Biograph Theater

“The classical detailing and high degree of masonry craftsmanship seen on the facade of the Biograph Theater—including a Palladian-style window grouping on the second floor above the theater entrance; terra-cotta molding separating the first and second floors; and the terra-cotta pilasters between the second-floor windows—typifies these first-generation movie houses whose architectural style gave legitimacy and respectability to the fledgling motion picture industry.”

“For years, the management of the Biograph Theater featured a seat they claimed Dillinger sat in the evening of his death, although in 1967 theater owner Jack Cooney was forthright in his admission: “Naturally, we don't have any idea what seat he sat in.” To this day, the theater retains its prominence on tours as the scene of the final curtain for its most notorious patron.”

“The theater building was remodeled in the 1930s and again in the 1980s. In the 1930s, the present marquee and ticket booth were added and the entrance was modernized with Art Deco detailing, including streamlined metal sign cases and a new typeface for the theater signage.”

“A ticket booth was also installed in the storefront immediately north of the theater entrance (the 1930s-era free-standing ticket booth, though no longer functional, still remains). The construction of the current aluminum-and-glass storefront five feet in front of the original entrance extends the length of the lobby.”

“Crime historian Richard Lindberg describes the thinking of agent Purvis on the movie selection: The choice boiled down to Little Miss Marker at the Marbro Theater or Manhattan Melodrama, a "gang-and-gun" drama starring Clark Gable, William Powell, and Myrna Loy at the Biograph.”