The Empress was actually quite an old building, and was built sometime before 1885 as an opera house. The 1892 to 1900 maps call it Packard’s Opera House, but the 1909 map notes that it is being used as a garage. It seems to have been cut down by about ten feet in front during its revival as a theater.
The Joy might be another theater I submitted, a block to the west, which seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle. I’ll see if Ken can find it.
I assumed the ‘New Palace’ must have replaced an earlier one, but…
As far as I can tell, the addresses have never changed. 223 never existed, since it would have been the side yard of the gorgeous old Victorian wreck at 2nd and Elm (now Kitchell). I assume 223 was a typo for 123. 121-123 on the 1909 map was an old two-story wooden storefront. Perhaps the Palace ran there for a year or so before being replaced by the new building.
I’m not sure this was the same as the opera house. There was an opera house on the SW corner of Superior and 6th, which was constructed sometime between 1900 and 1907. Still apparently open on the 1926 map. There was a Rogers theater listed from 1928-31, which possibly could be this one.
I’m pretty sure the address is wrong. The 1925 map shows a theater at 115. It’s not on the 1916 map, and seems to be either a replacement or an extensive remodeling of the building shown on the older map. The building was two stories, so it has either been demolished or cut down. Pana was very depressing, and that whole section of the block is a really awful collection of bad remodeling and decay.
SethG
commented about
Theatreon
Jun 30, 2023 at 6:37 am
The 1910 map is from February, but it is just possible that it’s the Colonial. Usually things that aren’t open have a ‘to be’ note before the description.
SethG
commented about
Theatreon
Jun 29, 2023 at 5:13 am
Thanks for all that research. Yale does seem the most likely. Might the West End Lyric be a reopened Cozy? Further west than that, it’s all houses. Even on the 1933 map, the only businesses on W Main further out are two gas stations.
No idea where a replacement Rex might have been, it could have been any storefront, or possibly the first name for this one. The chronology does seem to fit. This could have opened 1912 or 1913 as the Rex, and become the Yale sometime after 1914.
SethG
commented about
Theatreon
Jun 28, 2023 at 8:42 am
Since you’ve definitely identified a New Windsor theater, you should add the Cozy. Not sure where it would have been. There is only one map, from 1916, and it’s no help. New Windsor’s downtown is actually nicer than Windsor’s, and it’s possible the building is still there.
That bit about the furniture store is wrong. The Shorts building was constructed sometime around 1922 as a garage. This building seems to be vacant on the older streetviews.
SethG
commented about
Theatreon
Jun 27, 2023 at 7:40 pm
Since New Windsor insists on calling itself Windsor as well, it is very confusing. I guess this was likely the Grand, then perhaps Windsor? This town is a few hundred people larger than New Windsor, but not enough to support two theaters. I agree that the ‘Dutchess’ is either a renaming, or perhaps a confusion between Windsors.
SethG
commented about
Theatreon
Jun 27, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Sorry, but New Windsor is a completely different town on the other side of the state. Windsor is between Mattoon and Shelbyville. New Windsor is between Galesburg and Davenport, IA.
Some of this history is inaccurate. The building was not built in the 1880s, it was constructed sometime between 1911 and 1922. The 1911 map shows the building that preceded the theater was only one story tall. Even that did not date from the 1880s, being constructed sometime between 1896 and 1906 to replace an earlier wooden building.
By 1922, everything from the theater down to the corner was a replacement. Perhaps there was a fire? The opening date is clearly also wrong, as the theater appears on the 1922 and 1933 maps.
SethG
commented about
Theatreon
Jun 27, 2023 at 9:59 am
Since a lot of the E-W roads are states, the spelling of Maine St was correct.
SethG
commented about
Theatreon
Jun 27, 2023 at 4:59 am
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.
That all makes sense. The indoor Grand may even have been built here to replace this, and then become the Oakland. Or it may have been in the block to the west of this.
The address information is wrong. This was on 6th St, well south of Van Buren. The address would be something like 750. As of the 1919 map, nothing had replaced it, and the site today is a scruffy parking lot with the foundations of some later buildings.
Some historic views of the theater can be found at: https://dnrhistoric.illinois.gov/preserve/hargis.html
The navigation is extremely cumbersome, but you need to ‘Enter Hargis’, move the map to Charleston (it always drops you on Sprinfield, so go east and a bit south), and click on one of the purple dots downtown. The other one is the courthouse.
I guess they’re still trying, but they lost out on grant money recently. The December ‘22 streetview is pretty grim. Looks like the tile over one of the storefronts fell off.
