The original Irving Theatre on Main Street was opened in September of 1924 likely on a 15-year lease. Operator E.R. Lawrence sold the theatre on August 26, 1935 to Hans Smith. Smith opted to build the New Irving Theatre, a streamlined moderne facility, launching in 1939. After a period of vacancy, I believe this theatre became the Rio Theatre closing under that name. It was converted for other retail purposes.
This facility replaced the former Irving Theatre on Main Street which had opened in September of 1924 likely on a 15-year lease. Owner Hans Smith opted to build the New Irving Theatre, a streamlined moderne facility, launching in 1939. The 600-seat house’s interior and at least one wall was decimated by fire on August 7, 1941 and rebuilt with a new interior adding 40 feet to the structure as a 730-seat theatre relaunching in the Fall of 1941. Purchased by the Meagher Circuit in 1959, the theatre was redecorated. Meagher closed the theatre in 1972.
The Lyric Theatre launched as a 235-seat venue in 1914. In 1917, the Allred family became the theater’s third operator. At the end of what appeared to be a 20-year lease, the theatre was closed briefly and given a streamlined makeover with seating expanded relaunching as the Allred in 1935. The theatre was given a new projection system in 1939. The Allred was basically destroyed by an April 27, 1942 tornado. It was rebuilt and relaunched as a 400-seat house in November of 1942.
These neighboring theaters lasted over 100 years in downtown Galesburg. Their origins date back to at least 1910 and were operated by the same management at that time. A similar twin concept was found in Decatur, Illinois with the same company and theatre names. The Galesburg property had previously been home to a hook and ladder fire company building dating back at least to the 1870s.
The hook and ladder building was replaced by the Colonial and Colonnade theaters. Both Prairie Street theaters got new owners in 1913 and were given major makeovers if not entirely rebuilt the following year. Under the operation of Lafayette “Lafe” Weinberg, the Colonial expanded from 300 seats becoming a 44'x100', 700-seat theatre with a 16'x20' screen launching November 1, 1914 with a marble lobby and new auditorium. The theatre became part of the Publix Great States Theatres Circuit in 1922 along with the West Theatre and the nearby Orpheum Theatre.
Publix Great States agreed to close the Colonial in 1951 with equipment offered for sale after a forced sale under the Paramount decree. In 1954, the former Colonial was used as a church. It also had a long period of vacancy until resurrected by the Kerasotes Circuit.
The neighboring Colonnade Theatre was purchased by Willard J. West in 1913 and renamed the West Theatre expanding its seating to 800 and was supposed to have opened three weeks after the launch of the Colonial in November of 1914. The West Theatre appears to have actually debuted early in 1915 under the slogan, “House of Quality.” It had a Bartola played by Alma Burgman of Fort Madison, Iowa. On the second floor was the West Ball Room for dancing which appears to have lasted 20 years. As the building was headed for demolition in 2019, a video shot showed the piano still housed in the long-abandoned ballroom. As noted, Publix Great States Theatres took on the West Theatre and updated its look including a new foyer and concession stand in 1959.
Kerasotes took on the West Theatre as well as the Orpheum on December 28, 1972 as ABC Great States left Galesburg after operating the West for 50 years. The theater received a new front in 1974. In 1982, Kerasotes Circuit decided that two twin-screen operations were superior to single-screeners. Kerasotes had taken on the West Theatre’s neighbor, the Colonial, creating the West Twin Cinemas from the former Colonnade/present West and the moribund Colonial. Kerasotes had already discontinued the single-screen Galesburg drive-in and shuttered the high-visibility Orpheum Theatre in 1982 in favor of the West Twin. The Circuit would build an addition to the Sandburg Mall in 1982 that brought about a brand new twin screen theater in that mall.
The West Twin Cinema and the Sandburg Mall Cinema were both closed on December 18, 2003 when Kerasotes Circuit opened their new Showplace 8 multiplex, not far from the Sandburg Mall a day later on December 19, 2003. The West closed with little fanfare despite being opened for more than 90 years. And the building got one more chance. In 2017, AMC – which inherited the Colonial-Colonnade / West Twin property in 2010 when it bought out the Kerasotes Circuit – sold the historic theatres to a local businessman for $100.
