming a second-run movie house in the 1960s. In the 1980s, the theater underwent a dramatic change when a wall was constructed down the middle of the existing auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
, resulting in two oddly-shaped cinemas. The Portage was shuttered in 2001 after operating sporadically for the previous couple years. The theater was restored and renovated, and reopened after a five-year hiatus in the spring of 2006 as a single-screen, 1300-plus seat theater showing both silent
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
and sound classic motion pictures as well as hosting other live events.
Today the historic Portage Theater is the home of the Silent Film Society of Chicago, The Northwest Chicago Film Society and hosts the Chicago Silent Film Festival as well as portions of the Chicago Polish Film Festival. In addition, the interior of the theater was utilized extensively in late May 2008 for filming of scenes for the film Public Enemies (2009 film) which is based on the life of 1930's bank robber John Dillinger
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
. The interior of the Portage was reportedly used as a stand-in for the Biograph Theater
Biograph Theater
The Biograph Theater, at 2433 North Lincoln Avenue, Lincoln Park in Chicago, Illinois, was originally a movie theater but now presents live productions. It is notable as the location where bank robber John Dillinger was shot by FBI agents after watching a gangster movie on July 22, 1934...
on Lincoln Avenue
Lincoln Avenue (Chicago)
Lincoln Avenue is a major diagonal thoroughfare of the north side of city of Chicago. It runs from Clark Street on the western border of Lincoln Park largely to the northwest, ending in Morton Grove, Illinois...
, where Dillinger enjoyed his last movie before being fatally wounded by FBI agents upon exiting the theater.