The award-winning Elmhurst History Museum is hosting a retrospective of Chicagoland Movie Palaces: A Century of Follies & Film. This is so fitting as Chicago is the original capital of the Film Industry. In the early film days, it is estimated that Chicago had more theaters per capita than any other city in the United States. Chicago in the 1920s was home to more than fifteen film exchanges, including Paramount, Metro Goldwyn & Mayer, Warner Brothers, Universal, and RKO, before the movie-making industry trekked off to better climes and scenery in Hollywood, California.
This enlightening original exhibit features pictures, stories, and artifacts from the first movie palaces built in Chicagoland by such amazing architects as Cornelius Ward Rapp (1860-1926) and his brother George Leslie Rapp (1878-1941). Their firm designed hundreds of spectacular, lavishly decorated, ornate palaces reminiscent of French Baroque or Spanish Revival styles. The Chicago Theater on State Street in the Loop, originally the Balaban & Katz Chicago Theater, is an excellent example of the opulence created by the Rapps to whisk its patrons to a grand time and place. The self-guided tour points out that the theaters originally housed vaudeville acts. The Elmhurst History Museum exhibit has a succinct video of some vaudevillian acts.
The exhibit, through historical pictures, film artifacts, publications, advertisements, and archival films, brings the history of the film entertainment industry to life. There is even a hint of a murder scandal with Edison’s fellow compatriots over Louis le Prince’s patents for his first motion picture camera. Guests will also enjoy a variety of interactive elements in Chicagoland Movie Palaces: A Century of Follies & Film, from a foley table and ticket booth to touchscreens featuring oral histories, movie trailers, and more.
My friend and I visited on the opening Friday, September 6 at 1:00 p.m. of Chicagoland Movie Palaces: A Century of Follies & Film. It runs through January 5, 2505. You will enjoy this exhibition if you are a history, movie, or architecture buff. There is a free parking lot and an accessible handicap entrance. Also, we found a delightful row of restaurants across from the adjacent bank parking lot, including Al Fresco dining. The museum is housed in the lovely Glos Mansion built in 1892 by Elmhurst’s first Village President, Henry Glos (1851-1901), and his wife Lucy (1852-1941). Their impressive gazebo, like Mausoleum, is just across the street from the home and will surely capture your attention.
Accompanying this exhibition are the following programs:
Lights, Camera, Action: The History of Chicago Film Lecture; 2 p.m. Sunday, October 6 (FREE to Members, $5 Non-Members)Trivia Night with Elmhurst Brewing;7 p.m. Thursday, October 17 (FREE)Young Frankenstein Film Screening; 2 p.m. Friday, October 18 (FREE)Classic Cinemas Bus Tour;8:15 a.m. Monday, October 21 ($35/person) Chicagoland Movie Palaces: A Century of Follies & Film Gallery Talk; 12 p.m. Sunday, November 3(FREE to Members, $5 Non-Members)No One Ever Sees Indians: Native Americans in Media Lecture;2 p.m. Sunday, November 17 (FREE)A Classic Hollywood Christmas Lecture; 2 p.m. Sunday, December 8, 2024 (FREE to Members, $5 Non-Members)Elf Film Screening; 10 a.m. Saturday, December 14 ($5/person)
Chicagoland Movie Palaces: A Century of Follies & Film will be displayed from September 6, 2024, to January 5, 2025. The Elmhurst History Museum is open to all ages and offers free admission. However, donations are always welcomed and greatly appreciated. The museum is open 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. Sunday & Tuesday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Saturday, and closed Monday. For additional information, please visit EMH online. Elmhurst History Museum’s Chicagoland Movie Palaces: A Century of Follies & Film exhibit is sponsored by Feze Roofing, McGrath Elmhurst Toyota, Classic Cinemas, Rotary Club of Elmhurst, Community Bank of Elmhurst, and the Elmhurst Heritage Foundation.
Photos: Courtesy of Elmhurst History Museum and Daniel Lund
Splash Magazines
Interesting exhibit!