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Normal Theater

From Wikipedia - Reading time: 7 min
Normal Theater
Normal Theater is located in Illinois
Normal Theater
Location209 W North St., Normal, Illinois
Coordinates40°30′33.3″N 88°59′11.36″W / 40.509250°N 88.9864889°W / 40.509250; -88.9864889
Built1937
ArchitectArthur F. Moratz
Architectural styleModerne[1]
Restored1993
Restored byTown of Normal, Illinois
Websitehttp://www.normaltheater.com
NRHP reference No.97000818[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 25, 1997[1]

The Normal Theater, also known as the Normal Theatre, is a cinema located in the downtown area of Normal, Illinois of the United States of America, which is located in McLean County. The theater closed for a time in the early 1990s but reopened in 1993 after being purchased and renovated by the town of Normal. It has since been in continuous operation, showing a mix of first run and classic films. The building has been on the National Register of Historic Places since July 25, 1997.

History

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Development

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Local architect Arthur F. Moratz designed the Art Moderne style building.[2][3] The Streamline Moderne building was a state of the art cinema at the time which was built to "show sound movies in the best comfortable environment."[2] The theater was built by Sylvan and Ruth Kupfer and leased to Publix Great States Theatres.[2][3][4]

Opening

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The Normal Theater opened for operation on November 19, 1937.[2] At the time of opening, the theater had 620 seats.[2] The grand opening featured the musical Double or Nothing starring Bing Crosby and Martha Raye, a Popeye cartoon, and newsreels.[2]

"The Normal was known for genre and “B” pictures, especially westerns and musicals, as well as second-run fare."[2]

Decline

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In December 1974, the Springfield chain Kerasotes Brothers took over the theater.[2][4] On January 8, 1982, Kerasotes closed the Irvin Theater in Bloomington and turned the Normal Theater into a “dollar house”.[2]

In 1985, it was divided into a two screen theater, also known as twinning.[2][5] The original commercial operation of the Normal Theater ended on May 16, 1991.[2][3]

Restoration

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The Town of Normal purchased the theater and reopened it in 1993 through a community restoration effort.[6] The grand reopening on October 7, 1994 screened Singin’ in the Rain.[2][4]

In June 1996, Normal received the “Preservation Project of the Year” award by the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois.[2] On July 25, 1997, the Normal Theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Present Day

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Today theater goers enjoy a "throwback" theater going experience in the fully restored art deco theater. The inside restoration installed plush, coral colored seating, blue, maroon and salmon colored walls, high-modern style aisle lights and layered ceiling of multicolored neon lights.[2] Due to accessibility and building code changes, the Normal Theater now seats 385.[2]

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "History - Normal Theater, IL". Normal Theater. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  3. ^ a b c Kemp, Bill (2020-11-08). "Once rundown, Normal Theater now uptown architectural gem". The Pantagraph. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  4. ^ a b c "Normal Theater". McLean County Museum of History. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  5. ^ Meadows, Jim (2019-10-30). "Art Theater Closes—How Do Other Art Houses Survive?". Illinois Public Media. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  6. ^ Normal Theater History, Town of Normal.
Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 | Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_Theater
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