Hippodrome Theatre

The 1910 Sanborn shows moving pictures operating in the western storefront of the Johnson Building, a large 5 story brick structure constructed before 1886.

The Masonic Temple was on the 4th and 5th floors, and the ground floor was split by the central stair into one large space on the east, and two smaller ones on the west. The eastern half was 5 stories all the way back along the alley, but the western half dropped to one story about halfway back.

The 1894 map shows the space as the offices and laboratory of the Hill Chemical Co. The structure was unchanged in conversion to the Hippodrome Theatre, which was initially powered by a 12hp gas engine and 7 1/2kw dynamo.

The Hippodrome Theatre remained in operation in 1943, but had closed by 1950 and the 1955 map seems to show the space as vacant.

This building, as well as almost the entire city block, was destroyed as Springfield entered a serious decline. The location is now surface parking.

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