Pickwick Theatre
The Pickwick Theatre is a landmark Art Deco movie palace in Park Ridge, Illinois, opened in 1928 and designed by architects Roscoe Harold Zook, William F. McCaughey, and Alfonso Iannelli. Famous for its dramatic 100-foot tower and an auditorium styled after Aztec and Mayan temple architecture, the Pickwick remains one of the Chicago region’s best-preserved single-screen theatres and a beloved community institution still operating today.
At a glance
- Type
- Movie palace / cinema
- Period
- 1926–1928
- Style
- Art Deco with Aztec-Mayan Revival interior
- Location
- Park Ridge, Illinois, USA
- Coordinates
- 42.0106° N, 87.8292° W
- Architect(s)
- Roscoe Harold Zook, William F. McCaughey, Alfonso Iannelli
Overview
The Pickwick Theatre stands as one of the finest surviving Art Deco cinema palaces in the American Midwest. Located in downtown Park Ridge, Illinois — a suburb immediately northwest of Chicago — it has operated as a cinema continuously since its 1928 opening, making it one of the longest-running single-screen theatres in the country. Named by Park Ridge mayor William H. Malone I after Samuel Pickwick, the protagonist of Charles Dickens novel The Pickwick Papers, the theatre blends glamorous Deco exterior detailing with a fantastical Mesoamerican-inspired auditorium that captivated Depression-era audiences seeking escapism and spectacle.
History
The Pickwick opened on 9 September 1928 as a combined vaudeville stage and movie house, seating 1,400 patrons. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, recognising its architectural and cultural significance. A 1968 renovation removed 200 seats, and a $1.2 million project in 2012 further reduced capacity to around 800 while upgrading the roof and mechanical systems. In 1990 three additional screens were added in an annex behind the original building, and a 39-seat theatre was installed on the second floor in 2017. The Pickwick gained national fame when its distinctive tower marquee appeared in the opening credits of the television show At the Movies, hosted by critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, cementing its place in American popular culture.
Architecture & Design
The exterior presents a restrained but striking Art Deco facade dominated by a 100-foot vertical tower clad in terracotta ornament and topped by an illuminated marquee. Inside, the main auditorium abandons the European Baroque vocabulary common to earlier movie palaces in favour of a bold Aztec-Mayan Revival scheme: richly coloured murals, stylised serpent motifs, stepped geometric friezes, and simulated temple stonework create the effect of a pre-Columbian ceremonial space. Alfonso Iannelli, a sculptor and designer closely associated with Frank Lloyd Wright, contributed the interior decorative programme. The result is an unusually coherent Art Deco-Mesoamerican fusion that was sensational in 1928 and remains exceptional today.
Cultural significance
The Pickwick is one of fewer than 200 original single-screen movie palaces still operating in the United States. Its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places (1975) and its recognition as one of Illinois 200 Great Places during the state 2018 bicentennial celebrate its dual status as an architectural gem and a living piece of cinema history. For generations of Park Ridge residents, the Pickwick has been the backdrop for first dates, Saturday matinees, and community gatherings — a continuity rare in the era of multiplex redevelopment.
Visiting today
The Pickwick Theatre continues to screen first-run films and hosts special events and private rentals. The box office is open on screening days; check the official website for current showtimes. The ornate main auditorium is accessible to ticket-holders; guided group tours can be arranged in advance. The theatre is a short walk from Park Ridge downtown dining and shopping district.
Getting there
The Pickwick Theatre is located at 5 S. Prospect Avenue, Park Ridge, Illinois 60068. By CTA, take the Blue Line to the O’Hare branch and exit at the Park Ridge stop, then walk approximately five minutes south. By car, the theatre is about 15 miles northwest of downtown Chicago via I-90/I-94; street parking and a nearby municipal lot are available.
Sources & resources
Find it on the map
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