Woods Theatre
A former Chicago Loop theater that opened as a live-performance venue in 1918, later became a movie palace, and was demolished in 1990.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Woods Theatre was a historic entertainment venue at the corner of Randolph and Dearborn Streets in Chicago’s Loop. It opened on March 11, 1918, as a live theater created by theatrical producer Albert H. Woods. Woods had already established the Eltinge Theatre in New York for Broadway productions and developed the Chicago venue as a comparable home for touring productions and road companies. The building was designed in a Neo-Gothic style by Marshall and Fox, the Chicago architectural firm also associated with the Blackstone Theatre and the Drake Hotel. The ten-story structure combined the auditorium at street level with offices above, making it both a performance venue and a significant commercial building in the downtown theater district. The theater began its life with a production of Friendly Enemies. Its original role was stage entertainment, but changing audience habits and the expansion of motion pictures led to its conversion into a movie theater in 1932. During its later history, the Woods became a flagship venue for Essaness Theatres, whose headquarters were located in the building. The theater was particularly recognizable from the 1950s onward because of its very large marquee facing Dearborn Street. That exterior later gained additional cultural visibility when the facade and marquee appeared in the parade sequence of the 1986 film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The Woods hosted premieres of several motion pictures, including The Big Sky in 1952, The Moon Is Blue in 1953, Monkey on My Back in 1957, and It’s Alive in 1974. These premieres illustrate its continuing role as a prominent downtown exhibition venue even after the building’s original theatrical function had changed. Over time, however, the theater’s condition and reputation deteriorated. A 1982 incident in which a patron was bitten by a rat during a screening became an especially visible sign of the venue’s declining maintenance standards; management paid for the patron’s medical treatment. By 1988, the Woods was reportedly the last remaining movie house in the Chicago Loop. It closed on January 8, 1989, after showing Hellbound: Hellraiser II. The building was considered for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, but preservation efforts did not prevent its removal. It was demolished in 1990 as part of a controversial urban-renewal context that also affected several other historic Chicago theaters. The Woods occupied a parcel immediately northwest of the Block 37 area, a major downtown redevelopment site that remained vacant for many years before later development. As a result, the Woods Theatre is remembered less as an active brand than as part of Chicago’s lost theater architecture and downtown filmgoing history.
History
The Woods Theatre was established by theatrical producer Albert H. Woods as a Chicago counterpart to his New York theatrical operations. Woods had opened the Eltinge Theatre in New York to support Broadway productions and sought a substantial Chicago venue for touring companies. The resulting building stood at the intersection of Randolph and Dearborn Streets in the Loop and opened on March 11, 1918, with Friendly Enemies. Marshall and Fox designed the building in a Neo-Gothic manner. The ten-story structure placed the theater on the ground floor and offices in the upper stories, integrating entertainment use with downtown commercial functions. The architects were also responsible for other notable Chicago buildings, including the Blackstone Theatre and the Drake Hotel. In its first phase, the Woods presented live theater and served as a base for road companies traveling beyond New York. The venue was converted to movie exhibition in 1932 as cinema became an increasingly important part of urban entertainment. In its later years it was associated with Essaness Theatres and became that company’s flagship Chicago venue, with the theater operator’s headquarters located in the building. The Woods developed a distinctive street presence through a large marquee facing Dearborn Street. Its facade and marquee were subsequently visible in the parade sequence of the 1986 film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The theater’s film history included premieres of The Big Sky, The Moon Is Blue, Monkey on My Back, and It’s Alive. These events demonstrate that the venue continued to participate in high-profile film presentation even as the surrounding downtown theater landscape changed. The building’s later years were less successful. Maintenance and operating conditions deteriorated, and a 1982 rat-bite incident involving a patron became a notable example of the problems associated with the aging venue. By 1988, the Woods was described as the final surviving movie house in the Chicago Loop. It ended operations on January 8, 1989, following a screening of Hellbound: Hellraiser II. Preservation advocates considered the building for possible National Register of Historic Places status, but the effort did not save it. The theater was demolished in 1990 in the broader setting of a controversial urban-renewal project. Other classic Chicago theaters, including venues around Randolph Street and the Block 37 area, were also lost through demolition, disuse, or disrepair. The Woods site was directly northwest of Block 37, a parcel that remained undeveloped for years before later redevelopment. Today the Woods Theatre survives primarily in architectural, film-location, and Chicago entertainment-history accounts.
