The 3-Penny Cinema

The 3-Penny Cinema was a movie-theater business located at 2424 North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. The venue occupied a building with a longer entertainment and commercial history: the structure opened in 1912 as the Fullerton Theatre, a nickelodeon, was converted into an automobile garage in 1915, and later reopened as the Crest Theater in 1938. In 1964, the theater was renamed the 3-Penny Cinema. The cinema operated primarily as a second-run and specialty-film venue rather than as a first-run multiplex. Its programming included films that had already completed their initial theatrical release as well as late-night and midnight movies, a format associated with cult, experimental, horror, exploitation, and otherwise unconventional pictures. This programming gave the theater a distinctive place in Chicago's independent cinema culture. It was also the first theater in Chicago to screen the pornographic film Deep Throat, a fact frequently associated with the venue's willingness to show controversial or non-mainstream material. The name referred to the theater's identity as an inexpensive cinema, although the available reference material does not establish a specific ticket-price structure or explain the origin of the exact spelling and punctuation. The business remained in operation for several decades, serving as a neighborhood theater and specialty-screening venue in a building adjacent to the Biograph Theater, itself a historically significant Chicago landmark. The 3-Penny Cinema closed in 2006. The cited reason was the owner's unpaid tax obligations to the City of Chicago, rather than a documented rebranding or planned transition to another cinema operator. After the closure, the building underwent another major change in use. Since 2009, it has housed Lincoln Hall, a live-music venue operated by brothers Chris and Mike Schuba and later associated with Audiotree. Lincoln Hall preserved a connection to the former cinema through recurring film nights under the name "3-Penny was here," documented at least through 2012. The 3-Penny Cinema is therefore best understood as a defunct local theater brand tied closely to a particular Chicago building and its successive uses. Its historical importance rests less on scale or corporate reach than on its long tenure, second-run and midnight-movie programming, and role in the city's film-exhibition history. The available sources do not provide reliable information about the theater's legal entity, original owner, annual revenue, management team, ticket prices, or a current corporate successor under the 3-Penny name.

The building associated with The 3-Penny Cinema stands at 2424 North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, next to the Biograph Theater. Its history predates the 3-Penny name by more than five decades. The structure opened in 1912 as the Fullerton Theatre, a nickelodeon serving the early twentieth-century appetite for short films and popular screen entertainment. In 1915, it was converted into an automobile garage, reflecting the changing commercial conditions of the neighborhood and the growing importance of automobiles. The site also acquired a connection to Chicago's criminal history. In 1934, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents used the roof of the building while pursuing John Dillinger. The property returned to theatrical use in 1938, when it reopened as the Crest Theater. The theater adopted the name The 3-Penny Cinema in 1964. Under that identity, it became associated with inexpensive admission, second-run movies, and midnight screenings. Rather than competing primarily with large first-run theaters, it occupied a niche built around films that had already circulated in the mainstream market and films that benefited from late-night, cult, or specialty presentation. Midnight movies were an important part of the venue's identity because they allowed theaters to attract audiences for unconventional programming outside ordinary showtimes. The cinema was also notable for its adult-film programming. It was the first theater in Chicago to screen Deep Throat, a widely discussed pornographic film that became a landmark of the early-1970s adult-film phenomenon. The screening contributed to the venue's reputation as a place willing to present controversial material, although the available sources do not provide detailed information about licensing, legal disputes, protests, or the theater's internal decision-making around that program. The 3-Penny Cinema continued operating until 2006. Its closure was attributed to tax debt owed by the owner to the City of Chicago. No reliable source in the supplied material identifies the owner by name, gives the amount owed, or describes a formal bankruptcy or court proceeding. The closure ended the cinema's run but did not end the building's role as an entertainment venue. In 2009, the premises reopened as Lincoln Hall, a live-music club established by brothers Chris and Mike Schuba. The brothers already operated Schubas Tavern nearby and positioned Lincoln Hall as a larger companion venue. Mike Doughty performed at the opening. Although the building's principal function changed from film exhibition to live music, Lincoln Hall periodically acknowledged the site's cinematic past through monthly "3-Penny was here" film nights, documented at least through 2012. In 2015, the Schuba brothers sold Lincoln Hall and Schubas Tavern to Audiotree, which continued operating the venues as a pair according to the cited reference. This later transaction belongs to the history of the property and its successor business, not to an ongoing 3-Penny Cinema company. The 3-Penny brand itself remains defunct, with its historical significance tied to Chicago neighborhood cinema, second-run programming, midnight movies, and the building's successive entertainment uses.

