Lafayette Theatre
Lafayette, IN Photo courtesy Don Gardner
The Lafayette Theatre still looks ready to sell you a ticket for an evening at the movies. Opened in 1938 at Sixth and Main streets, its Art Deco facade and projecting marquee give downtown Lafayette a welcome touch of movie-house style.
After its days as a first-run cinema ended, the theater found work hosting older films, live entertainment, and private events. It's a useful arrangement for an old auditorium—wedding guests and concert crowds can help keep the doors open long after the regular movie schedule disappears.
UPDATE: The Lafayette Theater is not showing first run, but older movies. The theater can also be rented for events; weddings, receptions, parties, etc. It was completely renovated a few years ago on the inside. Find more information at www.lafayettetheater.com. Many thanks to Rich Herr for update. 04-08
UPDATE: A major renovation is planned, with construction anticipated to begin in 2026 and finish in late 2027. The project includes restoring the Art Deco features and marquee, updating theatrical equipment, and improving accessibility. Fortunately, the plans give this longtime downtown landmark a substantial role in Lafayette's entertainment future. 07-26
Joy Youth Center (Closed)
Grand Rapids, MI Photo courtesy Steve Felder
It takes a second look to recognize the Joy Youth Center as an old neighborhood movie house. Beneath the changed signage is Grand Rapids' Four Star Theatre, built in 1938 to entertain residents along South Division Avenue. The name on the front changed, but the building kept finding new audiences.
After the movies ended, the Four Star became a music venue and nightclub before serving as a youth center. At one point, the building was leased to the youth organization for just a dollar a year—a pretty good deal for keeping a neighborhood gathering place in use.
UPDATE: The Joy Youth Center chapter has ended, but the Four Star is coming back as a community arts and entertainment venue. Rehabilitation continues, and events have already returned to the building. Fortunately, this former movie house is doing more than simply waiting for its next act. 07-26
La Salle Theatre
Cleveland, OH Photo courtesy Steve Felder
The La Salle Theatre still makes an impressive stop along Cleveland's East 185th Street. Its broad marquee and handsome facade recall the days when a neighborhood movie house could be the busiest place on the block. Fortunately, this one found another use before disappearing.
Designed by architect Nicola Petti, the building was constructed in 1927 and presented its first silent movie on March 1, 1928, with Billie Dove in The Love Mart. Decades later, a restoration undertaken between 2016 and 2018 brought new life to the theater, storefronts, and other spaces within the complex.
UPDATE: The restored building operates as the Ariel LaSalle Theater, hosting weddings, performances, and public and private events. The entertainment has changed considerably since silent-picture days, but people are once again gathering beneath the marquee. That's a welcome ending for a neighborhood movie palace. 07-26
Time Theatre (Closed)
Mattoon, IL Photo courtesy Don Gardner
The Time Theatre in downtown Mattoon certainly knew how to get your attention. Standing at 1416 Broadway Avenue, its Art Deco front and unusual clock marquee make it worth a second look even with the lights off. Plenty of theaters advertised their next show, but this one could also tell you whether you were running late.
The site's movie history reaches back to the Grand Theatre, which opened in December 1910. Following a destructive fire in the 1930s, the theater was rebuilt with the streamlined appearance associated with the Time. Instead of recreating an ornate old playhouse, the owners gave Mattoon something thoroughly modern for the moviegoing age.
Look closely at the facade and you'll find cream-colored glazed terra cotta accented by maroon tile. The vertical sign displays the theater's name on two faces, making it readable from either direction along Broadway. Down below, entrance doors with rounded windows and curved metal handles added to the streamlined look. This was a building designed to make buying a movie ticket feel like going somewhere special.
Time Theatre
Mattoon, IL Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Of course, the clock is the real attention-getter. Its eight-sided face sits against a metal band that makes the whole arrangement resemble an enormous wristwatch. Combined with the marquee's colorful neon, it was a clever match for the Time name. You didn't need to read the entire sign to remember which theater you had just passed.
For decades, the Time was part of a downtown entertainment district that included several competing movie houses. It operated under the Frisina Amusement Company and eventually became a twin-screen cinema in 1985. That conversion was one way older theaters tried to compete with newer movie complexes while keeping their familiar downtown addresses.
Time Theatre and whole block view
Mattoon, IL Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
After regular movie screenings ended, the building tried several other roles. It became a concert venue and banquet hall in 2002, and a church purchased it in 2006 for performances and other activities. The wider block view shows why the Time remains so noticeable: its smooth tile, strong vertical lines, and projecting marquee stand apart from the neighboring historic storefronts. Even without a crowd waiting outside, it still looks like the place where something ought to be happening.
UPDATE: The Time was sold in 2018 and was documented as vacant in 2024. Its distinctive facade, marquee, and clock remained in place, although a new operating use has not been confirmed. Hopefully, another chapter is still ahead for this unusual movie house. A theater with a giant wristwatch out front deserves another chance to shine. 07-26
Paxton Majestic Theatre (Gone)
Paxton, IL Photo courtesy Don Gardner
The Paxton Majestic Theatre was the kind of hometown movie house that became part of downtown itself. Opened in 1913 with just over 350 seats, it was Paxton's largest and most impressive theater, welcoming generations beneath its familiar marquee.
When its movie days ended, local volunteers gave the building another purpose. The Paxton Majestic Theatre Group reopened it for live productions in the late 1980s, keeping audiences coming downtown for community theater. For a while, the old building proved that losing the movies didn't have to mean losing the show.
UPDATE : Many thanks to Sherry Ecker for update that the theater has been
open for the past 15 years.
UPDATE: The Paxton Majestic Theatre went up in flames on the morning of November 13, 2007 and has been declared a total loss. After catching fire at about 10am, the marquee and roof collapsed an hour later. The theatre was last used for a play in 2006 and has been closed. The state fire marshall's office is investigating the cause of the fire, which also damaged three surrounding buildings in downtown Paxton. Many thanks to Doug Ehmen and Chris for update. 11-07
UPDATE: A fire destroyed the Majestic on November 13, 2007, bringing down the roof and marquee and damaging neighboring properties. The original theater is gone, ending nearly a century of entertainment at the site. Its years as a volunteer-supported playhouse remain a memorable part of Paxton's downtown history. 07-26
Lafayette Theatre
Joy Youth Center (Closed)
La Salle Theatre
Time Theatre (Closed)
Time Theatre
Time Theatre and whole block view
Paxton Majestic Theatre (Gone)
