The Moving picture world (May 1922)

100 MOVING PICTURE WORLD May 6, 1922 SPECIAL ROLL TICKETS Tou own ipmUI Ticket, any ootora. accurately Dumbered: everr roll cuaranteed. Ceopen Tldcet* for Prlie DrBWlDza: IS. 00, te 00. Pmapt aMpmantl. Cub with the order. Get the Send diagram for Ba i«rT«d aeat Coupon Tickets, aorUl or dated. All ticket* mult eoBform to Goremmcnt reiulatloo and bear e»UbU»hed prto* of admission and tax paid. SPECIAL TICKET PRICES Five Thousand tiM Ten TTiounaid 5.00 Fifteen Thousand 6J» Twenty-five Thousand tM Fifty Thousand IZSt One Hundred Thousand U.M National Ticket Co. sbamoidB. P». iples. McVickers Theatre, Not Yet Torn Down, Has Already Been Partially Rebuilt RADIO EQUIPMENT FOR PICTURE THEATRES Show your patrons what a REAL radio concert is like. It's easy and inexpensive if you get the right dope and equipment. We are specialists who know the requirements of the picture theatre and handle only practical outfits. Write or phone and ice will help you The Robin Engineering Co. 203 West 49th Street New York Phone: Circle 10, 237 THEATRE SPECIALISTS Dsalonera of Over 200 Theatrei C. HOWARD CRANE ARCHITECT ELMER GEORGE KIEHLER, AsHclata CYRIL E. SCHLEY Main OITIca: HURON BLDG.. DETROIT, MIOH. Brsnch Olllee*: New Yark, Chleage, Wlndaar. Cat AMERICAN jfotoplaper (Trade-Mark Reristered) The Musical Marvel Write for Catalaflwe AMERICAN PHOTO PLAYER CO. 1600 Broadway New York Qty McVICKERS THEATRE, Chicago, will close with the last performance on April 30, and beginning the next day, the building will be razed to allow the erection of a fine new house on the same site. What the public does not know, or even suspect, is that work on the new theatre began December 1, 1921. That is one of the engineering feats of the year, for programs continued, audiences thronged into the theatre, and business as usual went on in the offices overhead, while beneath the main floor was a pit as deep as the theatre is high, with a crew of workmen laying the entire foundation for the new theatre. The caissons were sunk 400 feet, the proscenium arch steels were put in place up to the stage and an artesian well 1,400 feet deep was sunk, while motion pictures were screened and vaudeville artists sang and danced to the applause of thousands. The only change made in the usual business of the theatre was the closing of the basement rest rooms, and the installation of small temporary quarters on the balcony floor. The method followed in laying the new foundation was taking out a little piece of the old foundation, and substituting the new. In the opposite corner another piece was put in, and so on until the four concerns were completed. Then portions of the old foundation at opposite points of the side walls were taken out and the new substituted, and this alternate "piecing" continued until the entire foundation was laid. Work Accomplished Quietly The caissons, which arc sunk 400 feet in Chicago to insure proper support, were put in without a suspicion on the part of the audiences or the general public. Then the alley at the rear of the building was boarded up, and directly beneath it was sunk an artesian well 1,400 feet deep, supplying pure water at 38 degrees to be used in cooling and ventilating, as well as for the drinking water of the patrons. Since the proscenium arch will be 35 feet from the rear of the building instead of the 100 feet, as it is at present, the workmen were able to put the steel work for the arch in place up to the stage. Because of the early start in the work, the new building will be finished in five months from the time of closing, which will establish a record in theatre building. But a greater advantage has been the fact that the owners, Jones, Linick & Schacfer, have avoided all labor difficulties which have been prevalent in Chicago during the past year. If a little squabble arose between the plumbers and the masons, the owners sat back and said: "Take your time, boys, in settling this. We're in no hurry!" As a result, the workmen would be back on the job in a couple of days, and not a cent of "graft" was paid during the six months. mil Seat 3,000 When completed, the house will possess many unique features. The main floor, which will seat 1,500 people, will be matched by a balcony also seating 1,500. This balcony will have a deep slope from the top of the building, topping two rows of offices overlooking the street. In this way, the space over the lobby will be utilized for seating, and the balcony will equal the seating capacity of the main floor. The space between the offices and balcony will be utilized for a promenade, which will boast an aquarium. The first few rows of the balcony will be equipped with movable arm chairs, of overstuffed leather, for the benefit of those who are willing to pay first floor prices but prefer the balcony where smoking will be allowed. The row of offices on the third floor will house the executives, while the fourth floor will be given over to the publicity and advertising department and a projection room. The house will be decorated throughout in mulberry, ivory and gold, while the outside, which was modeled after the Treasury Department at Washington, will present a dignified appearance with its tall columns and its cream terra cotta finish. The lighting system will utilize inverted fixtures throughout, and a feature there will be the facility to operate all the lights in the house from a switch on the stage. Thus, if a yellow, blue or red light is used in the footlights and the spotlight, every light in the house can be changed to yellow, blue or red with a single turn of the switch. The projection room, which will be equipped with all that is latest and best in equipment, will be placed midway of the balcony. Luxurious Rest Rooms Luxurious rest rooms and smoking rooms will be arranged in the basement and additional ones on every floor. The lobby will have a tiled floor, but complete plans for the decoration and equipment are not yet complete. The ventilating, heating and cooling systems will be unique, owing to the available supply of cold water from the artesian well. Washed air will be used, being brought into the theatre from the street and passed through the water at 38 degrees. In addition, water at the same temperature will circulate through the radiators in summer. In winter, the hot water heating system will be used, and in addition, the air McVICKER'S THEATRE AS IT WAS, IS AND WILL BE From left to right: The house in 1858, as it was rebuilt shortly after Chicago's World's Fair, and as it will be agam rebuilt in the near future