La Grange Theatre Expansion Continues

LA GRANGE, IL – The expansion of the La Grange Theatre is expected to be completed this summer.

The expansion project involves three new auditoriums, with two of them consisting of 73 seats and another would have 39 seats.

The project is made possible by the razing of the next-door building to the north at 76 N. La Grange Road.

The current theater, run by Downers Grove-based Classic Cinemas, houses six auditoriums. The expansion adds 60 percent to its seating capacity, the village said.

"The opening of the new auditoriums at La Grange was originally scheduled for Memorial Day," Sherrie Janovsky, Classic Cinemas' director of operation, said in an email to Patch on Friday. "Unfortunate delays with utilities have caused the time frame to be pushed back a bit. We don't have a definite date yet, but it should be in early summer."

The Village Board approved the project in September 2023.

On Monday, the board plans to mark the theater's 100th anniversary.

According to the village, a recent renovation of the theater introduced state-of-the-art amenities while maintaining its historic charm.

The theater opened in 1925 for plays, but converted to motion pictures in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

In 2021, the Village Board unanimously voted to forgive $1 million in village loans to the theater.

Under an agreement with the village, the theater was released from liens and would charge an entertainment tax on ticket sales that would be split between the village and Classic.

Patch left a message Thursday with Classic Cinemas for a more specific timeline on the project's completion.