Times Theatre
820 N. Vermilion Street,
Danville,
IL
61832
820 N. Vermilion Street,
Danville,
IL
61832
1 person
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Constan Circuit
Architects: Arthur E. Bramhall, Harry B. Carter
Firms: Bramhall, Dague & Carter
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Nearby Theaters
The Streamline Moderne-style, 900-seats Times Theatre stood on Vermilion Street near Woodbury Street and at its opening on August 6, 1941 it screened Clark Gable in “Comrade X” & Bud Abbott & Lou Costello in “One Night in the Tropics”. It was part of the Constan Circuit. It was closed and razed in 1999 to make way for a pharmacy.
Contributed by
Bryan
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
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1997 – run by Kerasotes Theatres. Showed second-run movies for $1 during most of the year, with first-run movies shown at regular admission during the summer. News-Gazette online
Published Online Mar 22, 1999
By JODI HECKEL
News-Gazette Staff Writer
DANVILLE – A new CVS Pharmacy is scheduled to open by the end of July at the corner of Fairchild and Vermilion streets.
But some residents don’t like the idea of a generic chain store replacing the character of the 1920s-era Times Theatre, which will be demolished to make way for the new drugstore.
“It’s really disappointing,” said Jean Beck, a local preservationist. “I think there are a lot of people who are frustrated by this sort of thing. We tend to put up more boxes that don’t have the visual interest and aesthetic appeal that commercial buildings formerly had.” ……..
Kerasotes, to their credit, kept all the neon functioning beautifully until the very end. The final movie was “Forces of Nature” starring Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock.
Here are photos from 1982 and 1983:
http://tinyurl.com/c926zs
http://tinyurl.com/cvu8wq
Need more info and more photos.
My name is Gary Blankenburg and my father, Walt, managed the Times Theatre from about 1946-1962. My family and I lived above the theatre; my bedroom had been the ladies bathroom at one time. Six steps away was the Cry Room (a sound proof little theatre with about 20 seats designed for women with babies), and a few steps beyond that was the projection booth. I spent a lot of time in both of those rooms and saw a movie every day of my life and, of course, many cartoons. My father conducted a game of Wahoo (a kind of bingo) in between features. It was a magical time for me. If you saw Cineman Paradiso, you have some sort of notion of my childhood. I have quite a few photos I’d like to post, but I’m not sure how to do it. Can anyone help me?
CVS pharmacy at present.
Danvilleland’s latest movie theater was a suburban, Uptown streamline moderne venue costing $100,000. It was the 900-seat (at opening) Times Theatre and it opened on August 6, 1941 with the above-mentioned Gary Blankenburg as its opening manager and run by the Constan Brothers. The opening titles were “Comrade X” with Clark Gable and “One Night in the Tropics” with Abbott & Costello. The Carson Drug Store was the de facto concession stand for many patrons and a choice of The Milk Bar and Shaw’s Ice Cream after the show. Piggly Wiggly and Archie Bailey’s Grill were also part of the Uptown scene in 1941.
The architectural plans by Decatur-based Arthur E. Bramhall and Harry B. Carter of Bramhall, Dague & Carter included a cry room for loud, younger patrons. The venue was bathed in red and blue with an ivory dome light. The venue converted to widescreen projection in the 1950s to present CinemaScope titles. The venue made it to 1999 before closing. It was then demolished.