Lincoln Hall
A 507-capacity live-music venue and bar in Chicago's Lincoln Park, occupying a former cinema building.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Lincoln Hall is a live-music venue and bar in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. It occupies the building at 2424 North Lincoln Avenue, a property with a long entertainment history that began with its opening as the Fullerton Theatre in 1912. The building later served as an automobile garage, returned to theatrical use as the Crest Theater in 1938, and became the 3-Penny Cinema in 1964. This successive reuse of the property gives Lincoln Hall a distinctive identity within Chicago's club and theater landscape. The 3-Penny Cinema was known for second-run films and midnight screenings. It also became associated with controversial adult-film programming, including being identified as the first Chicago theater to screen Deep Throat. The cinema remained in operation until 2006, when it closed after its owner accumulated unpaid taxes owed to the City of Chicago. The building subsequently underwent another change in use rather than disappearing from the city's entertainment infrastructure. Brothers Chris and Mike Schuba opened Lincoln Hall in 2009. They were already operating Schubas Tavern, a smaller and established Chicago music club nearby. Their stated concept was to create a larger counterpart to Schubas, allowing the operators to present touring and developing artists in a room with greater capacity while retaining the intimate orientation associated with a club venue. Lincoln Hall opened with a performance by Mike Doughty. The venue has a reported capacity of 507 people, arranged across a main floor and balcony. Its role is primarily that of a concert room for touring bands, solo performers, and emerging artists, supported by a bar and the operational infrastructure of a professional live-events business. The venue's historical connection to the 3-Penny Cinema was also preserved through monthly film nights titled "3-Penny was here," which were documented as continuing at least through 2012. In 2015, Chris and Mike Schuba sold Lincoln Hall and Schubas Tavern to Audiotree. The two venues continued to be operated together as a pair, linking Lincoln Hall to Audiotree's broader music-production and live-music activities. Lincoln Hall is therefore best understood not as a mass-market consumer brand, but as a location-based cultural brand built around concert programming, artist discovery, hospitality, and the adaptive reuse of a historic Chicago entertainment building. Publicly available reference material confirms its operation as a music venue through at least 2021; its current status is treated as active based on the venue's official website.
History
The building now associated with Lincoln Hall stands at 2424 North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, next to the Biograph Theater. It opened in 1912 as the Fullerton Theatre, a nickelodeon-era movie house. In 1915, the property was converted into an automobile garage, illustrating the early flexibility of commercial buildings along the avenue. The site later returned to entertainment use when it reopened as the Crest Theater in 1938. The building adopted the name 3-Penny Cinema in 1964. During this period it specialized in second-run movies and midnight screenings. Its programming also included adult films, and reference material identifies it as the first Chicago theater to screen Deep Throat. The cinema continued operating until 2006, when it closed after the owner owed taxes to the City of Chicago. The closure ended the building's long run as a conventional cinema but left a structure with a strong association with popular entertainment. A further transformation began when brothers Chris and Mike Schuba converted the property into a live-music venue. The brothers were already known as the operators of Schubas Tavern, a nearby Chicago club that had hosted early performances by artists including Dave Matthews, the Avett Brothers, Modest Mouse, Feist, and My Morning Jacket. Lincoln Hall was conceived as a larger version of that operation: a room capable of accommodating more patrons while retaining a club-oriented atmosphere rather than functioning as a large arena or traditional theater. Lincoln Hall opened in 2009 with a performance by Mike Doughty. The finished venue has a reported capacity of 507, distributed between the main floor and an upper balcony. Its principal business is live music, supplemented by bar service and occasional special programming. The operators also acknowledged the building's cinema past through monthly events called "3-Penny was here," which were documented as continuing at least through 2012. In 2015, the Schuba brothers sold Lincoln Hall and Schubas Tavern to Audiotree. The transaction placed both venues under common ownership and preserved their relationship as complementary Chicago music rooms. Reference material reported that Audiotree continued operating the clubs together as of 2021. Lincoln Hall's significance consequently rests on three overlapping histories: the adaptive reuse of a century-old entertainment property, the Schubas family's contribution to Chicago's independent music-club network, and Audiotree's continued operation of the venue within a broader music-focused business. The venue's official website remains the principal public-facing source for its current programming and operations.
- 2015
Sale to Audiotree
[1]Audiotree acquires Lincoln Hall and Schubas Tavern from the Schuba brothers.
- 2009
Lincoln Hall opens
[1]Chris and Mike Schuba open the live-music venue, with Mike Doughty performing at the launch.
- 2006
The 3-Penny Cinema closes
[1]The cinema ceases operation after tax debts owed to the City of Chicago.
- 1964
Renamed the 3-Penny Cinema
[1]The cinema adopts the 3-Penny Cinema name and becomes associated with second-run and midnight films.
- 1938
The Crest Theater opens
[1]The property returns to theatrical use under the Crest Theater name.
- 1934
Dillinger surveillance from the building
[1]FBI agents used the building's roof as a position while targeting gangster John Dillinger.
- 1915
Conversion into an automobile garage
[1]The theater building is repurposed as an automobile garage.
- 1912
The building opens as the Fullerton Theatre
[1]The property begins its entertainment history as a nickelodeon-style movie theater.
Products and positioning
An intimate Chicago concert venue offering a larger-scale companion to Schubas Tavern while preserving the character of a neighborhood music club.
Live music · 2009
Live concerts
Lincoln Hall's core offering is ticketed live music in a room designed for approximately 507 people. The venue accommodates performances on a main floor and balcony, supporting touring acts, solo performers, and developing artists in an intimate club setting.
Hospitality · 2009
Bar and venue hospitality
Bar service complements the concert business and forms part of the venue experience. It supports the club's role as a neighborhood-oriented music destination rather than a purely transactional event space.
Film and cultural programming
3-Penny was here film nights
These recurring film nights referenced the building's former 3-Penny Cinema identity. Available reference material records the series as occurring monthly at least through 2012.
Marketing campaigns
- 20123-Penny was here
Chicago
A recurring film-night program used the former cinema's name and connected the new music venue to the property's entertainment history.
Outcome. The program was documented as continuing at least through 2012.
- 2009Lincoln Hall opening program
Chicago
The opening concert featuring Mike Doughty introduced Lincoln Hall as a larger companion to Schubas Tavern and established its live-music positioning.
Outcome. The venue began operating as a concert club in the repurposed cinema building.
Brand decisions
2015
Sale of Lincoln Hall and Schubas Tavern to AudiotreeM&ABackground
After operating the two Chicago music clubs as a related pair, Chris and Mike Schuba sold both venues.
Action taken
Audiotree acquired Lincoln Hall and Schubas Tavern and continued operating them together.
Aftermath
The venues became part of Audiotree's music-focused operations; reference material confirms the combined operation through at least 2021.
2009
Create a larger companion to Schubas TavernStrategyBackground
The Schuba brothers already operated Schubas Tavern and sought a room with greater capacity while maintaining an independent-club atmosphere.
Action taken
They converted the former cinema property into Lincoln Hall, a 507-capacity live-music venue.
Aftermath
Lincoln Hall opened with Mike Doughty and became a second venue in the Schubas operation.
Sources2 sources
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