Illinois Theatre
126 S. Locust Street,
Centralia,
IL
62801
126 S. Locust Street,
Centralia,
IL
62801
5 people
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Great news that the city preserved this theatre. The inside is impressive and was well-maintained. A diamond in the rough no doubt.
This is a 2009 photo.
The site lists this as being a single screen, but actually the Illinois was a twin.
The Illinois was operated by BAC Theaters from the late 70’s to the early 90’s, and by Kerasotes from there to 2001.
Here are two more photos from 1985:
Photo1
Photo2
Picture from February 1985:
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Here is a 1985 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/dx342d
This is the Illinois Theater in 1995.
Was this theatre ever a twin? I found some movie listings from 1985 and it shows it as having two movies every night. On July 2, 1985 it was showing The Goonies and Return To Oz. It was listed as being “on the mall” and operated by BAC Theatres. Or am I thinking about a different “Illinois” in Centralia?
A Moller theater organ opus 3183 size 2/11 was installed in the Illinois Theater in 1921.
For a photo of the Illinois Theater that I snapped while visiting my hometown in late 2006, click http://pics.livejournal.com/dabroots/pic/000b05g3
Good Luck with the renovations. I hope you are able to open and find success. Hart Theater in Effingham and Plaza Theater in Mt.Vernon are also struggling. Maybe a special theater-owners group should be formed to share information with each other?
While the load photo function is down – see photos at http://city.centralia.il.us/index.pl?id=2628
The City of Centralia has just received a sizeable Illinois State Tourism Bureau grant for renovation. Local fundraising continues, but we hope to begin renovation in early summer, and open for shows by the Holiday 2007 season!
p.s. I have a key to the building if anyone wants to see the inside, just give me a call.
Garrett Anderson (618)533-7623
I’ve got some good pictures of the present interior (and outside). I’ll post some as soon as the photo feature is back online. The building is still in great shape, but the old seats were getting moldy, and were removed.
Listed in the Film Daily Yearbook,1943 as being operated by Fox Midwest Amusement Corp.
I am the Director of Community Development & Planning for Centralia, IL. Yes, the theater is in the process of being donated by Kerasotes to the City of Centralia. The theater will be restored, and will run classic movies and live entertainment. If anyone has interest in the theater, or would like to come see it when it’s done – please contact me at (618) 533-7623. Also – is anyone is aware of grants or fundraising tips – we’d love to hear it.
Garrett Anderson
Here is an article about the City Council voting to restore and preserve the Illinois Theatre building:
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The Illinois Theatre is still standing. Straith Jewelers is next door.
Instead of a theater search, this time I did an address search and found the following:
STRAITH JEWELERS INC
126 S Locust St
Centralia, IL 62801-3507
Phone: 618-532-4141
If this Jeweler is located at this address today, then this theater is gone.
Bryan…Your right, the listings of movies playing at the Kerasotes Plaza 5 are the same as the listing for the Illinois Theater that I mentioned in the above post. The Kerasotes Plaza 5 has an address listed as 1047 W. Broadway, so I assumed that this a different theater and that the Illinois Theater was still open. Oh well, another mystery solved. :)
Lostmemory, I saw that too, but I believe it’s for the Plaza 5 Theatres in Centralia, Kerasotes' current Centralia movie house. I think Digital City hasn’t upgraded their information yet (at least at to what the name of the theatre is). See the CitySearch listing for the Plaza 5, it’s the same info.
There is a website that has photos of Midwest theaters. On that site is a photo of the Illinois Theatre in Centralia.
View link
The Illinois Theatre must be open again because I found a current list of movies playing there. It might even have been upgraded to five screens.
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