Midway Theatre (Closed)
Rockford, IL Photo courtesy Don Gardner
The Midway Theatre still makes you look up along East State Street in Rockford. Its clock tower and broad marquee give the building a presence that's hard to ignore, even with the doors closed. This was clearly a place built to draw a crowd.
Opened August 3, 1918, the Midway seated about 2,000 and combined its theater with storefronts, apartments, and a basement bowling alley. Movies and live entertainment made it a busy destination, while the additional businesses kept the building active beyond showtime.
A devastating fire on August 7, 1980, gutted the property but spared the marquee and stone-and-brick facade. The theater was rehabilitated by 1983 and became home to the Rockford Symphony Orchestra until its move to the Coronado in 2000. After the Midway closed around 2006, a partial roof collapse in March 2012 added another major setback.
Midway Theatre
Rockford, IL Photo courtesy Kelly Sullivan
UPDATE: The Midway Theatre is currently closed. Apparently a non-profit foundation is seeking funding and volunteers to help restore the theatre. See more at Cinema Treasures. Many thanks to Kelly Sullivan for updated photo. 08-10
UPDATE: The Midway remains vacant, with serious repairs still needed. In 2026, the city continued legal efforts to compel the owner to address the deteriorating building. The familiar tower and marquee survive, but this landmark needs considerably more than new lettering before another audience can gather beneath them. 07-26
Devon Theatre
Attica, IN Photo courtesy Don Gardner
It's hard to pass the Devon Theatre in downtown Attica without checking what's playing. Its triangular canopy marquee reaches over the sidewalk, outlined in colorful neon that gives West Mill Street a proper movie-night welcome. This is the kind of sign worth coming back to see after sunset.
Opened in December 1938, the Devon was designed by local architect Louis Johnson with seating for roughly 650 moviegoers. Its Art Deco styling brought a modern touch to a downtown filled with much older buildings. Today, it contributes to the Attica Downtown Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1993.
The Devon has held onto its single-screen layout while updating the projection and sound equipment. That's part of the appeal: a current movie in surroundings that still look like a hometown theater. No wandering down a hallway trying to remember which auditorium is yours.
Devon Theatre Attica, IN Photo courtesy Kevin Heggi
UPDATE: The Devon continues showing first-run movies beneath its distinctive neon marquee. More than eighty years after opening, it remains a working neighborhood cinema and a welcome sight for anyone exploring Attica's historic downtown. Fortunately, there's still a show behind those lights. 07-26
Virginia Theatre
Champaign, IL Photo and info courtesy Don Gardner
The Virginia Theatre has been giving downtown Champaign a proper movie-palace welcome since December 28, 1921. Its vertical sign catches your eye outside, but the restored auditorium makes the evening feel special before anything appears on the screen.
Built for stage productions, vaudeville, and movies, the Virginia still has the Wurlitzer organ played at its grand opening. It later became home to Roger Ebert's Film Festival, bringing filmmakers and movie fans to Champaign for screenings and conversations about films that deserved another look.
UPDATE: The Virginia continues presenting films, concerts, and community performances. Ebertfest concluded with its 27th and final edition, “The Last Dance,” on April 17–18, 2026. The festival's run has ended, but the theater remains busy writing its own next chapter. 07-26
Illinois Theatre (Closed)
Centralia, IL Photo courtesy Don Gardner
The Illinois Theatre still makes its presence known along Locust Street in downtown Centralia. Its vertical sign recalls the days when checking the marquee was part of planning an evening out, long before movie listings arrived on a phone.
Opened January 16, 1922, the Illinois began with vaudeville and movies and was later known as the Fox Illinois. It continued entertaining audiences until December 2001, when Kerasotes closed it after opening the newer Plaza 5. The company donated the old theater to the city in 2004, giving preservation plans a chance.
UPDATE: The Illinois remains closed while its future is being considered. Earlier improvements included relighting the marquee and entrance lobby, but returning the auditorium to regular use remains unfinished business. City discussions have continued to explore whether this downtown landmark can once again become a working theater. 07-26
Showplace 3 Theatre (Gone)
Vincennes, IN Photo courtesy Don Gardner
The Showplace 3 Theatre went through several changes before the movies finally ended in downtown Vincennes. It opened as the New Moon Theatre on December 14, 1939—not to be confused with an earlier Moon Theatre elsewhere on the same block. Even the names take a little sorting out.
Later renamed the Moon, it became Showplace 3 in 1983, with two auditoriums downstairs and another in the balcony. After closing in 2003, the building housed a church before another renovation brought Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom to the property in 2020. That's quite a journey from a ticket counter to a dinner check.
UPDATE: Old Chicago closed in April 2025, leaving the former theater awaiting another use. The building survives, but neither movies nor restaurant service continue there. Hopefully, another occupant can keep this downtown survivor from spending too long between attractions. 07-26
Midway Theatre (Closed)
Midway Theatre
Devon Theatre
Devon Theatre
Virginia Theatre
Illinois Theatre (Closed)
Showplace 3 Theatre (Gone)