However, the 100-plus year old’s building condition was poorer than anticipated and the building was donated to the city of Galesburg in June of 2018. On January 7, 2019, the City Council approved a bid to demolish the historic theatres to create a green space.
The Sandburg Mall opened theatre-less on October 1, 1975. The mall was expanded twice, the first of which was in 1982 bringing about the Kerasotes Circuit’s twin-screen Sandburg Mall Cinema near the J.C. Penney anchor. The Circuit would close the long-running and high-visibility Orpheum in favor of running two twin-screen operations creating both this theatre and adding a second screen to its downtown West Theatre.
As the end of its initial 20-year lease at Sandburg Mall was approaching, Kerasotes next decided to close both of its twin-screen operations as it constructed a new multiplex not far from the Sandburg Mall. The Cinema closed on December 18, 2003 along with the West Twin Cinema. The new Kerasotes ShowPlace 8 opened the next day on December 19, 2003.
The Sandburg Mall went into a steep decline as 30-year leases lapsed and original tenants departed. The mall cinema then became home to a church, an events center featuring live shows, a discount theatre launched by the Blue Moon Drive-In operators running just three months from September of 2007 to December 19, 2007, and a haunted house operation.
The theatre was going to be razed in 2017 as a plan to convert the entire mall into an outdoor shopping complex. That plan didn’t materialize and the entire interior of the mall was locked September 29, 2018 after the final interior store, a GNC Vitaman shop, closed. The mall soldiered on with just two exterior-facing businesses, a car repair shop and a U-Haul rental shop as of 2019. There was little hope that the Sandburg Mall Cinema or any other stores would be resurrected.
Kerasotes Theatres launched the ShowPlace 8 on December 19, 2003 to replace two aging twin-screen locations in town. The ShowPlace replaced the nearby Sandburg Mall Cinema 1 & 2 and the downtown West Cinema 1 & which both concluded operations on Dec. 18, 2003.
Built as the First Congregation Church in 1844, Toledo exhibitor W.C. Bettis – who built such early Toledo photoplay theaters as Colonial Theatre and the Alhambra Theatre – declared the era of the nickelodeon over. “[Nickelodeons] will give way to the large, commodius, ventilated and handsomely theatres equipped expressly for exhibition purposes.”
Bettis put his money where his mouth was converting the church into the “temple of motion pictures” with patrons getting around three hours of original film content for their admission ticket. It launched as the Temple Theatre, a silent house on May 9, 1914 with Jack London’s “Sea Wolf.” It was next door to the long-running and famous Boody Hotel and across the street from the County Building once housing one of the city’s main post offices.
OnFebruary 25, 1927, the silent house turned to Vitaphone sound system and renamed the “Vita Temple” Theatre. The theatre’s experience with Vitaphone was substandard and the theatre switched to Movietone in September of 1927. After the demise of the Boody, the building of the Second National Bank Tower upgraded the neighborhood while launching a banking building trend in the city.
But on February 10, 1933, a spate of 30 fires around Toledo broke out but none more spectacular than the destruction of the Vita Temple Theatre in the early hours. The final showings were on February 9, 1933 and the fire occurred while the theater was closed. BTW: The building’s “short life” mentioned in the paragraph above was a mere 89 years of operation with its final nearly twenty years as a motion picture theatre. Not a bad run.
On October 19, 1925, the remodeled theatre relaunched as the Liberty Theatre. On November 7, 1932, the Liberty became the Mayfair Theatre before becoming the Roxy Theatre.
The Brelco Theater was a live venue that opened December 7, 1989 in downtown Paducah. The upstairs venue closed in April 28, 1996. The space was converted for retail use and the theatre portion became apartments.
The Kentucky Theatre launched on September 24, 1901. It transitioned from a live venue to motion pictures. On February 27, 1922, it became the Orpheum Theatre under new operators. It closed in 1940. It got a new facade in 1942 but appears to have been closed through much of World War 2.
