New Illini Theatre
1819 5th Avenue,
Moline,
IL
61265
1819 5th Avenue,
Moline,
IL
61265
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The LeClaire (no spaces) Theatre closed April 27, 1952 at the end of a 30-year lease. After being vacant for 20 months, the nearby Illini Theatre – hoping to go to widescreen – closed on December 18, 1953. The Illini moved its operation to the former LeClaire operating as the New Illini Theatre there from its launch on December 25, 1953 with “Here Come the Girls” on its curved panoramic screen to closing on January 12, 1957.
The vacant property’s demolition project started Oct 1, 1973 and was completed Dec 12, 1973.
Grand opening ad posted.
The theatre launched February 24, 1923 with the film, “Jazzmania.” A $22,000Hope Jones organ was there at the opening.
Here is an early 1930s ad for a Cary Grant film:
http://tinyurl.com/ylk88l5
the Leclaire theater was next door to the Leclaire Hotel(Now a senior residential housing)..and the Illini Theater was further down 5th ave. and later became a Drug Store…when Downtown Moline was busy before everything went to outlying Malls..I used to go to them when I was a Kid in 1940s-50s…..also used to be a Small Theater called the Paradise which lasted until the 1970s…owned by the Brotman Brothers who owned a few other small Theaters in the Quad Cities…