Palace Theater
437 Main Street,
Peoria,
IL
61602
437 Main Street,
Peoria,
IL
61602
1 person
favorited this theater
The Palace Theatre opened on January 6, 1921, and was built and owned by William Hull. It was at one time the best known of the many theaters which once stood in downtown Peoria.
The vaudeville house was remodeled in 1929 into a movie palace. It was remodeled again in 1936 to the plans of architect William L. Pereira. It also played host to some of the biggest names in entertainment of the era, including Burns & Allen, Duke Ellington, and Ozzie and Harriet. The saying "If it’ll play Peoria" meant that if you were a hit here, you were on your way to the big time.
The theatre was sold to Publix Great States chain in 1963 and the exterior was given a facelift and in 1974, Plitt Theatres took over Publix. The theater closed in 1980, and was torn down, along with several other historic structures, to make way for the Twin Towers Place development.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft, Ken Roe
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 19 comments)
“not worthy of a second glance”…such a shame as the marquee on the Palace and the ticket kios were special.
Carl: Is this Ray Heinz still around doing his “work” in Peoria? I hope not.
I can’t say I know of this “Ray Heinz” but it’s a moot point … there’s basically nothing left in Peoria except the main part of the Madison theater.
Patsy, I recently posted several new/old shots of other Peoria theaters like Avon, Warner … check them out when you get a chance.
Will do!
I also found a ton of photos showing Peoria area Drive-ins … most of the shots are linked.
Here is an interior view:
http://tinyurl.com/ylr99fl
ken mc: Thanks for the photo of a once magnificant interior!
My grandparents lived in Peoria, IL which was a first-run theatre town. Thus we were able to see films well ahead of their release in our town at the Palace and the Madison Theatres. At this point my memory is fuzzy separating the two but I do remember the wide sight lines, excellent projection, air conditioning and sound, and lovely lobbies. The years when I visited the two theatres were approximately 1961-1975.
But will it play in Peoria???Nice interior photo.