According to an article I found in an old St. Louis newspaper, the Wehrenberg chain initially planned to build an indoor theater at this site, but downgraded it to an airdome before construction began.
The Cross Keys shopping center was pretty much scraped off its plot and rebuilt from the ground up in 2003; not a trace remains of the abandoned cinema or its distinctive marquees located at the parking-lot entrances.
I encountered one of the owners of Movies and More while doing laundry at a laundromat she also owns. She told me that the theater was originally called the Demo (an anagram of the names of the founders), and that it was presently closed because it’s difficult to find reliable employees.
Though two of the three original occupants of the shopping center are now gone, occupancy has been back at 100% for about a year. A grocery store on the site has a facsimile of the old drive-in marquee marking its video rental department. I’d still rather have the drive-in, though!
California Progress, Inc. is restoring the Ritz to its previous incarnation as the Finke Theatre; those interested in making tax credit donations may call (573) 796-4071.
The State staggered in and out of business throughout the 1990s and it is currently closed. Its revival seems unlikely due to a large hole in the roof and the increasingly shabby condition of the interior.
Incredibly, in the entire city of Springfield, the Southtown seems to be the only vintage movie house that is still standing and identifiable as a former theater.
Inspired by the success of the single-screen theaters in Rushville and Normal, the city of Pittsfield plans to restore and reopen the Zoe; repairs to the roof have already been made.
Still recognizable as a former cinema, the Janet is now a muffler shop.
According to an article I found in an old St. Louis newspaper, the Wehrenberg chain initially planned to build an indoor theater at this site, but downgraded it to an airdome before construction began.
The Showplace occupies the site of the former Poplar Bluff Drive-In.
In the late 1990s, the auditorium was demolished and the lobby was converted to office space. The marquee still graces the facade.
The Cross Keys shopping center was pretty much scraped off its plot and rebuilt from the ground up in 2003; not a trace remains of the abandoned cinema or its distinctive marquees located at the parking-lot entrances.
Original name: Roseland. I believe a photo of the theatre before its modernization can be seen in the present lobby.
A church now occupies the La Jade.
The Crown has reopened as a banquet hall—complete with stage—under the original Savoy name.
I encountered one of the owners of Movies and More while doing laundry at a laundromat she also owns. She told me that the theater was originally called the Demo (an anagram of the names of the founders), and that it was presently closed because it’s difficult to find reliable employees.
Though two of the three original occupants of the shopping center are now gone, occupancy has been back at 100% for about a year. A grocery store on the site has a facsimile of the old drive-in marquee marking its video rental department. I’d still rather have the drive-in, though!
California Progress, Inc. is restoring the Ritz to its previous incarnation as the Finke Theatre; those interested in making tax credit donations may call (573) 796-4071.
The State staggered in and out of business throughout the 1990s and it is currently closed. Its revival seems unlikely due to a large hole in the roof and the increasingly shabby condition of the interior.
Incredibly, in the entire city of Springfield, the Southtown seems to be the only vintage movie house that is still standing and identifiable as a former theater.
Inspired by the success of the single-screen theaters in Rushville and Normal, the city of Pittsfield plans to restore and reopen the Zoe; repairs to the roof have already been made.
Unfortunately, Kerasotes has closed the Illinois Theatre in Macomb.
Bryan, what you’ve sent is a photo of the recently-closed Illinois Theater in Macomb, Illinois. It sure hasn’t changed much!
The Illinois Theatre is still standing. Straith Jewelers is next door.