On September 27, 1945 it reopened and was changed back to the Kentucky Theatre.The Kentucky Theatre completed its film exhibition on July 30, 1958. It then was a short-lived live venue for plays in 1958 and 1959. Its last performance was the Charity League Follies ending on April 5, 1959. After the Cleveland Wrecking Company offered the theatre seats for sale in April and May of 1959, it was razed along with the historic Palmer House Hotel for a parking lot and J.C. Penney’s department store.
This venue opened as the Crystal Theatre on March 23, 1908. Under new operators, the theatre became the Star Theatre in September of 1908. The theatre was closed March 30, 1916 for a major remodel and expansion. The new Star Theatre launched October 2, 1916 with “Fires of Conscience.” The theatre was dropped at the the end of January of 1923 though had some special screenings later that year. On May 24, 1924, the Star was reopened briefly closing for good in 1924. It was converted for other retail purposes in 1926.
The theatre was showing “Crime in the Streets” on October 7, 1956 when a brawl occurred. The theatre was padlocked and did not reopen. In 1957, it became home to Saint’s Rest Baptist Church which had taken over the Rialto. They used the projection system to screen, “Noah’s Ark.” After being put up for sale,it was home to Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church and St. Paul Baptist from 1960 to at least 1965.
It closed as the Bargain Box Office on June 14, 2007 with “Delta Farce, “Blades of Glory,” “Wild Hogs,” “Disturbia,” and “Are We Done Yet?” On the latter, the theatre operator said, “yes.” After closing it served as a place of worship for the Vineyard Chillicothe Church. In 2015, the floor was leveled and became the Adena Health System.
The Culver Opera House and Theatre opened February 24, 1912 with a live play, “The Heart Breaker.” Though mostly a live venue, the theatre experimented with photoplays and – under new management and a grand re-opening on September 16, 1914 – switched to regular playing of film with live events also in the mix. The theatre does not appear to have transitioned to sound. The venue became a dance hall which burned down on January 17, 1943.
Forest S. Snyder launched the Forest Theatre in downtown Deepwater in 1915. The Snyders ran the venue as a movie theatre into the early 1930s never converting to sound. An exhibitor using portable equipment had a weekly stop in Deepwater for sound films until a new theatre was established in 1938 in an existing auditorium and was called the Tile Theatre. The Forest was used live, community events from 1931. The last mention of the theater was in 1941 for such an event.
John Travis, who owned the Plaza Theatre in Crane, launched the Tile Theatre on December 6, 1938. The theatre was the first to feature sound and was housed in a former high school used auditorium venue. In 1939, J. B. Horosko took over the theatre renaming it. Mr. and Mrs. Kaiser took on the venue renaming it the Silver Theatre who sold it to Alvah “Al” Cox on December 27, 1945. It likely closed in 1951. The local paper has no mention or ad as the Silva Theatre.
The 750-seat Go-Sho Theatre opened on November 24, 1947 with “It Happened on Fifth Avenue in downtown Clinton, Mo. The theatre architect was Robert Boller and was opened by the J. T. Ghosen circuit who named it after himself. The theatre replaced the Uptown Theatre which had been destroyed in a fire in 1946. The original design for the venue by Boller was under the name “new” Uptown Theatre; but Ghosen renamed the project during the planning stages.
In 1959, a contest was held to rename the theatre which was updated. Jerry Hyde chose the Crest Theatre as the name which was in place when it relaunched on November 11, 1959 with the film, “The Big Circus.” That also was the final day for the Lee Theatre. The theatre was triplexed becoming the Crest Cinema 3 before closing in 2003. It was replaced with a larger six-screen complex elsewhere in town.
The original Irving Theatre on Main Street was opened in September of 1924 likely on a 15-year lease. Operator E.R. Lawrence sold the theatre on August 26, 1935 to Hans Smith. Smith opted to build the New Irving Theatre, a streamlined moderne facility, launching in 1939. After a period of vacancy, I believe this theatre became the Rio Theatre closing under that name. It was converted for other retail purposes.
