Theatre
108 W. Yates Street,
Newman,
IL
61942
108 W. Yates Street,
Newman,
IL
61942
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No, the opera house was a huge structure on the north side of the square. I had asked Ken about that some time ago, but not heard back. If you could confirm that it showed movies, I’ll add it. I’m leaning toward this being an early iteration of the Illinois.
A booklet published for the Centennial of Newman in 1957 (scan at Internet Archive) says that a new Opera House was built there in 1904, following the destruction of the old one by fire. This theater could have been that 1904 opera house.
A movie house called the Illinois Theatre was listed at Newman in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory. The centennial booklet makes references to a Mr. E. C. Root having bought a moving picture machine and shown movies in town in 1910, though it doesn’t say where, and there is another reference from the same year saying “Tom’s up-to-date theatre was showing the latest silent movies for 5 and 10 cents admission.” The booklet doesn’t say who “Tom” was, and makes no other references to his theater, but as the line is immediately followed by one talking about a stage show at the Opera House I get the impression that they were different theaters.