Live theater The Woods Theatre was built by theatrical producer
Albert H. Woods. He had opened the
Eltinge Theatre in New York City to host his Broadway productions, and wanted a similar venue in Chicago for his road companies. The Woods opened on March 11, 1918, with a production of
Friendly Enemies. It was designed in a
Neo-Gothic style by the firm
Marshall and Fox, which also designed such still-extant Chicago structures as the Blackstone Theatre (later renamed the
Merle Reskin Theatre) and the
Drake Hotel. The ten-story building included the theater at the ground level and offices above.
Movie theater The Woods converted to show movies in 1932. It later became the flagship venue for
Essaness Theatres, which moved its headquarters into the building. Starting in the 1950s, the building featured an unusually large
marquee facing Dearborn Street. By 1988, the Woods had become the last of the Chicago Loop movie houses. It closed on January 8, 1989, after a screening of
Hellbound: Hellraiser II.
Demolition After being considered for entry in the
National Register of Historic Places, it was demolished in 1990. The demolition was part of a controversial urban renewal project. Beginning with the demolition of the
Garrick Theatre on Randolph, many of Chicago's classic theaters were demolished either because of disuse or disrepair. The Woods was located on the parcel directly northwest of the controversial
Block 37, which once housed the
Roosevelt and
United Artists theaters. The site of the Harris and Selwyn (later Cinestage and Michael Todd, then Dearborn Cinemas) is now occupied by the
Goodman Theatre Center. Block 37, which remained vacant until 2005, is southeast of the Goodman site. ==Premieres==