Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge to close in January, but owners hope someone new will take over

PARK RIDGE, Ill. (CBS) -- The iconic Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge is set to close in January, but the owner hopes someone will step in to take over and reopen it.

The art-deco movie palace has been in operation since 1928 at 5 S. Prospect Ave. in the northwest suburb. Owner Dino Vlahakis said his family will be closing the theater in January.

The date has not been finalized, buy Vlahakis said Jan. 8 will likely be the last day in operation.

While the theater is closing at least for now, Vlahakis said his family hopes someone will step in to take it over. He said they have been approached by three different people or parties who expressed their interest in taking over the theatre.

At this point, Vlahakis' family has just been in conversation with the potential buyers, but they are thrilled at the interest.

According to Cinema Treasures, the Pickwick was designed by the firm Zook & McCaughey and opened as a vaudeville and movie house. Its "mega-theatre" features a 3/11 Wurlitzer theater pipe organ.

Three additional smaller screens were later added to the back building of the Pickwick in 1990, and one more was added in 2017.

The theater was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

In the 1980s, the Pickwick marquee served as a title card in the opening sequence of "At the Movies," the second movie review show hosted by Roger Ebert and CBS 2 Movie Critic Gene Siskel.

Just earlier this year, the Pickwick was set up to look like it was on fire for the program "Chicago Fire" – a sight that scared a few people who saw the filming from a distance.

Vlahakis said he and his sister have been running the Pickwick for about 42 years. He said they took over right out of college.

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• Park Ridge