Owners of the Pickwick Theatre said there was an explosion of interest Wednesday, a day after they announced they intended to close it, from potential new operators of the Uptown Park Ridge landmark. Community leaders and supporters of the art deco movie palace envisioned a future that could include live entertainment and other creative uses.
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Co-owner Dino Vlahakis said his phone has been ringing off the hook since the Chicago Tribune/Pioneer Press published an article Tuesday saying he and co-owner Dave Loomos intend to close the movie theater, a favorite destination in the north suburbs that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“The good news is the theater will probably close as operated by the Vlahakis and Loomos family, but there will be somebody taking its place,” Vlahakis said Wednesday. Discussions are ongoing, he said, but they’re been promising so far.
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“Obviously no paperwork has been signed or anything like that, but I feel very confident,” Vlahakis said.
“What happened is after your story broke yesterday, we were inundated with a lot of phone calls from people who were asking ‘what’s going on?’ We even had good theater operators who I can’t disclose right now, who are definitely interested in taking over for us.”
Online ticket sales also jumped, with about 1,000 being sold after the reports of the Pickwick’s screens going dark.
“All of a sudden they exploded,” he said. “People are definitely coming back and at the end, that’s what we want. We want people to come back to the movies.”
He said the theater used to take in about 4,000 moviegoers every week before the pandemic. Now, if they hit the “magic number” of 2,000 customers a week, “we’re going to be here.”
Vlahakis said he and Loomos would retain ownership of the building, which has 24 tenants, and lease out the movie operation.
News of the Pickwick’s impending closure hit Park Ridge and Chicago-area residents hard, with many expressing sadness, sharing memories of the iconic theater and speculating about how it might continue as a viable business operation.
Leaders at Park Ridge City Hall said they’re beginning to think about the next chapter – but that consideration is in the earliest phases.
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Park Ridge Mayor Marty Maloney said Wednesday the city was still gathering information on the impending closure.
“It is too early to comment specifically on a preference from the City of Park Ridge or any role the city may play in determining what Act II might look like for the Pickwick Theatre and property,” Maloney said.
Maloney thanked the Loomos and Vlahakis families for running the theater, which he called an “ambassador for our community for many years” and said the theater had touched the life of every person who grew up in or near the city.
“From those that went to see their first movie there, were exposed to live theater and productions for the first time, or went there on the first date with their spouse, the impact cannot be overstated,” Maloney said.
One of the people who went there on her first date was Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce President Jackie Matthews, who recalled watching “Risky Business” at the Pickwick.
“I feel all of the personal emotions that everyone else feels,” she said. “I have great respect for the Vlahakis and Loomos families.”
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That said, Matthews said she was already thinking about “all the great possibilities for the next chapter for our community and for the Pickwick.”
She predicted there would be plenty of offers to take over the space from “devoted, skilled, talented professionals.”
“An opportunity like this, in an amazing community like Park Ridge, with flourishing businesses and a devoted residential community… who wouldn’t want to come here?” she said.
Maloney concurred with Matthews that the curtain hasn’t fallen for the Pickwick just yet.
“I am confident that the final credits have not rolled on this Park Ridge institution,” he said.
On social media, Park Ridge residents were already sharing memories and floating their own ideas for what to do with the movie theater, suggesting live theater performances, events and other options, on a “Save the Pickwick” Facebook page that sprang up overnight.
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Matthew Hoffman, who runs the Park Ridge Classic Films Series out of the Pickwick, said he wassurprised to hear the theater would close its doors.
As of Wednesday, Hoffman said the last two screenings in the series will be “White Christmas” Dec. 11 and “Meet Me in St. Louis” on Dec. 14.
Hoffman said the impending closure was “very sad news because the theater is the hub of this town.”
