Adapting with the times has brought Chicago’s Davis Theater to its 100th year
By Kelly Riley
Chicago. The Bean. Willis Tower. Michigan Avenue shopping. These are a few of the big staples of the Windy City. But Chicago is so much more than a tourist city. Each neighborhood is unique.
On the North Side of Chicago is a neighborhood with a history of its own. In the community of Lincoln Square, local businesses line the streets and it is a hip, family-oriented neighborhood. Lincoln Square has an independent book store, its own yogurt shop, a record store, and many more eclectic businesses that add to the community’s uniqueness.
When you walk off the “L” Brown Line into the square, with the apothecary on one side and the yogurt shop on the other, you can look up and see DAVIS, like a skyscraper in the air. The sign beckons visitors to a small movie house called the Davis Theater, which the community has supported as a staple for the past 100 years.
The Davis Theater was built in 1918 originally known as the Perishing Theater. Built in 1918 by the architect Walter W. Ahlschlager, who is famous for the designs of this building and others, such as the Roxy Theater in New York City and the Uptown Broadway Building also located in Chicago, according to The Davis Theater website. During the opening years The Perishing Theater played silent films, the website says. In the 1930s it was converted to the Davis Theater and started showing talkie movies.
Lincoln Square has been full of local businesses, then and now, and the theater has attempted to appeal to the culture. For example, in 1952 they played German-language films due to the influx of German residents, as well as American films, according to the Davis Theater website.
Not only did the theater show interesting movies targeted for the Lincoln Square community, but they showed a variety of different kinds of entertainment. There were puppet shows, revivals and second-run films that had left the bigger theaters, according to the theater’s website.
The Davis has been able to survive for the last 100 years because they adapt to their community, the website notes. The 1990s is when it became an independent theater showing recently released films that play for a few weeks.
In 1999, a demolition plan was set. The Davis was going to be replaced by a residential housing complex, according to ABC 7 Chicago News. The community came together and held a meeting who voiced their concern about the demolition, as reported in the ABC 7 news article by Janet Davies. There was opposition, especially because other small businesses were lost to the bullfinch of residential units.
In December 1999, the property was bid and bought by a non-profit organization, Davis Theater Preservation Corporation, according to ABC 7 Chicago News. The community came together to preserve this theater, because it has important history within Lincoln Square, and the community members have a personal connection with it.
As an independent movie theater, the Davis has had to deal with the ongoing decline in the number of moviegoers. General Manager Ryan Lowry has been working at the Davis for six years. In an email correspondence, he talked about how the community helps keep the movie theater alive.
“Being a neighborhood theater, we are extremely grateful for the local support we receive. The renovations have also allowed us to host events, parties, festivals, etc. which continually brings a new audience.”
In 2016, the Davis shut down for its most recent renovation and it is revived as a historical landmark and a community center for cinema and the arts, according to the Davis Theater About page. The renovation included interior changes that brought the theater to a new level, and an addition of the Carbon Arc Bar, according to the Davis Theater website. Adding the bar and grill brings the community together by making it possible to sit with your family and friends before or after enjoying a movie. Then, you can walk through the theater with its purple and gold carpeting and recline in the comfortable black leather seats to enjoy a new movie.
Jack Richardson is a floor employee who has been working at the Davis since December 2016, right after the post-renovations reopening. In an in-person interview, he shared his thoughts on the additions and changes the Davis has made.
In Richardson’s opinion, the theater has been “trying to still make a unique experience” for the audience members. The unique experience is key to bringing in members of the community because there are many generic movie chains. Since a lot of other movie theaters have been growing, the revamp was a perfect time for change.
“Regulars have been coming in for years,” says Richardson. He commented that the renovation was to bring in new people as well as keep the regulars excited to come back.
The Davis is a place where community is important and the regulars that come are essential in keeping this independent movie theater alive, but adding the Carbon Arc and redecorating makes the Davis competitive with the other theaters in Chicago.
“The thought of the renovation started when new ownership took over the theater in 2012,” Lowry said. “The pieces fell into place a few years later to realize the vision was a possibility and a good time to give an update to the Davis.”
The Davis has never wanted to stagnate within the community. It is always looking for new ways to grow. For a business to do so well after being implemented a long time ago they have to adapt to the communities wants and needs, says Lowry. Whether it’s silent movies, German-language movies or the latest American ones, the Davis Theater has shown it listens to the community’s voice.
“You never want to settle, so our expectations are always changing,” Lowry said. “Both the Davis and Carbon Arc continue to evolve and grow, and doing so, we always will set our sights higher.”
