Capitol Theatre
45 East Side Square,
Canton,
IL
61520
45 East Side Square,
Canton,
IL
61520
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The Opera house was demolished in October of 2017 it is an empty lot now.
This building, recently housing offices, was badly damaged in a nearby gas explosion. According to the Chicago Tribune:
“Among buildings damaged by the blast was a historic century Opera House that now houses offices; it was among three buildings condemned because they are beyond repair, Canton police chief Rick Nichols said.”
When the Capitol’s lobby—with no serious remodeling; how cool!—was being used as a record store, the auditorium was used for storage. During the restoration of the Opera House building, the auditorium was demolished—but the building still looks the same from the front.
The Opera House in Canton IL is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. Unfortunatly, there are no street addresses in this guide. The theatre is referred to as “Opera House” and also as “Armory Opera House”. Is it this theatre ? The seating capacity was 800 and it was on the second floor. C. N. Hinkler was Mgr. The proscenium opening was 20 feet high, and the stage was 25 feet deep. The house had both gas and electric illumination. There was a piano, but no orchestra. Hotels for show folk were the Canton House and the Churchill House, and local papers were the Register, Cantonian, and Ledger. Railroads were the TP&W and the CB&Q. The 1897 population of Canton was 10,000.
Would the owner of this theatre or someone they know be interested in purchasing the theatre I have listed in Havana, IL? There is possibly money available from the city for restoration on this property. I have it listed at $79,900. Please email me if you would like more info. Thanks. Rhonda Howard, Jim Maloof/REALTOR.