Times Theatre
226 N. Main Street,
Rockford,
IL
61104
226 N. Main Street,
Rockford,
IL
61104
7 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 28 comments found
I double checked the newspaper page and it is from March 31st, 1938.
Mike, unless this house sat dark for a full year after being completed, you’re a year late on the opening date. Architect Edward Paul Lewin wrote a three-page article about the Times Theatre for Boxoffice, which appeared in the issue of April 30, 1938. It has several photos of the theater.
The January 8 issue of Boxoffice the same year had another article about the project, also penned by Lewin, which featured some of his renderings of the design.
This opened on March 31st, 1939. I uploaded the grand opening ad here.
In response to the last post about what is happening with the building…..The Times Theater was purchased a few years ago by a local investment group heavily involved with the revitalization efforts of downtown Rockford. Let me repeat, DOWNTOWN ROCKFORD, NOT I-90 ROCKFORD!
While the group is a for-profit organization, of greater importance than turning a profit is making downtown a safe, viable entertainment destination for not only Rockford, but Winnebago County and the surrounding areas as well.
How is this going to happen? That is the $64,000 question that is being worked on at the moment. The owners are concerned and deadicated businessmen, not renovators, and realize the need to collaborate with experts in this arena as well as area stakeholders.
After completion of due diligence, the owners will decide on a course of action best suited to activate the theater. These options range from establishing a public/private partnership, establishing a for-profit investment group to activate the theater, or selling the theater to a like-minded individual or group better suited to maximize the value of the theater for the community.
Thank you to everyone with a concerned interest on what becomes of the Times.
Any information on what is happening on the building?
Nice photos.
Head on view of the marquee.
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Another 2009 photo of the Times Theatre.
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Another nice 2009 photo is here.
This is a very nice 2009 photo of the Times Theater.
1982 Photo
Reactivate Notification Status.
thank you!
The April 30, 1938, issue of Boxoffice Magazine featured an article by Edward Paul Lewin, architect of the recently-opened Times Theatre. The article included several photos of the house.
This article was a follow-up to an article by Lewin in the January 8, 1938, issue of the same publication, which included renderings of the Times, then still under construction.
Lewin’s plans for the house included structural elements that would support a 400 seat balcony which the owners wanted to add to the original 1000 seat auditorium at a later time, if patronage justified it. The provision for this possible balcony addition gave the Times an unusually high ceiling for a single-floor theater.
I haven’t been in Rockford all that long. I’ve never been in The Times, but I have been in The Midway. how does it compare in terms of size and condition. Information above says it seats 800. Could that be split into 2 or three theaters? Are there still seats in it, or if there are, are they in bad enough condition that they need to be torn out anyway?
The type of house that the Coronado is, is totally different from The Times – one is for live performances, the other is strictly cinema – at least as I look at the outside of the building.
Not sure who owns it now. But the Midway Theatre in Rockford is listed for sale on it’s CT page. It actually apparently had Nielson’s interest at one time. But even with the seemingly low price, it includes an entire building requiring other tenants.
Also, according to the Coronado Theatre page, which already underwent an expensive renovation, it itself is currently “hoping to break even”.
Who currently owns the building?
Who currently owns the building?
I read somewhere that Rick Nielson of hometown Rockford band Cheap Trick, was going to be involved in the building of some giant entertainment & hotel complex in Rockford.
Maybe the restoration & reopening of the Times Theatre could be a nifty side project. It could even proceed the hotel project, and be a kicking off place for continued shows to drum up support.
Another photo of the Times can be seen here.
Here is another photo of the Times Theater.
How much would it cost to purchase the theatre and what would the terms of use and service be?
More photos of the Times theater can be seen here and another one is here.
This is a recent marquee shot of the Times Theater.
Was in Rockford on business today. The Times Theatre today looks exactly as it does in the photo above. Judging by the lobby the building is in a decent state of repair. There are cryptic political messages spelled out on the marquee.