Elmhurst's York Theatre celebrates 100 years of movie magic
CHICAGO (CBS) — A west suburban movie theater entertaining generations of film fans will soon turn 100 years old, and the iconic York Theatre in Elmhurst has a lot to celebrate.
"York Theatre is a really interesting kind of gem of downtown Elmhurst."
Jim Toth has been marketing director for Classic Cinemas, caretakers of the York theatre since 1991. The seats are all fancy recliners now and even heated, but the York Theatre in Elmhurst is still historic.
"We have grown and evolved with the times. The community has always embraced the York Theatre because it belongs to them," Toth said.
The movie theater has belonged to Elmhurst since the days of silent film star Buster Keaton. The one-room theater opened Labor Day weekend of 1924 with a silent film and live organist.
"It was called Lily of the Dust," Toth said.
The movies on the marquee would change over the years, but the experience did not.
"We saw E.T. here at the theater, and it was still the 900 seats, and it was still a sloped floor, and it was just an amazing experience," Toth said.
This movie theater has grown, and its story continues even as the movie theater industry struggles to recover from the pandemic and SAG-AFTRA strike.
"This summer represents the first that the theater business has seen positive growth in itself since before either of those events," Toth said.
In September, the York Theatre will mark 100 years, and to celebrate the milestone, it will screen iconic movies.
"Every Wednesday at 1:00 and 7:00 pm, we're showing what we're considering one of the best films from each decade moving forward," Toth said. "It's all so Hollywood."
Celebrating cinematic history at a century-old theater will include screening a documentary about the York Theatre, followed by Buster Keaton's "Sherlock, Jr."
