Lawford Theatre
225 W. Main Street,
Havana,
IL
62644
225 W. Main Street,
Havana,
IL
62644
5 people
favorited this theater
Opened in 1914, this 500 seat theater in downtown Havana is situated next door to the city hall. The Lawford Theatre was operated by the Kerasotes chain from 1946 until it closed in 1982. In 1997, it was restored and reopened for use as a legitimate theater venue, which it served as until 2001.
In August of 2004, a new owner purchased the Lawford Theatre and reopened it as a movie house. It was closed not long after, but reopened under new ownership in summer of 2005. Again the Lawford Theatre closed in September, but reopened under another new owner in November of 2005.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 141 comments)
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO PAUL WARSHAUER?????????????
Where is Paul Warshauer? Check www.retzlergroup.com
Another LONG line of BS!
The theater recently reopened after being closed several weeks for repairs.
Apparently no one noticed it was closed.
Wow, I had no idea the old Lawford was going to be such a hot, hot topic when we passed through Havana in the summer of 1995 – it looked pretty forlorn then:
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Here are two 1982 photos:
Photo1
Photo2
This is a 2009 photo.
Wow, I hadn’t realized our little theater had generated this much conversation. Because it was before my time, I didn’t have much exposure to those above who have previously rented the Lawford. However, I know the “renovations” they speak of consisted of painting over existing paint and generally making actual, real renovations harder. To make a long story short, Summer 2010 will mark about a year since an actual, longterm renovation began in the theater. Although it will take a few years, I am condfident the Lawford will undergo a complete restoration. If you are of the area, stop in from time to time to see our progress and support the effort.
2009 photo of the Lawford Theatre.
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