- 1990
Demolition
[1]The Woods Theatre building was demolished during a controversial period of downtown urban renewal.
- 1989
Closure
[1]The theater ceased operations on January 8 after its final screening.
- 1988
Last movie house in the Chicago Loop
[1]The Woods was identified as the last remaining movie theater in the Chicago Loop.
- 1986
Appearance in Ferris Bueller's Day Off
[1]The theater’s facade and large marquee appeared in the parade sequence of Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
- 1974
Premiere of It's Alive
[1]The Woods hosted the premiere of It's Alive.
- 1957
Premiere of Monkey on My Back
[1]The Woods hosted the premiere of Monkey on My Back.
- 1953
Premiere of The Moon Is Blue
[1]The Woods hosted the premiere of The Moon Is Blue.
- 1952
Premiere of The Big Sky
[1]The Woods hosted the premiere of The Big Sky.
- 1932
Conversion to a movie theater
[1]The venue changed its primary function from live theatrical performance to motion-picture exhibition.
- 1918
Opening as a live theater
[1]The Woods Theatre opened on March 11 at Randolph and Dearborn Streets with Friendly Enemies.
Products and positioning
A prominent downtown Chicago entertainment venue that transitioned from touring live theater to movie exhibition before becoming a historic, ultimately lost Chicago Loop theater.
Live theater · 1918
Live theatrical productions
The Woods opened as a stage venue intended to host touring productions and road companies. Its first documented presentation was Friendly Enemies on March 11, 1918. This original operating model reflected founder Albert H. Woods’s interest in creating a Chicago counterpart to his New York theatrical activities.
Cinema · 1932
Motion-picture exhibition
Beginning in 1932, the Woods operated primarily as a movie theater. In its later period it was associated with Essaness Theatres and presented film screenings, including selected premieres. Its large Dearborn Street marquee made the venue a conspicuous part of the Chicago Loop’s entertainment district.
Cinema events · 1952
Film premieres
The theater hosted premieres including The Big Sky, The Moon Is Blue, Monkey on My Back, and It's Alive. These events formed part of the Woods’s role as a prominent downtown Chicago film venue.
Controversies
Brand decisions
1989
Closure after final screeningOtherBackground
The theater’s condition and reputation had declined, and it was the last remaining movie house in the Chicago Loop by 1988.
Action taken
Operations ended on January 8 after a screening of Hellbound: Hellraiser II.
Aftermath
The building was demolished in 1990 despite consideration for historic-register protection.
1932
Shift from live theater to cinemaStrategyBackground
The Woods began as a venue for live theater and touring productions, but later adapted to the growing importance of motion pictures.
Action taken
The theater was converted to show films.
Aftermath
The Woods operated as a movie theater for the remainder of its life and later became a flagship venue associated with Essaness Theatres.
Recent events
- 1990
Woods Theatre demolished[1]
Other
The building was demolished amid an urban-renewal effort despite consideration for historic-register protection.
- 1989
Woods Theatre closes after final screening[1]
Other
The theater closed on January 8 after a screening of Hellbound: Hellraiser II.
- 1932
Woods Theatre converts to motion-picture exhibition[1]
Other
The venue changed from a primarily live-theater operation to a movie theater.
- 1918
Woods Theatre opens as a live-performance venue[1]
Other
The Woods Theatre opened in Chicago on March 11 with the production Friendly Enemies.
Sources2 sources
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