Des Plaines Theatre

History:

The Des Plaines Theatre was built in 1925 as the northwest flagship for the suburban Chicago Polka Brothers circuit of Maywood. It was constructed by businessman and saloon owner Barney Winkelmann on the site of the later residence of Socrates Rand, Des Plaines' first settler. The Spanish Baroque Revival building is the only known theatre designed by Betts and Holcomb departing from the Tudor aesthetic, with ebullient polychrome Terra Cotta. The theater's success prompted the Polkas to build the larger Pickwick in neighboring Park Ridge several years later. After successfully hosting the likes of Gene Autry in vaudeville and film, the theater was purchased by H and E Balaban, a spinoff of Balaban and Katz, in 1935, and received a streamline modern redecoration by Pereira and Pereira, including its distinctive marquee. The theater remained a popular first-run and discount house until a 1982 fire damaged the building's storefronts. Although the theater itself suffered little damage, it remained closed for a year, and business never fully recovered. After a series of sales, the theater was twinned in 1987 by Kohlberg Theaters, with much of the décor obscured by walls, a dropped ceiling, and flat black paint, and became newly popular for bargain-basement late runs. In 1998, Jim and June Burrows of Chicago refurbished the theater for first-runs, but were unable to make it profitable. It then transitioned to Indian language films, then closed for a period when a bank purchased it, planning to demolish it for a new drive-through. The bank’s plans were thwarted by community outcry and a zoning denial. Previous operators Dhitu and Dharmesh Bhagwakar purchased the building in 2003, continued showing Indian films, and in November 2010 commenced major renovations to restore the building for use as a live theater.