West Twin Cinemas
42 S. Prairie Street,
Galesburg,
IL
61401
42 S. Prairie Street,
Galesburg,
IL
61401
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The West Cinema, also called the West Cinema 1 & 2, is a merging of two small next-door movie houses, which originally dated to the 1920’s, the 644 seat West Theater and the 607 seat Colonial Theater which had closed down in 1952.
The West Cinema and the Sandburg Mall Cinema, both part of the Kerasotes chain, were both closed in November of 2003 when Kerasotes opened their new Showplace 8, not far from the Sandburg Mall.
Contributed by
Bryan
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
Having lived in Galesburg most of my life and being an avid movie-goer, I heard many times that the West Cinema 1 & 2 was haunted by a woman in a white dress who would walk through the second part of the theater (the Colonial?) at 11:30. It was corraborated by the manager at one point, who told me that he and several employees had seen her. Take it for what you you will. A fun story, if nothing else.
I’m really sorry to hear that the West has closed. Ever since they resurrected the Colonial (closed about 20 years) to twin with the West in the ‘70’s, I bragged that my old hometown was possibly the only place of its size which had preserved 3 of the 4 downtown movie houses they had post-World War II. From what I remember of the Colonial as it looked in the '40’s & '50’s, I would say it went back further than 1920.
A Barton theater organ was installed in the West Theater in 1926.
Here is a 2005 photo of the Twin West Cinema. That is the name on the sign.
This is an interior view circa 1955.
Here is an exterior view of the West Theater circa 1954.
1982 Photo