Arts & Entertainment

The Secrets of the Sliver Screen

Escape to an earlier era—before TV, Twitter and tablet technology.

You're in luck. Saturday is the third Saturday of the month, and the , 152 N. York St., Elmhurst, will be open from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. This is your opportunity to escape to the time when movie houses were a haven from everyday life, opulent in design, comfort and size. And the price is right: free.

The headquarters of the Theatre Historical Society of America is hidden above the York Theater. As a 1,000-member national nonprofit dedicated to the history of theater buildings, this organization was founded in 1969 by the late theater historian Ben Hall, author of the first book celebrating America's movie palaces, The Best Remaining Seats.

The headquarters also includes an archive of documents that attracts researchers from around the country, and a small museum with various artifacts and information about the beautiful old movie palaces of the Chicago area

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The THS American Theatre Architecture Archives exists to preserve the history of  theater architecture, long before the creation of the multi-plex. The archives include photos, negatives, slides, clippings, programs, books and magazines on more than 15,000 theaters of every type, from movie palaces to opera houses to drive-ins. 

For more information, call 630-782-1800 or go to historictheatres.org/.

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And, when the archives close, go see an R-rated movie downstairs at the York. It's your day to escape.


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