LUBLINER & TRINZ THEATER HISTORY

LUBLINER & TRINZ

Harry Moses Lubliner, son of Goodwin Lubliner, was born in New York on June 17^th, 1879.  Some time prior to 1910, he moved to Chicago , married Beatrice Harmon and had four children: Howard, Robert, Muriel and Gladys.  By 1910 Harry was teamed up with Joe, Aaron, Henry and Samuel Trinz and Lubliner & Trinz Florist was selling flowers on the corner of Wabash and Madison across the street from Marshall Fields.  Harry’s brother Sol and his family moved to Portland, Oregon where Lubliner Florist is in business to this day.

The exact date is not known but around 1911 Lubliner & Trinz opened a movie theater or perhaps two in Milwaukee, WI. Those did not work out and they moved their fledgling enterprise back to their hometown of Chicago.  The movie theater business was in its infancy at that time so many opportunities existed.

Lubliner & Trinz began opening theaters in Chicago sometime between 1911 and 1914. Some of their earliest theaters included: Covent Gardens, a lease on Orchestra Hall, Michigan and others. Lubliner & Trinz operated about nineteen theaters at their peak and had leased or built about thirty six (figure not exact) theaters during a span of 20 years.

The Chicago Tribune announced on May 9, 1925 a “Big Merger of Movie Theaters…..Lubliner & Trinz, Balaban & Katz in Deal”.  A new corporation “The Lubliner & Trinz Theatrical Enterprises” was formed in which the Balaban & Katz Corporation held 50% interest. L & T had 19 theaters in operation and seven others under construction while B & K had only five theaters in operation and plans for three more. The deal’s value would exceed $20,000,000. It would appear that L & T had financial difficulties due to over spending and brought B & K in to help relieve the burden. L & T was never to recover from this merger and in 1927 it was reported that B & K owned all the L & T theaters and in 1934 declared bankruptcy. 

L & T had a few theaters operating in the late 40’s and early 50’s. The Clark, Four Star, and Palace. The Clark was the money maker until a pair of new theaters were built in 1963 and 1969 in Northbrook, IL.,  the Edens I and II. The Clark and Edens were run by Bruce Trinz, Howard Lubliner and Robert Lubliner. The Clark was unique for several reasons: 1) It changed to two new movies every 24 hours and was only closed two hours every 24 for cleaning.  2) It opened a “Little Gallery for Gals Only” and the advertising slogan “Hark, Hark the Clark” could be heard around Chicago. The Clark was torn down in 1974.

The Edens I, built by the architectural firm of Perkins and Will, was an architectural phenomenon with its all concrete roof in the design of a hyperbolic paraboloid sold to a developer in 1994 and was razzed to build a shopping center. This brought to an end the era of grand movie palaces of which Lubliner & Trinz played an integral role. There are five surviving L & T theaters: Biograph, Congress, Davis, Logan & Regal. The Congress is currently being considered for restoration and re-use by the firm of  PalMet with Michael Moyer in charge.

In 1967 Roger Ebert interviewed Bruce Trinz. This interview gives a great deal of insight into the rise and fall of the Lubliner & Trinz theater chain. https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/bruce-trinz-every-day-a-film

P.S. New information:

1913 Article in the American Florist reads "It is rumored that a new retail store will be opened in the Plankinton Block by Lubliner & Trinz, Chicago."

 

1915 Article in the Florist's Review reads that "William Lubliner , who for about two years has had a store in the Plankinton Block, 123 Grand Avenue, is about to open a store in Chicago.  Mr. Lubliner will still maintain his Milwaukee establishment, which will be managed by his brother, while he devotes his attention to the new place in Chicago.  The store will be opened March 1 at 36 South Wabash, in the Winsor Clifton Hotel Block."

List of Lubliner & Trinz Theaters:

01. Belmont                                           21. Oak Park

02. Bel Park                                          22. Palace

03. Biograph                                         23. Paramount

04. Byrd                                                 24. Pantheon

05. Clark                                                25. Pershing

06. Congress                                         26. Regal

07. Covent Garden                               27. Ridge

08. Crawford                                         28. Sandburg

09. Davis                                                29. Senate

10. Devon                                               30. State

11. Ellantee                                             31. Tower

12. Four Star                                          32. Vitagraph

13. Harding                                            33. West End

14. Knickerbocker                                 34. Wilson

15. Lakeside                                            35. Windsor

16. Lamar

17. Logan

18. Madison Square

19. Mars

20. Michigan