• 2015

  Audiotree acquires the successor venues

  [1]2424 North Lincoln Avenueen.wikipedia.org

  The Schuba brothers sell Lincoln Hall and Schubas Tavern to Audiotree.

• 2009

  Lincoln Hall opens in the former cinema

  [1]2424 North Lincoln Avenueen.wikipedia.org

  The building is converted into Lincoln Hall, a 507-capacity live-music venue founded by Chris and Mike Schuba.

• 2006

  The cinema closes

  [1]2424 North Lincoln Avenueen.wikipedia.org

  The 3-Penny Cinema shuts down after the owner owed taxes to the City of Chicago.

• 1970

  Chicago screening of Deep Throat

  [1]2424 North Lincoln Avenueen.wikipedia.org

  The cinema becomes the first theater in Chicago to screen Deep Throat. The supplied reference does not specify the exact screening year.

• 1964

  The theater becomes The 3-Penny Cinema

  [1]2424 North Lincoln Avenueen.wikipedia.org

  The venue adopts the 3-Penny Cinema name and begins the period for which it is best known.

• 1938

  The Crest Theater opens

  [1]2424 North Lincoln Avenueen.wikipedia.org

  The property returns to theater use under the Crest Theater name.

• 1934

  FBI agents use the building during the Dillinger pursuit

  [1]2424 North Lincoln Avenueen.wikipedia.org

  Federal Bureau of Investigation agents reportedly used the roof while targeting John Dillinger.

• 1915

  The building is converted into an auto garage

  [1]2424 North Lincoln Avenueen.wikipedia.org

  The original theater use ends temporarily when the building is converted into an automobile garage.

• 1912

  Fullerton Theatre opens

  [1]2424 North Lincoln Avenueen.wikipedia.org

  The building at 2424 North Lincoln Avenue opens as the Fullerton Theatre, a nickelodeon.

An inexpensive, independent Chicago cinema focused on second-run, cult, late-night, and otherwise unconventional film programming.

• Film exhibition · 1964

  Second-run films

  The 3-Penny Cinema's core offering was exhibition of films after their initial first-run theatrical circulation. This programming model emphasized affordability and extended access to movies that had already left mainstream cinemas, distinguishing the venue from first-run theaters and later multiplex chains.

• Specialty film exhibition · 1964

  Midnight movies

  Late-night and midnight screenings formed a defining part of the cinema's identity. Such programs offered audiences access to cult, unconventional, exploitation, and other films that could attract dedicated nighttime audiences rather than conventional daytime crowds.

• Adult film exhibition

  Adult-film screenings

  The cinema screened adult films as part of its specialty programming. It is particularly associated with presenting Deep Throat, identified in the reference material as the first Chicago theatrical screening of that film.

• 20093-Penny was here

  Chicago

  After the former cinema became Lincoln Hall, the successor venue used the "3-Penny was here" name for recurring film nights that commemorated the building's movie-theater history.

  Outcome. The film nights were documented at least through 2012, but the available source does not establish a later continuation.

  Source

• 2009

  Convert the former cinema into a music venueStrategy

  Background

  Following the cinema's closure, Chris and Mike Schuba sought to establish a larger companion venue to their nearby Schubas Tavern.

  Action taken

  The building reopened as Lincoln Hall, a live-music venue with a reported capacity of 507.

  Aftermath

  The site continued as an entertainment venue and hosted recurring film nights acknowledging the former 3-Penny Cinema.

  Source

• 2006

  Close the cinemaOther

  Background

  The owner owed taxes to the City of Chicago.

  Action taken

  The 3-Penny Cinema ceased operating at 2424 North Lincoln Avenue.

  Aftermath

  The property was later converted into Lincoln Hall, a live-music venue that sometimes referenced the cinema's history.

  Source

• 1964

  Adopt the 3-Penny Cinema identityStrategy

  Background

  The theater was operating in a competitive Chicago exhibition market and was renamed from the earlier Crest Theater identity.

  Action taken

  The venue began operating under the name The 3-Penny Cinema and became associated with second-run and midnight-movie programming.

  Aftermath

  The name remained in use until the theater closed in 2006 and became the basis for later commemorative film nights at Lincoln Hall.

  Source

1. 12424 North Lincoln Avenueen.wikipedia.org