Joy Theatre
103 S. Front Street,
Virginia,
IL
62691
103 S. Front Street,
Virginia,
IL
62691
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Additional Info
Architects: Joseph F. Black
Previous Names: Turman Opera House, Virginia Theatre
Nearby Theaters
No theaters found within 30 miles
Opened prior to 1896 as the Turman Opera House. In the 1914-1915 edition of American Motion Picture Directory it was listed as the Opera House. It was renamed Virginia Theatre in 1933. In 1941 it was remodeled and renamed Joy Theatre and closed in the 1970’s.
It was owned by the Anderson family for many years. It was remodeled again in the 1990’s and for a brief period operated as a dinner theatre. It was taken by the city of Virginia to give to the county. By 2006 it had closed and was converted into offices and storage use and was still standing in 2013. Unfortunately part of the rear wall collapsed and the city ordered it to be demolished.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
Address is 103 S Front St
Need to add the address! Since this listing has no information at all, here’s what I came up with. The state has it listed as the Virginia Opera House. It was designed and built by Joseph F. Black. William Jennings Bryan spoke there in 1896, so it was definitely open by then. It stayed open until at least the early ‘70s. A lot of the colored tile has now fallen off, but the ghost ads on the side have been repainted.
To see what it looked like in the ‘70s, go to: http://gis.hpa.state.il.us/hargis/ and enter 'Joy Theater Building’ in the search bar.