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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING THE DES PLAINES THEATRE'S 100TH ANNIVERSARY
WHEREAS, opening its doors on August 9, 1925, the Des Plaines Theatre was founded by local entrepreneur Barney Winkelmann and leased and operated by the Polka Brothers circuit from Maywood; and
WHEREAS, together, they built the theatre to be one of the first large entertainment venues to be built in the Northwest suburbs as they transitioned from farm towns into commuter villages; and
WHEREAS, designed by architects Betts & Holcomb, they developed an unusual Spanish Baroque style for the theatre with the aim of creating a large theater that was both beautiful and cost-effective, in contrast to the more heavily ornamented downtown Chicago's movie palaces; and
WHEREAS, the first patrons on Aug. 9, 1925 saw the film, "Are Parents People," but they also saw interior decoration designed by noted Park Ridge artist Edgar Miller, including a dazzling white, gold, and blue terra cotta-lined lobby with a decorative tile floor, an auditorium lit by hidden multicolored lighting, gold-painted plaster ornament, and six large dangling lanterns; and
WHEREAS, the main attraction was always movies, with silent films accompanied by a substantial Geneva pipe organ, but in the early days a vaudeville stage entertainment show came first, with Sunday shows often featuring entertainment borrowed from downtown Chicago; and
WHEREAS, among the many early acts that played were Gene Autry, animal circuses, high school plays, political meetings, and community choirs; and
WHEREAS, the theatre was successful enough that the Polka Brothers were inspired to build the larger and more elaborate 'Pickwick' flagship theatre in Park Ridge a few years later; and
WHEREAS, the talking pictures came to Des Plaines in April 1929, but the Great Depression soon followed and The Polka Brothers ran into financial problems; and
WHEREAS, by 1934, the organ and sound equipment were auctioned to pay fo...
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