Address: 1546-1550 N. Clark St. Year Built:
1915
- 1916
Architect:
Adolph Woerner
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark:
May 13, 2009
The Village Theatre (originally named the Germania Theater) is one of the best-surviving first generation movie theaters in Chicago. Designed by German-born architect Adolph Woerner exclusively for motion picture use, the building was completed in 1916 and was part of a theater chain operated by Herman L. Grunbiner. This brick and terra cotta-clad building is a mix of Classical Revival and Renaissance Revival styles, incorporating Germanic symbolism, such as the two-barred Cross of Lorraine. The building remains a strong visual landmark on the Near North Side.