Palace Theatre
115 N. Main Street,
Rockford,
IL
61101
115 N. Main Street,
Rockford,
IL
61101
4 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Balaban & Katz Corp.
Architects: Cornelius Ward Rapp, George W. Leslie Rapp
Firms: Rapp & Rapp
Nearby Theaters
One of Rockford’s earlier movie houses, located on Main Street, the Palace opened in 1915, and was located a few doors down from the Orpheum. The Palace closed in 1955 and was later converted into a store. The building was demolished around the early 1980s.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
In the 50s the Palace was converted to a F W Woolworth store in the late 70s or early 80s it was torn down
This was one of Rapp and Rapp’s earliest.
According to The Rockford Morning Star newspaper the Palace Theatre opened on February 22, 1915. Part of an article from February 21, 1915 reads:
“…Messrs. George and C. L. Rapp have specialized in theater designing and among their latest masterpieces are the New Oprheum in Champaign, the Orpheum in Quincy, the Columbia in Davenport, Ia., the New Palace in Fort Wayne, Ind., the Hippodrome in Chicago, the Ringling Theatre in Baraboo, Wis., and the Palace in Rockford. They also have theaters under construction in Louisville, Ky. and Grand Rapids, Mich.”
According to a 16mm movie my uncle, Tony Maar, took in 1948, the following vaudeville entertainers were on the bill for shows spanning February 6-9, 1948:
“On The Stage Hit Parade:"
-Manuel Vieira and His Monkeys
-John Laurenz
-Bill Dornfield
-Jim Penman & Company
-The Lancasters (Tony and Mary Maar, husband and wife hand balancing act)
*it’s difficult to tell from a silent film but between Laurenz, Dornfield and Penman, at least one one did magic, one juggled and another did standup comedy.
I uploaded an grand opening ad from March 15th, 1915.
Added image. Palace sign in 1940, photo courtesy of the RockfordReminisce.com Facebook page.
Other images here. Copy & Paste to view.
http://rockfordreminisce.com/Entertainment_Venues_2.html