Tivoli Theatre
216-18 S. 5th Street,
Springfield,
IL
62701
216-18 S. 5th Street,
Springfield,
IL
62701
1 person
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Frisina Amusement Company
Firms: Helmle & Helmle
Previous Names: Vaudette Theatre, Lyric Theatre
Nearby Theaters
This early Springfield theatre opened in 1909 on South 5th Street near the intersection of East Monroe Street, as the Vaudette Theatre. It was later renamed the Lyric Theatre after another theatre of that name closed in the mid-1920’s. By the early-1940’s it had been renamed Tivoli Theatre and was operated by the Frisina Amusement Co.
The Tivoli Theatre closed in 1954 and has since been demolished. Today, a new building has been built on the site.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
Here is an item from a May 1954 issue of Box Office magazine:
SPRINGFIELD, ILL-The Frisina Amusement Company has closed the doors of its Lyric Theater here and is now removing all equipment. Future plans for the building are indefinite.
Re kenmcintyre’s previous comment: was the name Lyric Theatre restored to this house in its last years, or was there a third Lyric in Springfield, or did Boxoffice just make a mistake?
In any case, this was the Lyric Theatre that was designed by Helmle & Helmle. It’s possible that one or another of the Helmles also designed the first Lyric, across the street (a storefront conversion), as members of the family were among Springfield’s busiest architects during the late 19th-early 20th centuries, but I haven’t found documentation.
July 27th, 1929 grand opening ad in photo section.
Circa October 1950 photo added credit Springfield Rewind Facebook page. WMAY went on the air in October 1950, and their banner is over the street. Errol Flynn’s “Captain Blood” is part of a double feature at the Tivoli.
The Tivoli was a movie house that housed two other major venues in a 44-year time span. The original Vaudette - a vaudeville theatre - had opened on Sixth Street in 1904 and appears to have closed quickly. The second of three homes for the unrelated Vaudette “#2” was here when it opened in October 1908. It closed in the Summer of 1910 doubling its size as it took over the neighboring retail storefront at its reboot.
The Vaudette scooted across the street to 223 S. Fifth Street displacing the Lyric Theatre to now become a 550-seat venue effective at its relaunch on September 26, 1920 to the plans of Bullard & Bullard and likely on a ten year leasing agreement. So what happened here at the former Vaudette locale of 216-218? The venue received a brand new Mark Evans-create terra cotta front (see picture above) to the plans of noted architect George Barrington Helmle of Helmle & Helmle Architects. Harry P. Loper reopened on July 31, 1920 as the - why not - Lyric Theatre (#2). The Beaux-Arts styled theatre wowed at launch.
Across the street, the Lyric Dance Hall retained its name above the Vaudette - take that. It seems a bit confusing, though, to have the Lyric Dance Hall not above the Lyric Theatre and karma occurred as the Dance Hall was gutted by a fire on January 21, 1921. Effective on November 4, 1928, Dominic Frisina’s Frisina Amusement took on the Vaudette, the Lyric and the Princess to make the transition to sound with Movietone equipment. Frisina gave the Tivoli a more moderne look under the Tivoli nameplate relaunching on July 27, 1929 with “On With the Show.” That show and operation didn’t go on long, lasting just three months.
On October 22, 1929, Fox Theatres took over 14 Frisina locations including the Vaudette, Princess and Tivoli. The slightly rebranded Fox Tivoli lasted until 1934 when Fox, in bankruptcy, reorganized. Frisina Amusements was back in charge and gave the Tivoli Theatre a minor refresh in November of 1935. The Tivoli was pushed back to third-tier status. On May 7, 1952 it played an exploitation double feature of “Marijuana” and “Confessions of a Model.” Frisina moved on and the theatre was torn out in April of 1954 as it transitioned to retail. After a period of vacancy, the former Vaudette “2” (1908-1920), New Lyric / Lyric “2” (1920-1929), Tivoli / Fox Tivoli (1929-1952) was demolished at a cost of $8,500 in April of 1983.