Ascher Brothers

Last updated

Ascher Brothers was a theater business in Chicago and Wisconsin. [1] It was owned by brothers including Max Ascher, Nathan Ascher, and Harry Ascher who established it in 1909. [2] The business owned more than two dozen theaters [3] and was one of the city's largest owners of theaters along with Balaban and Katz and Lubliner and Trinz. [4] The brothers exited the theater business in 1929. [5]

Ascher Brothers was founded in 1909 and operated nickelodeons and acquiring, leasing, and constructing additional theaters through the 1910s. By 1919 Ascher Brothers operated at least 15 theaters including the Adelphi, Calo, Milford, Cosmopolitan, Metropolitan, and Crown. They added the Portage Park Theatre Building built in 1919. [5] Their theaters succeeded the simple storefront operations and preceded the grand theater houses of the 1920s. [5]

One of their theaters opened across from Marshall Field and Company on State Street. [6] [7]

Their theaters included organs and five-piece orchestras [8] including at the Portage Theater. Henry L. Newhouse designed several of their theaters.

By 1923, Goldwyn Pictures owned a 60 percent stake in Ascher company stock. [9]

Theaters

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shubert Organization</span> Theatrical producing organization and a major owner of theatres

The Shubert Organization is a theatrical producing organization and a major owner of theatres based in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded by the three Shubert brothers in the late 19th century. They steadily expanded, owning many theaters in New York and across the United States. Since then it has gone through changes of ownership, but it is still a major theater chain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapp and Rapp</span> American architect

C. W. & George L. Rapp, commonly known as Rapp & Rapp, was an American architectural firm famed for the design of movie palaces and other theatres. Active from 1906 to 1965 and based in Chicago, the office designed over 400 theatres, including the Chicago Theatre (1921), Bismarck Hotel and Theatre (1926) and Oriental Theater (1926) in Chicago, the Five Flags Center (1910) in Dubuque, Iowa and the Paramount Theatres in New York City (1926) and Aurora, Illinois (1931).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Theatre</span> Theater and former movie theater in Chicago, Illinois, United States

The Chicago Theatre, originally known as the Balaban and Katz Chicago Theatre, is a landmark theater located on North State Street in the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois. Built in 1921, the Chicago Theatre was the flagship for the Balaban and Katz (B&K) group of theaters run by A. J. Balaban, his brother Barney Balaban and partner Sam Katz. Along with the other B&K theaters, from 1925 to 1945 the Chicago Theatre was a dominant movie theater enterprise. Currently, Madison Square Garden, Inc. owns and operates the Chicago Theatre as a 3600 seat performing arts venue for stage plays, magic shows, comedy, speeches, sporting events and popular music concerts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uptown Theatre (Chicago)</span> United States historic place

Uptown Theatre is a currently closed movie palace and concert venue located in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Designed by Rapp and Rapp and built by Paschen Bros. contractors, it is one of the many movie palaces built by the Balaban & Katz theatre chain run by A. J. Balaban, his brother Barney Balaban, and their partner Sam Katz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granada Theatre (Chicago)</span> Former movie theatre

The Granada Theatre was a 3,400–seat movie palace located at 6427-41 North Sheridan Road in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. It was constructed in 1926 for the Marks Brothers, who were major theatre operators in the U.S. Edward E. Eichenbaum was the principal designer for the architectural firm of Levy & Klein. Eichenbaum also designed the Marbro, Regal, and Century theatres.

Barney Balaban was an American film executive who was the president of Paramount Pictures from 1936 to 1964 and an innovator in the cinema industry.

There are more than 350 places listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places in Chicago, Illinois, including 83 historic districts that may include numerous historic buildings, structures, objects and sites. This total is documented in the tables referenced below. Tables of these listings may be found in the following articles:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balaban and Katz</span>

Balaban and Katz Theater Corporation, or B&K, was a theatre corporation which owned a chain of motion picture theaters in Chicago and surrounding areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riviera Theatre</span> Music venue and former movie theater in Chicago, Illinois

The Riviera Theatre is a concert venue located on the north side of Chicago, Illinois, United States.