The Empress was actually quite an old building, and was built sometime before 1885 as an opera house. The 1892 to 1900 maps call it Packard’s Opera House, but the 1909 map notes that it is being used as a garage. It seems to have been cut down by about ten feet in front during its revival as a theater.
Aha! I tried that site, and got the impression that it was one where you needed a login. Thanks.
Where did you find the 1928 map? I couldn’t find an online version.
This must be the ‘New’ Roxy, then, although obviously there’s only room for Roxy on the vertical.
The Joy might be another theater I submitted, a block to the west, which seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle. I’ll see if Ken can find it.
I assumed the ‘New Palace’ must have replaced an earlier one, but…
As far as I can tell, the addresses have never changed. 223 never existed, since it would have been the side yard of the gorgeous old Victorian wreck at 2nd and Elm (now Kitchell). I assume 223 was a typo for 123. 121-123 on the 1909 map was an old two-story wooden storefront. Perhaps the Palace ran there for a year or so before being replaced by the new building.
Thanks to Ken Roe for confirming this as a cinema, and providing dates and a name.
Thanks to Ken Roe for helping with the ID and dates on this one.
I’ve added a terrible photo of mine from 2016. The light was wrong, and I’ve tried to brighten it a bit.
I’m not sure this was the same as the opera house. There was an opera house on the SW corner of Superior and 6th, which was constructed sometime between 1900 and 1907. Still apparently open on the 1926 map. There was a Rogers theater listed from 1928-31, which possibly could be this one.
I’m pretty sure the address is wrong. The 1925 map shows a theater at 115. It’s not on the 1916 map, and seems to be either a replacement or an extensive remodeling of the building shown on the older map. The building was two stories, so it has either been demolished or cut down. Pana was very depressing, and that whole section of the block is a really awful collection of bad remodeling and decay.
Marquee is long gone, roof has collapsed.
The 1910 map is from February, but it is just possible that it’s the Colonial. Usually things that aren’t open have a ‘to be’ note before the description.
Thanks for all that research. Yale does seem the most likely. Might the West End Lyric be a reopened Cozy? Further west than that, it’s all houses. Even on the 1933 map, the only businesses on W Main further out are two gas stations.
No idea where a replacement Rex might have been, it could have been any storefront, or possibly the first name for this one. The chronology does seem to fit. This could have opened 1912 or 1913 as the Rex, and become the Yale sometime after 1914.
Since you’ve definitely identified a New Windsor theater, you should add the Cozy. Not sure where it would have been. There is only one map, from 1916, and it’s no help. New Windsor’s downtown is actually nicer than Windsor’s, and it’s possible the building is still there.
That bit about the furniture store is wrong. The Shorts building was constructed sometime around 1922 as a garage. This building seems to be vacant on the older streetviews.
Since New Windsor insists on calling itself Windsor as well, it is very confusing. I guess this was likely the Grand, then perhaps Windsor? This town is a few hundred people larger than New Windsor, but not enough to support two theaters. I agree that the ‘Dutchess’ is either a renaming, or perhaps a confusion between Windsors.
Sorry, but New Windsor is a completely different town on the other side of the state. Windsor is between Mattoon and Shelbyville. New Windsor is between Galesburg and Davenport, IA.
Some of this history is inaccurate. The building was not built in the 1880s, it was constructed sometime between 1911 and 1922. The 1911 map shows the building that preceded the theater was only one story tall. Even that did not date from the 1880s, being constructed sometime between 1896 and 1906 to replace an earlier wooden building.
By 1922, everything from the theater down to the corner was a replacement. Perhaps there was a fire? The opening date is clearly also wrong, as the theater appears on the 1922 and 1933 maps.
Since a lot of the E-W roads are states, the spelling of Maine St was correct.
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.
That all makes sense. The indoor Grand may even have been built here to replace this, and then become the Oakland. Or it may have been in the block to the west of this.
For some idea of the size, it was roughly 40' tall at the front, and the 1905 Cahn guide gives a capacity of 842.
The address information is wrong. This was on 6th St, well south of Van Buren. The address would be something like 750. As of the 1919 map, nothing had replaced it, and the site today is a scruffy parking lot with the foundations of some later buildings.
Some historic views of the theater can be found at: https://dnrhistoric.illinois.gov/preserve/hargis.html
The navigation is extremely cumbersome, but you need to ‘Enter Hargis’, move the map to Charleston (it always drops you on Sprinfield, so go east and a bit south), and click on one of the purple dots downtown. The other one is the courthouse.
I guess they’re still trying, but they lost out on grant money recently. The December ‘22 streetview is pretty grim. Looks like the tile over one of the storefronts fell off.