Times Theatre
Rockford, IL Photo courtesy Don Gardner
The Times Theatre makes sure you notice it along North Main Street in downtown Rockford. The tall vertical sign draws your eye first, followed by the marquee stretching above the sidewalk. Its smooth Art Moderne frontage has held onto that movie-house personality through years without regular audiences. Even empty, it still looks like the place where something ought to be playing.
Opening night was March 30, 1938, with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry. A Popeye cartoon, a short subject, and newsreel footage rounded out the program. That was part of the appeal of an evening at the movies as you got considerably more than the feature advertised outside.
The Times was built to impress with modern comforts as well as its appearance. Opening publicity promoted advanced acoustical treatment, automatic temperature control, and roughly 1,000 seats described as mothproof. Apparently, even the insects weren't getting a free seat at this show.
Times Theatre
Rockford, IL Photos courtesy Kelly Sullivan
Its streamlined design offered a different experience from the lavishly decorated movie palaces of the previous decade. The strong vertical sign, clean facade, and illuminated entrance supplied the excitement without elaborate towers or carved ornament. Rockford's preservation records identify it as one of the city's few surviving Art Moderne movie theaters.
Regular movie screenings ended in the early 1980s, followed by intermittent use as a nightclub and restaurant. Those ventures eventually faded, leaving the building vacant for more than two decades. Fortunately, the theater's architectural character survived, giving later redevelopment plans something substantial to work with.
UPDATE: Below are a couple of updated photos of the Times Theatre in Rockford, IL. According to the Cinema Treasures site, the Times Theatre from 1938 was most recently used as a bar and restaurant. Many thanks to Kelly Sullivan for the latest photos. 08-10
Times Theatre
Rockford, IL Photos courtesy Kelly Sullivan
UPDATE: Plans call for restoring the Times as a live-entertainment venue while preserving its historic exterior and signage. A $3 million state grant announced in 2022 supported a proposed $15 million rehabilitation. A reopening date has not been confirmed, but the goal remains to bring audiences back beneath that familiar marquee. Hopefully, the next attraction will be worth the long intermission. 07-26
Olympic Theatre (Closed)
Cicero, IL Photo courtesy Don Gardner
The Olympic Theatre marquee was advertising office space in this view as a rather different attraction from the latest movie. Still, its enormous canopy gave Cermak Road the unmistakable look of a neighborhood entertainment stop, even while the building waited for another use.
Opened in 1927, the Olympic began as part of a Czech community complex with a ballroom, gymnasium, and swimming pool. The ballroom became a movie theater in 1937. Later attempts at live entertainment included a reopening on March 8, 2008, with concerts, stage productions, and rental events.
UPDATE: We are re-opening the Olympic theatre in Cicero Illinois. We are going to have plays, bands and cinema production. We have remolded and added state of the art lighting and sound equipment. It will be available for rent during this summer. Many thanks to Jim Pontrelli for update. 07-07
UPDATE: The Olympic has been closed since 2018. Its historic marquee remains, recalling a building that offered considerably more than movies during its long career. Hopefully, another use can preserve this substantial piece of Cicero's entertainment and community history. 07-26
Watseka Theatre
Watseka, IL Photo courtesy Don Gardner
The Watseka Theatre gives travelers along U.S. 24 a good reason to look beyond the traffic ahead. Its Art Deco frontage and projecting marquee make a proper downtown movie-house statement, even though the building was quiet when this view was taken. 04-06
Opened in 1931 under the McCollum theater circuit, the Watseka eventually fell on hard times. Fortunately, restoration brought it back for a New Year's Eve gala in 2007, complete with dinner and musical entertainment. The comeback gave the old auditorium a new role as a place for live performances.
UPDATE: The Watseka continues promoting entertainment at the restored theater, with its website announcing events for 2026. The movies that first filled the marquee have given way to a different program, but this downtown landmark still offers something beyond an empty entrance and a faded attraction board. 07-26
Coronado
Theatre
Rockford, IL Photo courtesy Don Gardner
The Coronado Theatre supplies plenty of movie-palace glamour to downtown Rockford. The marquee gets your attention outside, but inside you'll find Spanish castles, Italian villas, dragons, and a star-filled ceiling. This was a theater designed to make the surroundings part of the evening's entertainment.
Opened October 9, 1927, the Coronado still has its original Grande Barton pipe organ. A community-backed, $18.5 million restoration returned the theater to its grand appearance in January 2001 while preparing it for modern stage productions. Fortunately, Rockford kept both the spectacle and a working performance venue.
UPDATE: The Coronado continues hosting concerts, Broadway productions, comedy, and community events. Additional improvements beginning in summer 2026 include decorative plaster restoration and building-safety upgrades as its 2027 centennial approaches. Even a well-preserved movie palace needs an occasional touch-up before its next big birthday. 07-26
Civic Theatre
Farmington, MI Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The Civic Theatre gives Grand River Avenue a colorful movie-house welcome in downtown Farmington. Its vertical sign and streamlined frontage have been catching eyes since 1940, making this one of those places where you check the marquee even without plans to see a movie. 08-08
Designed by C. Howard Crane, the Civic opened September 20, 1940. Its balcony became a second auditorium in 1990, adding another screen without dividing the main floor. The City of Farmington purchased the theater from the Hohler family in 1999 and completed renovations that brought it back in 2000.
UPDATE: The city-owned Civic continues showing movies beneath its restored marquee. After decades as a bargain, second-run house, it returned to first-run films in 2021. Fortunately, Farmington preserved a downtown landmark while keeping a practical reason for people to walk through its doors. 07-26
Times Theatre
Times Theatre
Times Theatre
Olympic Theatre (Closed)
Watseka Theatre
Coronado
Theatre
