Biography theater chicago illinois

In it was converted into an auto garage. FBI agents took aim at John Dillinger from the roof of the building in Photos added of one time Biograph owner Jack Cooney. Via Tim O'Neill. Saw this photo posted on the CT main page. Login or Sign up. Recent comments view all comments. If I were him, I'd be pretty angry at the mistake.

Biography theater chicago illinois

And angry he might be. Rumor has it that the alley where Dillinger was gunned down is haunted by the ghost of whoever the victim was, Dillinger or otherwise. Occasionally a ghost has been known to wander the location, often seen roaming the alley. Regardless, the theatre now is open only to special events, having shut down a few years back as a real movie theatre.

When I walked by, there was no one in the ticket booth and the alleyway door was shut. Unable to see anything I snapped a few pictures and went on my way. I guess a few years ago, you were able to see a movie, sit in the chair that Dillinger did and even walk out through the alley that Dillinger exited from. The theatre is apparently now being converted and restored for live plays and should be open again in the fall of There are two other noteworthy pieces of information about the Dillinger incident.

Apparently the gun he was carrying at the time he was gunned down and then later shown off at the FBI headquarters was manufactured five months after Dillinger's death. Designed in by Samuel N. Crowen, an architect known for his classically detailed designs, the Biograph Theater possesses many of the distinguishing characteristics of the earliest movie houses, including a simple storefront-width lobby, recessed entrance, free-standing ticket booth, and canopy marquee.

The building is finished with red pressed brick and white-glazed terra cotta, and its construction typifies the first-generation movie houses whose architectural style gave legitimacy and respectability to the fledgling motion picture industry. Modern Theater look, via Victory Garden, Inc current owner. The Biograph Theater is best-known as the place where John Dillinger met his demise when federal agents shot him.

Part of Dillinger's reason for being at the Chicago theater was its state-of-the-art cooling system. It remains an architecturally significant site and a reminder of an era when lavish theaters were built with regularity. The theater opened in , and typical of that era, enjoyed a lavish design including red pressed brick, terra cotta details, and electric lights and bright signs.

Built at a time when the movie industry was transitioning from nickelodeons to lengthy films, the Biograph joined many upscale movie palaces built during the era, notably in the s when the economy boomed. The Biograph Theater was designed to provide legitimacy to the yet-to-be successful film industry, but certainly one with potential. Gangster John Dillinger liked movies, too, and his visit to the Biograph Theater gave the movie palace fame.

The Justice Department had spent enormous time and effort and money to catch him, but he largely lived a normal life, seemingly going unnoticed. He regularly attended Cubs games, dined in restaurants, and as would be the case in -- go to the theater.