architectural decorating company outfitted many of chicago's majestic theaters with plaster ornament

rediscovering a 1920's softbound catalog and/or booklet while rearranging my library the other day proved to be both rewarding and informative. after pouring over the images and descriptions time and again, i finally pinpointed the fabricator of the plaster ornament used to "dress" the palace theater's (1928) stunning interior.

in addition, i was taken aback when i came across "in situ" images of the full-figured cast plaster statue (one of two) that resides in the bldg. 51 museum - salvaged long ago from the southtown theater. i had no idea that the same statue, sculpted in an identical pose, was used in the paradise theater (in fact, a total of 26 full-figured statues were created for the paradise theater, designed and sculpted by local artisans fred m. torrey, nellie walker, and sidney bedore), which was heavily advertised in the catalog as on of the company's most recent (and prominent) clients.

cast plaster southtown theater ornament - courtesy of the bldg. 51 museum collection

the non-extant paradise theatre (1928) was one of balaban and katz's finest "movie palaces," located on chicago's west side (garfield park neighborhood). it was considered the "world's most beautiful theater" at the time of its opening on september 14th, 1928. designed by architect john eberson, the "atmospheric" interior, coupled with an ornamental terra cotta exterior was impressive both in sheer size and attention to detail, reflected in the craftsmanship exhibited by its skilled workers.

Paradise Theater, Chicago, IL - March 21, 1930

the 3600+ seat auditorium was crippled with a series of design flaws including poor acoustics, attributed to the vast domed ceiling, eventually leading to a declining attendance during the advent of talking pictures. moviegoers instead, turned to the nearby marbro theater (demolished) operated by the marks brothers. the continued decline in attendance sealed its fate and in 1956, only 28 years after opening its doors, the grand theater was demolished, which took two years to complete.

despite being only a few pages in length, the images and information have proven to be deeply insightful towards identification of the paradise theater's plaster fabricator, not to mention the figural statue salvaged from the southtown theater.

several cast plaster frieze "stock" patterns offered by the architectural decorating company.