Lawford Theatre
225 W. Main Street,
Havana,
IL
62644
225 W. Main Street,
Havana,
IL
62644
5 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Kerasotes Theatres
Styles: Oriental, Streamline Moderne
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Jul 19, 2005 — Lawford Theatre Reopens Friday July 22
Opened on April 5, 1915 as the Pullen Opera House. This 500 seat theater in downtown Havana is situated next door to the city hall. It was eqipped with a theatre pipe organ in 1918. The Lawford Theatre was operated by the Kerasotes chain from 1936 until it closed in 1982. In 1997, it was restored and reopened for use as a legitimate theater venue, which it served as until 2001.
In August of 2004, a new owner purchased the Lawford Theatre and reopened it as a movie house. It was closed not long after, but reopened under new ownership in summer of 2005. Again the Lawford Theatre closed in September, but reopened under another new owner in November of 2005.
By 2016 movies had ceased and it was in use as a country music venue, with wrestling matches on certain nights. It was closed in 2019. On August 4, 2024 the roof of the vacant building collapsed and the auditorium was demolished. The facade and entrance still remain in 2026.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 134 comments)
I live in Havana. I don’t care who owns the Lawford or who runs it, and I certainly do not have any interest in the incendiary discussions that have occurred in this thread.
The Lawford has great potential, however:
1.It still smells funky.
2.The popcorn is usually disgusting.
3.The environment (seats, lighting, screen, sound, etc.) still has more of a
“we-don’t-really-care-if-you-are-comfortable-and-enjoy-the-show-because-we-already-took-your-money” motif than what I am willing to continue supporting.
4. The majority of the films chosen are not suitable to the culture and needs of this community.
For future ideas on how to improve the Lawford, I would suggest that the owners,etc. go down the road to Mason City and check out the Arlee. Unfortunately for the Lawford, that is where we currently take most of our business. Maybe someday we will be able to speak of the Lawford with pride…
It is doubtful you ever will with the current owner ‘frank’ he just takes the money and keeps the doors open, its needs 1000’s of dollars of money to fix the heating, roofing, etc, it will never be a good theater until the town supports it or better yet, the city buys it and restores it, at this moment with all the BAD wiring it could burn down at any minute, you should see behind the stage where ‘open’ wires are and in the control booth, i am somewhat surprised the city has not closed it for violations but i guess if it takes somebody suing and or losing there life then that is what it will take.
still listed for sale …….
i love the lawford theater. I have had no problems each time that i have went. i would take my children there any day. I happen to love the way it is set up and i think that the only reason that people complain is because of the fact that they want everything to be like the big theaters that are newly built. this place has historic values and it should stay that way other than the wiring and other small things throughout. the lawford wasnt built 10 years ago it was built before the time of air conditioning so if you want to stay cool like the new whinny generation like yourselves then dont come. and by the way the popcorn is delicious.
The theater recently reopened after being closed several weeks for repairs.
Wow, I had no idea the old Lawford was going to be such a hot, hot topic when we passed through Havana in the summer of 1995 – it looked pretty forlorn then:
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Wow, I hadn’t realized our little theater had generated this much conversation. Because it was before my time, I didn’t have much exposure to those above who have previously rented the Lawford. However, I know the “renovations” they speak of consisted of painting over existing paint and generally making actual, real renovations harder. To make a long story short, Summer 2010 will mark about a year since an actual, longterm renovation began in the theater. Although it will take a few years, I am condfident the Lawford will undergo a complete restoration. If you are of the area, stop in from time to time to see our progress and support the effort.
who can I contact I want to do a free investigation with our paranormal group have someone contact me at
No longer showing movies according to their Facebook page. Live country music shows and wrestling are listed.
Local dentist Dr. Lawford G. Pullen and two business partners raised $15,000 to build the 600-seat Pullen Opera House in 1914. It launched under that name on April 5, 1915 with live programming. The Pullen would show live productions and, on “dark days,” it would present motion pictures. The Opera House was competing mainly against the Castle Theatre - one of three nickelodeons in Havana, Illinois' early cinema days.
Pullen was no dummy as the movies brought in serious coin while live presentations were harder to book and challenging to market. So a month later, Pullen changed the Opera House to a Theater concentrating on film with some vaudeville. Its name became the Lawford Theatre. A $3,500 pipe organ was installed in 1918 to improve presentations. The theatre converted to sound to remain viable.
Kerasotes Brothers Circuit built another theater in downtown Havana - the Havana - in 1936 while having taken on the Lawford. In 1939, the venue was given a new air conditioning system and improved sound system. The brothers also gave the Lawford a major revamp changing its face and losing some of the Oriental styled interior to a more streamline moderne feel. Kerasotes converted the Lawford to widescreen projection to present CinemaScope titles in the 1950s.
Kerasotes left in 1982 closing after an amazing 67-year run. The theater was relit closing in 1990. It reopened four more times with a combination of films and live events. The Lawford Theatre closed permanently in 2019. On August 4, 2024, its roof collapsed causing significant damage and leading to its condemnation. It is very, very closed.