York Theatre Celebrates 100th Anniversary

Photo by Brynn Rubacky

Elmhurst’s iconic York Theatre turns 100 this September, and there is a lot of reason to celebrate. The theatre is hosting a 100-year celebration during September and October to commemorate the progression of movies since the theatre opened on Labor Day weekend of 1924.

York Theatre is now owned by Classic Cinemas, and they’ve aimed to keep the same ‘authentic’ feel over the last 100 years. This anniversary celebration is part of that.

Every Wednesday from Sept. 1 through Oct. 13 at 1:00 and 7:00 pm, the theatre will be featuring a movie that they consider a stand-out from each decade.

In addition to the screenings taking place, the Elmhurst History Museum also debuted an exhibit on Sept. 6 named “Chicagoland Movie Palaces: A Century of Follies & Film” in honor of the theatre’s anniversary.

The exhibit will show in depth the golden age of motion picture theatres and the first movie palaces that were built in the Chicagoland area. The display will be open from Sept. 6 to Jan. 5.

The Museum will also be hosting a series of lectures and programs alongside the exhibit including a lecture held by Judy Hoffman, a recently retired cinema professor at the University of Chicago.

York Theatre began the 100-year screenings on September 1st and the first movie featured was “Sherlock Jr.,” which is a silent film.

Elmhurst University senior Riley Edenhofer described the kickoff event as successful. It included a documentary about the theatre itself and an organist playing along with the movie.

“There is an organ set up in theatre five which is an original screen room in the theatre,” Edenhofer said. “There used to be an organist here very often playing along with the films, so to have one here again was exciting.”

The theatre was originally only 1 screen large but now they have 10 screens, some of which are 3D and XQ, which is their ultimate film viewing experience with laser projection and more immersive audio.

Edenhofer is also the assistant manager for the York Theatre. He has been working at the theatre since late 2021 and has managed for two and a half of those years.

Edenhofer thought that working at the theatre made perfect sense for him. He grew up in Elmhurst for his entire life and recounted memories of downtown Elmhurst as he was growing up. He referred to the theatre as the “focal point of Elmhurst.”

“I may be biased but I have to say this is the best place to see a movie,” he said. “We have a small business feel from the yellow walls and décor in the hallways to the floor staff’s uniforms and bowties.”

Edenhofer believes that there is a large group of people that still go to the movies even with streaming. He also said that the theatre needs to find a reason for people to go to the movies.

This is why the theatre makes an effort to run special events with discounts year-round to keep its business popular. Edenhofer explained that their business follows that of a school schedule. They have patterns of being busier around summer and Christmas time but experience a slower fall and spring.

During the summer, the theatre runs a kid series with kid’s movies playing at a discounted price. They also recently re-released “Coraline,” as a way of getting more people watching their screenings. Other events include a screening of “Elf,” during the holidays and a behind-the-scenes cinema tour at three historical Classic Cinemas Theatres.

They even have certain days of the year where EU students can bring their J-Pass and get free tickets! The next time this event occurs is October 14th. Be on the lookout year-round for unique movie-going opportunities!