Beverly Cinema
2515 N. Knoxville Avenue,
Peoria,
IL
61604
2515 N. Knoxville Avenue,
Peoria,
IL
61604
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: GKC Theatres, Kerasotes Theatres
Architects: J. Fletcher Lankton
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Previous Names: Beverley Theatre
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Mar 2, 2010 — Happy 45th, "The Sound Of Music"
- Aug 21, 2009 — "Alien" 30th Anniversary
The Beverly Theatre was opened on March 17, 1937 with William Powell in “My Man Godfrey”. The original capacity was 936 seats. It was operated by George Kerasotes. On November 8, 1985 it was renamed Beverley Cinema. The theater closed on January 30, 1992 with William Shatnew in “Star Trek VI: The Voyage Home”. In 1993 it was demolished and replaced by a Walgreens.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 16 comments)
I was in Peoria not too long ago after a very long absence. It was good to be back! I believe the theatre is still there, but is used for some other purpose (?). Those who live in Peoria, please advise.
Whoops: says at the top of the page that a Walgreens is on the site. That’s it.
I was thinking this was on University down by McClure, but maybe I’m wrong. Last movie I saw there was Silence of the Lambs. I remember being a child and my mom taking me to see Disney movies there (Bambi, Freaky Friday, and Snow White come to mind).
Here is an undated interior photo of the Beverly Theatre’s auditorium, from the Peoria Historical Society.
Like Kerasotes' Varsity Theatre of 1939, the Beverly was designed by Peoria architect J. Fletcher Lankton. This web page has a history of Kerasotes Theatres.
A brief item in the April 21, 1971, issue of Bloomington, Illinois' daily paper The Pantagraph noted the death of architect J. Fletcher Lankton and said that he had “….designed Peoria’s Varsity and Beverly theaters as well as numerous other theaters in the Midwest.” So far I’ve been able to identify only one of those numerous other theaters, that being the Esquire in Springfield, Illinois. Kerasotes was a partner in the Esquire, along with Frisina Theatres. As George Kerasotes hired Lankton for two of his own projects, it seems very likely that some of those other theaters he designed were also Kerasotes houses.
1937 photo added from the book: J. Fletcher Lankton Architect, courtesy of the Peoria Public Library.
1969 photo added courtesy of Frank Larkin, via Local History Collection, Peoria Public Library.
March 17, 1937 Grand Opening ad added credit Peoria Journal Star, courtesy Steve Tarter via Local History Collection : Peoria Public Library.
This venue’s 70mm presentations history is included in the recently-published article “70mm Presentations in Peoria: A Chronology of 70mm Large Format Exhibition, 1976-Present”.
The Beverly Theatre opened March 17, 1937. Effective with its GKC (George Kerasotes Corp.) operation, on November 8, 1985, it was rebranded as the Beverly Cinema. It closed as the Beverly Cinema on January 30, 1992 with “Star Trek VI.” It had 734 seats in its final capacity, down from 936 in its final stretch. It was demolished in 1993.