Esquire Theater
2416 State Street,
East St. Louis,
IL
62205
2416 State Street,
East St. Louis,
IL
62205
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This theater, originally called the State Theater, was located on State Street at 24th Street. It was later renamed the Grand Theater, and finally, the Esquire Theater. The Esquire Theater is shown as operating and seating 750 in the 1945-1951 Film Daily Yearbooks, and was one of two East Saint Louis movie houses owned by Senator Lou Menges, the other being the Roxy Theater (originally called the Columbia Theater).
Today, there is a retail store at this address.
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Bryan & Ken
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
I read that Thomas Tobin was the manager of this theater in 1950 so it was still operating up to that year.
Listed as the Esquire Theatre in Film Daily Yearbooks from at least 1941.
This is from another old news story that I came across:
“The closing of the Majestic Theater in 1960, left East St. Louis with only two operating movie theaters. They are the Esquire and the Colony”. So the Esquire was still open in 1960. Where is the Colony theater? It isn’t the Colony-Waverly Theater because that became the 40th St Theater before 1960. I think we are missing a Colony Theater. I wonder if it was that triplex that I posted a message about under one of these East St. Louis theaters that became a porn theater.
Okay, I found that Colony Theater again. I’m not sure if its a porn theater or some type of kinky club. The key line in their description is “Converted three-screen movie theater” showing adult videos. I wonder if this was the Colony movie theater that was open in 1960. This “establishment” is still known as the Colony Theater.
Colony Theater
4500 Forest Blvd
St Louis, IL 62204
Anyone know if there was ever a movie theater located at that address?
The Esquire was right on the Corner State and 24th Street. It was a single story building but rather gothic in style. The building itself was rather wide and ran about a half block down along 24th St. It had a large marquee with large neon lettering spelling out Esquire on both sides, it also had flashing lights and a large number of flashing neon tubes around it. The box office was in the middle of the front entrance with doors to each side. The theatre declined along with the neighborhood and closed in the mid 60’s. There was a fire that gutted the interior but I am not sure if the same building houses the retail that is there now.
LM, that Colony Theatre is going to haunt you for the rest of your life.LOL I thought we got that all straightened out on the Colony site.
Going throuugh E. STL the other day, the building that housed the Esquire is no longer there, a new building housing retail shops is at this locaation.
What happened to the Waverly Theatre in East St. Louis
during the 1940’s?