Majestic Theatre
240 Collinsville Avenue,
East St. Louis,
IL
62201
240 Collinsville Avenue,
East St. Louis,
IL
62201
9 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 52 comments
“Regular St. Louis must appear to be Emerald City in comparison.” Interesting quote as I’m a Wizard of Oz fan!
Also, the intro says that this theater “may be declared a landmark”. May be? If it hasn’t happened by now I can’t imagine that it will be in the future. There appears to be virtually nothing left to this sad city. Regular St. Louis must appear to be Emerald City in comparison.
Wow, I thought Camden, NJ and Gary, Indiana were dumps. East St. Louis seems to outdo them both in urban devastation. If there was ever a city that needed to be leveled and replaced with a park, this would seem to be it. How awful that this is what is directly opposite the St. Louis Arch. What a shame since The Majestic appeared to be such a beautiful structure.
I know “beggers can’t be choosers”, but if there is any way you could somehow find some vintage interior photos that would be wonderful, too! We’ve seen the decaying interior so it would be nice to see what it once looked like on the inside!
Thanks! I knew you’d come through for me….again! Happy New Year!
I just now noticed your above post with all of the depressing East St. Louis photos and your “link heaven” comment concerning the 1947 vintage photo so I guess we won’t see it afterall…still hoping to see one of that era though.
Lost Memory: And if you can somehow post the photos you added on Oct 13, 2005 that would be wonderful! I’ve tried a few times to view them, but no luck!
I guess the theatre’s heydays were from 1925 to 1949…24 years of glory. And I see that after the word, Owner it reads….Private. Who owns the building?
It sounds like this theatre is in a decaying part of St. Louis and its fate is probably written in stone now due to the declining area. However, I do hope to see some vintage photos here of this once great theatre in the near future!
I’ve seen a lot worse returned to use and glory.The sin of this great relic is its location.The curse of E.S.L.will probably be fatal,in the end.I drove past it a few weeks ago.I didn’t even turn my head to look.It really saddens me.
Lost Memory: Your Oct 13, 2005 post features a vintage photo though I couldn’t bring it up and would like to see what this theatre once looked like and to think it was added to the NRHP in just ‘85 which isn’t that long ago. What happened to this theatre and the interior as those photos are very hard to view?
Chuck: Thanks…will do!
More photos:
http://www.agilitynut.com/05/10/estl1.jpg
http://www.agilitynut.com/05/10/estl2.jpg
How does the Fox Theatre in St. Louis compare to the Majestic?
This theatre looks more like a European cathedral and definitely deserves to be saved. And to see the foliage growing out of the building’s facade in a couple of the photos is very sad.
I first noticed this theater up close in 1969,when I stopped for the night in a Holiday Inn in downtown-imagine that?Spending the night in E.St.Louis?It looked like it had closed recently,although,I guess it had been closed for about 9 years.What a shame.It appeared quite pristine.
I drove by this theater a few weeks ago on a cross-country jaunt(made a point to look up as many theaters as possible).I found this bldg absolutely breathtaking.Aren’t there any shots of the interior or news on the state of the interior?
Charles: Hope to see your pictures of this St. Louis Gothic Revival Majestic theatre SOON! The front facade of this theater is breathtaking in the postcard photo!
I don’t think this poor building is ever going to see patrons again. I took an adventure earlier this summer to find it, and it is truly amazing, as are the other buildings around it… but they are all falling apart, miserably so. The beautiful building next door is totally caved-in in the back. But I highly recommend a drive-by viewing, at the very least. You can see it from the interstate.
I just received a book called “Ticket to Paradise: American Movie Theaters & How We Had Fun,” and I saw an exterior photo of the Missouri Theatre in St. Joseph, Missouri, which was very similar to the Majestic. It was also built by the Boller Brothers in the 1920’s. I found a website thru Cinema Treasures about the Missouri Theatre where you can view some photos of the interior of this theatre that were taken before and after they rehabbed the building. If anyone can remember what the inside of the Majestic looked like, please check out these photos and let me know if they compare at all to the likeness of the Majestic.
The organ from the Majestic, Wurlitzer Opus 1222 (shipped to the theatre on 12/12/25), currently entertains patrons as the lobby organ at the Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO.
Majestic built by Harry Redmond and Fred Leber, replacing an earlier Majestic on the same site.
Great States Theatres (a branch of the Paramount-Publix theatre empire) leased and operated the theatre for many years beginning in 1929.
The Majestic Theatre should be brought back to life! If only the mayor would attempt to organize a major cleanup, starting with downtown East St. Louis. The theatre could possibly be used for plays and other cultural events. SIU in East St. Louis has always been involved in ballet, and other types of performing arts. The Casino Queen is so close by, and they are always busy. If downtown could be revitalized with new stores and restaurants, which could be built in the place of the vacant and decayed buildings that are there now, I am sure many people would come back, as long as there is adequate security. I know a lot of people who would be thrilled to walk along Collinsville Avenue once again. I firmly believe a new future could lie just within reach of the beautiful and historical Majestic Theatre.
I will be looking forward to seeing the photos…
I wonder if there are any pictures in someones archives, of the interior the the Majestic Theatre. Even though it is just a shell of its former self, I can say that it still shines with a beauty that is “haunting” to see, as it sits among the decayed and delapidated buildings that surround it today…