Plitt Theatres was a major movie theater chain in the United States and went under a number of names, Publix Theaters Corporation, Paramount Publix Corporation, United Paramount Theatres, American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres and ABC Theatres and operated a number of theater circuits under various names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tivoli Theatre (Chicago)</span>

The Tivoli Theatre was a movie palace at 6323 South Cottage Grove Avenue, at East 63rd Street, in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago's South Side. It was the first of the "big three" movie palaces built by the Balaban & Katz theatre chain run by brothers A. J. Balaban, Barney Balaban and their partner Sam Katz, who were also owners of the Rivera Theater and the Central Park Theater, that opened on 16 February 1921.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copernicus Center (Chicago, Illinois)</span>

The Copernicus Center is a 1,852-seat former movie palace that is now part of the Copernicus Center in the Jefferson Park community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The Copernicus Center is located at 5216 W. Lawrence Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portage Theater</span>

Located at Six Corners in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago's Northwest Side, the Portage Theater is one of the oldest movie houses in Chicago. The Portage Theater opened on December 11, 1920 as the Portage Park Theatre. Built for the Ascher Brothers circuit with 1,938 seats, the Portage was the first theater built specifically for film in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. J. Balaban</span> Pioneer Luxury Motion Picture Palaces

Abraham Joseph Balaban, known as A. J. Balaban or Abe Balaban, was an American showman whose influence on popular entertainment in the early 20th century led to enormous innovations in the American movie-going experience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres</span> Broadcasting and movie theater company

American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, Inc. was the post-merger parent company of the American Broadcasting Company and United Paramount Theatres.

The Milford Theatre was a movie palace located at 3311 N. Pulaski Road, in the Avondale neighborhood of Chicago. Constructed in 1917, like the Portage Theater, it was designed by Henry L. Newhouse and opened for the Ascher Brothers circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Col. Wood's Museum</span> Museum and public theatre in Chicago, Illinois

Col. Wood's Museum was a museum and public theatre located in Chicago, Illinois. The museum was founded in 1864, but was destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire. A second incarnation opened in 1875, but it was also destroyed by fire. The final incarnation of the museum was opened in 1884. In addition to museum exhibits, the museum in its various iterations also included a theatre which presented plays to the public. The museum is perhaps most famous for at one point housing a pair of mummies as well as sheets of papyri that had once belonged to Latter Day Saint movement founder Joseph Smith.

Elmer Balaban was an American theater owner and early cable television provider.

Henry L. Newhouse (1874–1929) was an architect in Chicago, Illinois. His work includes the Milford Theatre (Chicago), Blackstone-State Theater, and Sutherland Hotel. He also designed Elam House (1903) and Chicago Defender Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffery Theater</span> Building in Chicago, Illinois

The Jeffery Theater is a vacant theater building at 1952 E. 71st Street, in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood.

References

  1. ↑ Schiecke, Konrad (February 10, 2017). Downtown Chicago's Historic Movie Theatres. McFarland. ISBN   9780786488650 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ "Max Ascher, Chicago Theatre Owner, Dies After Long Illness". July 23, 1934.
  3. ↑ "The Chicago Banker: A Weekly Paper Devoted to the Banking and Financial Interests of the Middle West". Chicago Banker Company. May 1, 1922 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ Balaban, David (October 13, 2006). The Chicago Movie Palaces of Balaban and Katz. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   9780738539867 – via Google Books.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "PORTAGE PARK THEATRE, Final Landmark Recommendation adopted by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks" (PDF). City of Chicago. March 7, 2013.
  6. ↑ Schiecke, Konrad (February 10, 2017). Downtown Chicago's Historic Movie Theatres. McFarland. ISBN   9780786488650 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ "Movie Theaters Previously Operated by Ascher Brothers Inc. - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org.
  8. ↑ "The Moving Picture World". World Photographic Publishing Company. August 22, 1916 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ "Millard County Progress Review | 1923-05-18 | New Yorker Buys Chicago Theatre". newspapers.lib.utah.edu.
  10. ↑ Schiecke, Konrad (February 28, 2011). Historic Movie Theatres in Illinois, 1883-1960. McFarland. ISBN   9780786449200 – via Google Books.
  11. ↑ "The Moving Picture World". World Photographic Publishing Company. October 13, 1916 – via Google Books.
  12. ↑ M.H. Doner. "Profile No. 4 - Eddy Hanson". The Tibia (Summer, 1957 ed.). p. 8 – via journals.shareok.org.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.