This facility replaced the former Irving Theatre on Main Street which had opened in September of 1924 likely on a 15-year lease. Owner Hans Smith opted to build the New Irving Theatre, a streamlined moderne facility, launching in 1939. The 600-seat house’s interior and at least one wall was decimated by fire on August 7, 1941 and rebuilt with a new interior adding 40 feet to the structure as a 730-seat theatre relaunching in the Fall of 1941. Purchased by the Meagher Circuit in 1959, the theatre was redecorated. Meagher closed the theatre in 1972.
The Lyric Theatre launched as a 235-seat venue in 1914. In 1917, the Allred family became the theater’s third operator. At the end of what appeared to be a 20-year lease, the theatre was closed briefly and given a streamlined makeover with seating expanded relaunching as the Allred in 1935. The theatre was given a new projection system in 1939. The Allred was basically destroyed by an April 27, 1942 tornado. It was rebuilt and relaunched as a 400-seat house in November of 1942.
The Allred Theatre at right April27, 1942 after a tornado virtually destroyed the theatre.
These neighboring theaters lasted over 100 years in downtown Galesburg. Their origins date back to at least 1910 and were operated by the same management at that time. A similar twin concept was found in Decatur, Illinois with the same company and theatre names. The Galesburg property had previously been home to a hook and ladder fire company building dating back at least to the 1870s.
The hook and ladder building was replaced by the Colonial and Colonnade theaters. Both Prairie Street theaters got new owners in 1913 and were given major makeovers if not entirely rebuilt the following year. Under the operation of Lafayette “Lafe” Weinberg, the Colonial expanded from 300 seats becoming a 44'x100', 700-seat theatre with a 16'x20' screen launching November 1, 1914 with a marble lobby and new auditorium. The theatre became part of the Publix Great States Theatres Circuit in 1922 along with the West Theatre and the nearby Orpheum Theatre.
Publix Great States agreed to close the Colonial in 1951 with equipment offered for sale after a forced sale under the Paramount decree. In 1954, the former Colonial was used as a church. It also had a long period of vacancy until resurrected by the Kerasotes Circuit.
The neighboring Colonnade Theatre was purchased by Willard J. West in 1913 and renamed the West Theatre expanding its seating to 800 and was supposed to have opened three weeks after the launch of the Colonial in November of 1914. The West Theatre appears to have actually debuted early in 1915 under the slogan, “House of Quality.” It had a Bartola played by Alma Burgman of Fort Madison, Iowa. On the second floor was the West Ball Room for dancing which appears to have lasted 20 years. As the building was headed for demolition in 2019, a video shot showed the piano still housed in the long-abandoned ballroom. As noted, Publix Great States Theatres took on the West Theatre and updated its look including a new foyer and concession stand in 1959.
Kerasotes took on the West Theatre as well as the Orpheum on December 28, 1972 as ABC Great States left Galesburg after operating the West for 50 years. The theater received a new front in 1974. In 1982, Kerasotes Circuit decided that two twin-screen operations were superior to single-screeners. Kerasotes had taken on the West Theatre’s neighbor, the Colonial, creating the West Twin Cinemas from the former Colonnade/present West and the moribund Colonial. Kerasotes had already discontinued the single-screen Galesburg drive-in and shuttered the high-visibility Orpheum Theatre in 1982 in favor of the West Twin. The Circuit would build an addition to the Sandburg Mall in 1982 that brought about a brand new twin screen theater in that mall.
The West Twin Cinema and the Sandburg Mall Cinema were both closed on December 18, 2003 when Kerasotes Circuit opened their new Showplace 8 multiplex, not far from the Sandburg Mall a day later on December 19, 2003. The West closed with little fanfare despite being opened for more than 90 years. And the building got one more chance. In 2017, AMC – which inherited the Colonial-Colonnade / West Twin property in 2010 when it bought out the Kerasotes Circuit – sold the historic theatres to a local businessman for $100.
However, the 100-plus year old’s building condition was poorer than anticipated and the building was donated to the city of Galesburg in June of 2018. On January 7, 2019, the City Council approved a bid to demolish the historic theatres to create a green space.
