Palace Theater
437 Main Street,
Peoria,
IL
61602
437 Main Street,
Peoria,
IL
61602
3 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Ascher Brothers Inc., Balaban & Katz Corp., Plitt Theatres, Publix Theaters Corporation
Architects: William L. Pereira, John Edmund Oldaker Pridmore
Previous Names: Ascher's Palace Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Palace Theatre opened on January 6, 1921, and was built and owned by William Hull. It was at one time the best known of the many theaters which once stood in downtown Peoria.
The vaudeville house was remodeled in 1929 into a movie palace. It was remodeled again in 1936 to the plans of architect William L. Pereira. It also played host to some of the biggest names in entertainment of the era, including Burns & Allen, Duke Ellington, and Ozzie and Harriet. The saying "If it’ll play Peoria" meant that if you were a hit here, you were on your way to the big time.
The theatre was sold to Publix Great States chain in 1963 and the exterior was given a facelift and in 1974, Plitt Theatres took over Publix. The theater closed in 1980, and was torn down, along with several other historic structures, to make way for the Twin Towers Place development.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft, Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 24 comments)
ken mc: Thanks for the photo of a once magnificant interior!
My grandparents lived in Peoria, IL which was a first-run theatre town. Thus we were able to see films well ahead of their release in our town at the Palace and the Madison Theatres. At this point my memory is fuzzy separating the two but I do remember the wide sight lines, excellent projection, air conditioning and sound, and lovely lobbies. The years when I visited the two theatres were approximately 1961-1975.
But will it play in Peoria???Nice interior photo.
This opened as an Ascher’s theatre according to the sign of the theatre.
i loved the palace..last movie i saw there was ..the jerk
I wish it was like this again down there.
Everybody keeps saying some guy by the name of Heinz tore down the Palace. That’s not the right name. The name you’re looking for is developer Ray Becker. I know this to be true because my dad was working for Becker Bros. Construction at the time. He even tried to convince Ray that tearing down the Palace was a crime. Ray lives at the top of one of the twin towers to this very day.
1966 photo added, photo credit Peoria Public Library. Partial marquee photo.
Have very fond memories of this theater. I was 20 when I first came to Peoria and saw many movies there. The best and most memorable was “Star Wars”. I saw it opening night, at the first showing. We got into the theater just as the balcony was being opened and we got the center sits in the front row; put us dead center to the screen.
Hm, in my memory “Star Wars” ran at the Rialto (rather than the Palace), which fell near the same time and in similar fashion, to make way for Civic Center construction. I saw it at the Rialto in the fall of ‘77, some weeks into its run. Of course one must remember that few realized at its release that it would be a major hit- it was viewed as simply another in a line of sci-fi interest movies. Also there wasn’t yet the concept of a “blockbuster” movie. A hint at that had come a couple years before with “Jaws”. I did see “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Every Which Way But Loose” at the Palace in its final years.
Also the catchphrase was “If it will play in Peoria, it will play anywhere”. Meaning not that Peoria can particularly discern quality, but rather that it’s an “everyman” community with tastes predictive for success across geography and social strata. Peoria was once widely used as a test market for various products.
I might take issue with declaring the Palace to be the “best known” downtown theater. Across the street stood the Madison, which was at the least its equal. It almost amazingly still stands after decades of closure and neglect but finally seems on the cusp of being saved and renovated.