Wabash Theatre
165 E. North Street,
Grayville,
IL
62844
165 E. North Street,
Grayville,
IL
62844
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Turner-Farrar Theaters
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Nearby Theaters
The Wabash Theatre was built in 1948, and opened on July 28, 1949, replacing the Premier Theatre, which had been destroyed in a blaze the previous year. The Wabash Theatre continued to operate through the 1960’s, but closed due to declining attendance.
It was acquired by the Grayville Community Arts Association (GCAA) in 1975, which was founded the previous year. The Wabash Theatre has been renovated since, and the theatre has been restored to its 1940’s appearance. It was last used as a live theatre, but had closed by 2016.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
The Wabash has a neat old style ticket booth inside the lobby as well as the old time popcorn machine. It seat 480 people.
James Grebe
Here is an article about the Premier fire. It can be added if anyone has the time:
http://www.ourgrayville.com/Premier.htm
Status should be closed. No activity on their Facebook page or elsewhere on the web. The Go Fund Me page has not received any donations since 2015.
Here is a reminiscence about the Wabash Theatre written by former projectionist W.F. Werzner. The theater is presumably still intact and usable, as it was the venue for a variety and talent show, part of the annual Grayville Days event, as recently as September 3 last year, and for a town-wide church service the following Sunday.
Its grand opening was July 28, 1949 with Mayor Ed Williams on hand to help launch the $100,000 venue.