That’s a picture of the building across the street from the Palace Theatre. The Palace Theatre was demolished.
The Sandburg Mall opened theatre-less on October 1, 1975. The mall was expanded twice, the first of which was in 1982 bringing about the Kerasotes Circuit’s twin-screen Sandburg Mall Cinema near the J.C. Penney anchor. The Circuit would close the long-running and high-visibility Orpheum in favor of running two twin-screen operations creating both this theatre and adding a second screen to its downtown West Theatre.
As the end of its initial 20-year lease at Sandburg Mall was approaching, Kerasotes next decided to close both of its twin-screen operations as it constructed a new multiplex not far from the Sandburg Mall. The Cinema closed on December 18, 2003 along with the West Twin Cinema. The new Kerasotes ShowPlace 8 opened the next day on December 19, 2003.
The Sandburg Mall went into a steep decline as 30-year leases lapsed and original tenants departed. The mall cinema then became home to a church, an events center featuring live shows, a discount theatre launched by the Blue Moon Drive-In operators running just three months from September of 2007 to December 19, 2007, and a haunted house operation.
The theatre was going to be razed in 2017 as a plan to convert the entire mall into an outdoor shopping complex. That plan didn’t materialize and the entire interior of the mall was locked September 29, 2018 after the final interior store, a GNC Vitaman shop, closed. The mall soldiered on with just two exterior-facing businesses, a car repair shop and a U-Haul rental shop as of 2019. There was little hope that the Sandburg Mall Cinema or any other stores would be resurrected.
The Grove Theatre closed in March of 1960 and was converted to the Congregation of the Calvary Assembly of God Church.
Kerasotes Theatres launched the ShowPlace 8 on December 19, 2003 to replace two aging twin-screen locations in town. The ShowPlace replaced the nearby Sandburg Mall Cinema 1 & 2 and the downtown West Cinema 1 & which both concluded operations on Dec. 18, 2003.
Built as the First Congregation Church in 1844, Toledo exhibitor W.C. Bettis – who built such early Toledo photoplay theaters as Colonial Theatre and the Alhambra Theatre – declared the era of the nickelodeon over. “[Nickelodeons] will give way to the large, commodius, ventilated and handsomely theatres equipped expressly for exhibition purposes.”
Bettis put his money where his mouth was converting the church into the “temple of motion pictures” with patrons getting around three hours of original film content for their admission ticket. It launched as the Temple Theatre, a silent house on May 9, 1914 with Jack London’s “Sea Wolf.” It was next door to the long-running and famous Boody Hotel and across the street from the County Building once housing one of the city’s main post offices.
OnFebruary 25, 1927, the silent house turned to Vitaphone sound system and renamed the “Vita Temple” Theatre. The theatre’s experience with Vitaphone was substandard and the theatre switched to Movietone in September of 1927. After the demise of the Boody, the building of the Second National Bank Tower upgraded the neighborhood while launching a banking building trend in the city.
But on February 10, 1933, a spate of 30 fires around Toledo broke out but none more spectacular than the destruction of the Vita Temple Theatre in the early hours. The final showings were on February 9, 1933 and the fire occurred while the theater was closed. BTW: The building’s “short life” mentioned in the paragraph above was a mere 89 years of operation with its final nearly twenty years as a motion picture theatre. Not a bad run.
On October 19, 1925, the remodeled theatre relaunched as the Liberty Theatre. On November 7, 1932, the Liberty became the Mayfair Theatre before becoming the Roxy Theatre.
The Brelco Theater was a live venue that opened December 7, 1989 in downtown Paducah. The upstairs venue closed in April 28, 1996. The space was converted for retail use and the theatre portion became apartments.
The Kentucky Theatre launched on September 24, 1901. It transitioned from a live venue to motion pictures. On February 27, 1922, it became the Orpheum Theatre under new operators. It closed in 1940. It got a new facade in 1942 but appears to have been closed through much of World War 2.
