Lincoln Theatre
217-219 8th Street,
Cairo,
IL
62914
217-219 8th Street,
Cairo,
IL
62914
1 person
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Rodgers Theatres
Functions: Fraternal Hall
Previous Names: Kimmel Theatre, Jackson Theatre, Rodgers Theatre
Nearby Theaters
Opened in 1917 as the Kimmel Theatre (replacing an earlier Kimmel Theatre [1911-1917] a few doors down 8th Street). The theatre was renamed the Jackson Theatre in 1932 and at the end of 1936, again renamed the Rodgers Theatre. In 1947 the theatre was once more renamed, this time as the Lincoln Theatre. It continued to operate until the late-1960’s. The building became home to Cairo’s Elks club until around 2013. The building was still standing in June 2021, but had been demolished by 2023.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft & Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
I believe the Rodgers Theater became the Lincoln Theater when it became Cairo’s African American move theater after the Opera House closed in the 50’s.
The Lincoln Theatre in Cairo was mentioned in Boxoffice of June 14, 1947. The Opera House had burned down on February 7 that same year. If the Rodgers became the Lincoln when it replaced the Opera House as the town’s African-American theater, then the name change must have taken place that year.
Boxoffice of October 26, 1957, reported that the Rodgers circuit had announced that their Lincoln Theatre at Cairo would be closed “…for an indefinite period.” I haven’t found any later mentions of the Lincoln in Boxoffice.
Thanks agin Joe.
In the photo above, the Lincoln is showing a movie released in 1948, which would seem to confirm that the Rodgers became the Lincoln in 1947.
This was demolished sometime between 2013 and 2023.
The building was still standing in 2016 when I visited (see my photo in the Photos tab). The Google street view from September 2023 shows a pile of rubbish where the building once stood.