Pickwick Theatre

Pickwick Theater Building

Pickwick Theatre
Location 5 S. Prospect Ave., Park Ridge, Illinois
Coordinates 42°0′38″N 87°49′45″W / 42.01056°N 87.82917°W / 42.01056; -87.82917Coordinates: 42°0′38″N 87°49′45″W / 42.01056°N 87.82917°W / 42.01056; -87.82917
Area 0.4 acres (0.16 ha)
Built 1928
Architectural style Art Deco
NRHP Reference # 75000657[1]
Added to NRHP February 24, 1975

The Pickwick Theatre is an art deco movie palace located in Park Ridge, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

Designed by Roscoe Harold Zook, William F. McCaughey, and Alfonso Iannelli, the Pickwick opened in 1928 as a vaudeville stage and movie theatre. It is widely recognized for its marquee and 100-foot tower, which appeared in the opening credits of Siskel & Ebert & the Movies.[2] The main auditorium, built to resemble an Aztec or Mayan temple, seats up to 1,400 people.[3]

The theater was named in 1928 by then Park Ridge Mayor William Malone for the title character Samuel Pickwick in Charles Dickens' novel The Pickwick Papers.[4]

The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975[5] and continues to host films as well as live stage shows. In 1990, theatre management expanded the Pickwick by adding three new screens behind the original auditorium. New movies arrive every Friday. The newest movie is usually played in the main theatre for the first week and then is rotated throughout the three back theatres for the following weeks at the theatre.

The Pickwick Theatre is open every day of the week with early matinee times Friday, Saturday and Sunday and every day during the summer. Admission is $6 for everyone to shows starting at 5pm or earlier, and for senior citizens ages 65+ all the time. After 6pm, general admission is $8.

Notes

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ Mike Thomas. "Screen gems: Theaters are piling on the perks. Where should you see your next movie?" Chicago Sun-Times. 3 March 2006.
  3. ↑ Avis L. Weatherbee. "Screen Gems: A Gilded Tour Of Our Remaining Movie Palaces". Chicago Sun-Times. 18 March 1994.
  4. ↑ Anne Lunde. "Park Ridge's Pickwick Restaurant Set To Close Dec. 7" Journal & Topics Online. http://www.journal-topics.com/news/park_ridge/article_c2fb1f88-6e9a-11e4-9f1d-d7ba64b6bd91.html. 17 November 2014.
  5. ↑ Registered Historic Places in Cook County, Illinois. Retrieved 21 June 2007.


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