On September 27, 1945 it reopened and was changed back to the Kentucky Theatre.The Kentucky Theatre completed its film exhibition on July 30, 1958. It then was a short-lived live venue for plays in 1958 and 1959. Its last performance was the Charity League Follies ending on April 5, 1959. After the Cleveland Wrecking Company offered the theatre seats for sale in April and May of 1959, it was razed along with the historic Palmer House Hotel for a parking lot and J.C. Penney’s department store.
Appears to have opened July 1, 1953. Closed September 20, 1972 with “Skyjacked.” Became the Sunset Auction Lot.
Destroyed by fire that broke out just 15 minutes after what turned out to be its final show of January 9, 1959.
This venue opened as the Crystal Theatre on March 23, 1908. Under new operators, the theatre became the Star Theatre in September of 1908. The theatre was closed March 30, 1916 for a major remodel and expansion. The new Star Theatre launched October 2, 1916 with “Fires of Conscience.” The theatre was dropped at the the end of January of 1923 though had some special screenings later that year. On May 24, 1924, the Star was reopened briefly closing for good in 1924. It was converted for other retail purposes in 1926.
Closes on December 9, 2018 due to declining business and property sold. Final shows of with The Grinch; Ralph Breaks the Internet; Instant Family.
The theatre was showing “Crime in the Streets” on October 7, 1956 when a brawl occurred. The theatre was padlocked and did not reopen. In 1957, it became home to Saint’s Rest Baptist Church which had taken over the Rialto. They used the projection system to screen, “Noah’s Ark.” After being put up for sale,it was home to Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church and St. Paul Baptist from 1960 to at least 1965.
It closed as the Bargain Box Office on June 14, 2007 with “Delta Farce, “Blades of Glory,” “Wild Hogs,” “Disturbia,” and “Are We Done Yet?” On the latter, the theatre operator said, “yes.” After closing it served as a place of worship for the Vineyard Chillicothe Church. In 2015, the floor was leveled and became the Adena Health System.
Closed on July 4, 1985 after a “dusk ‘til dawn” marathon screening.
Closed after a marathon 5-feature “Night of Horrors Dusk ‘til Dawn” spook show on October 29, 1988.
The Culver Opera House and Theatre opened February 24, 1912 with a live play, “The Heart Breaker.” Though mostly a live venue, the theatre experimented with photoplays and – under new management and a grand re-opening on September 16, 1914 – switched to regular playing of film with live events also in the mix. The theatre does not appear to have transitioned to sound. The venue became a dance hall which burned down on January 17, 1943.
Forest S. Snyder launched the Forest Theatre in downtown Deepwater in 1915. The Snyders ran the venue as a movie theatre into the early 1930s never converting to sound. An exhibitor using portable equipment had a weekly stop in Deepwater for sound films until a new theatre was established in 1938 in an existing auditorium and was called the Tile Theatre. The Forest was used live, community events from 1931. The last mention of the theater was in 1941 for such an event.
John Travis, who owned the Plaza Theatre in Crane, launched the Tile Theatre on December 6, 1938. The theatre was the first to feature sound and was housed in a former high school used auditorium venue. In 1939, J. B. Horosko took over the theatre renaming it. Mr. and Mrs. Kaiser took on the venue renaming it the Silver Theatre who sold it to Alvah “Al” Cox on December 27, 1945. It likely closed in 1951. The local paper has no mention or ad as the Silva Theatre.
The 750-seat Go-Sho Theatre opened on November 24, 1947 with “It Happened on Fifth Avenue in downtown Clinton, Mo. The theatre architect was Robert Boller and was opened by the J. T. Ghosen circuit who named it after himself. The theatre replaced the Uptown Theatre which had been destroyed in a fire in 1946. The original design for the venue by Boller was under the name “new” Uptown Theatre; but Ghosen renamed the project during the planning stages.
In 1959, a contest was held to rename the theatre which was updated. Jerry Hyde chose the Crest Theatre as the name which was in place when it relaunched on November 11, 1959 with the film, “The Big Circus.” That also was the final day for the Lee Theatre. The theatre was triplexed becoming the Crest Cinema 3 before closing in 2003. It was replaced with a larger six-screen complex elsewhere in town.