Will Rogers Theatre

705-715 Monroe Avenue,
Charleston, IL 61920

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Related Websites

Will Rogers Theatre (Official)

Additional Info

Previously operated by: AMC Theatres, Frisina Amusement Company, Kerasotes Theatres

Architects: Roy M. Kennedy

Styles: Art Deco

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News About This Theater

Will Rogers Theatre

The Will Rogers Theatre was opened February 8, 1938, with 1,000 seats in its single auditorium. It was twinned October 5, 1984 and was closed in 2010. Taken over by new owners in 2012, restoration and reopening is planned.

The theatre was placed on the Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Contributed by Ange Albsmeyer

Recent comments (view all 27 comments)

Dumke
Dumke on September 2, 2012 at 7:18 pm

Please check out the new web site for the Will Rogers Theatre in Charleston IL The Theatre is in restoration.

www.WillRogersCharleston.com

Dottie
Dottie on October 7, 2012 at 11:28 pm

My family has been to the Will Rogers Theater many times, back to when my husband and I were in college… back to when the management would post a note to remind the college kids that in the wintertime there may or may not be heat. It didn’t stop us from taking in the movies offered. My kids grew up watching movies there… after they split the theater (side by side for the Life’s too Short and yes, at one time it did have a balcony) they put semi-new seats in and upgraded the sound. The seating was still retched, lol, you had to look over people’s shoulders… but they had the best popcorn of all the movie theaters in central Illinois, and the kids that operated the counter were great and so was the management who would greet people who were regulars (like our family apparently). I was sorry to see AMC closed it’s doors and frankly, though the theater needed work, I didn’t understand it, it was packed every weekend.

Dumke
Dumke on February 28, 2014 at 11:40 am

For more information about the Will Rogers Theatre please visit www.WillRogersCharleston.com We have wonderful plans for restoration of this grand venue. Please support our mission.

Dumke
Dumke on February 28, 2014 at 11:44 am

My husband and I are the new owners of the Will Rogers Theatre in Charleston IL. Our web site is www.WillRogersCharleston.com We have set up a http://www.gofundme.com/49rb4o to help with the restoration. Thank you for your interest and support of the project.

Scott
Scott on April 20, 2014 at 7:28 pm

I have uploaded a 1940 postcard view of the Will Rogers Theatre to the photo section.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on January 6, 2015 at 12:19 am

The Will Rogers Theatre opened on February 8, 1938, according to the March 21 issue of The Film Daily.

MovieMad52
MovieMad52 on August 24, 2016 at 6:38 pm

Would love to manage this theatre when it is restored.

rivest266
rivest266 on January 9, 2017 at 5:06 pm

2 screens on October 5th, 1984. Grand opening ad in the photo section.

SethG
SethG on June 26, 2023 at 9:24 am

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.

SethG
SethG on June 26, 2023 at 9:28 am

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.

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