The Biograph Theatre is located on Lincoln Avenue, unique especially because it goes at an angle through the city. Thus almost every intersection is a six-way intersection creating quite a bit of confusion. The neighborhoods around it are very pretty, made up of mostly tree-line streets of brick houses. All the businesses and storefronts around the area had at least one or two levels of apartments above them, and they appeared at first glance to be fairly nice apartments often with balconies.

     Located at 2433 North Lincoln Avenue is the Biograph Theatre, a very old movie theatre that is now a historical landmark. Why is it interesting, you might ask? Well Public Enemy Number One: John Dillenger supposedly died there. On July 22, 1934 Dillenger came out of the movie theatre with a woman, walking down the small narrow alleyway to the theatre’s right and was immediately met by the FBI who naturally gunned him down. In a hail of fire, Dillenger’s life ended.

     Now speculation has existed for decades on if this was actually Dillenger or not. Several theories state that it was a decoy for the FBI, and that Dillenger got away and retired somewhere after having plastic surgery. The evidence strongly points to the concept that the man gunned down outside the theatre may indeed not have been Dillenger, but instead a man named Jimmy Lawrence. Much of the medical evidence makes it appear that the man who was in the alley that bloody night had a different height and build as well as several other different physical characteristics (for instance eye color). If this was the case and the man who was shot in the alley that night was not in fact Dillenger, than the FBI wrongly killed someone. If I were he, I’d be pretty angry at the mistake.

     And angry he might be. Rumor has it that the alley where Dillenger was gunned down is haunted and that occasionally a ghost has been known to wander the location. Regardless, the theatre now is open only to special events, having shut down a few years back as a real movie theatre. When I walked by, there was no one in the ticket booth and the alleyway door was shut. Unable to see anything I snapped a few pictures and went on my way. I guess a few years ago, you were able to see a movie, sit in the chair that Dillenger did and even walk out through the alley that Dillenger did.

     After seeing this historical piece of history, I walked by the Red Lion Pub, and although I didn’t get a chance to walk in due to time, it is rumored to be the most haunted of all bars and restaurants in Chicago supposedly being the residence to no less than six ghosts. It is located across the street from the Biograph and a storefront or two down the street. I eventually got back in my car and turned a few corners to arrive on Clark Street.