Every April the Virginia Theatre in Champaign is host of The Roger Ebert Film Festival, also known as Eberfest. The festival is organized by the College of Media at the University of Illinois. Ebert is an Illinois alumnus, and grew up in neighboring Urbana, This bronze statue of the famous film critic giving his trademark "thumbs up" was unveiled in 2014, one year after Mr. Ebert's death.
Designed by theatre architects C. Howard Crane and H. Kenneth Franzheim, the Virginia Theatre in downtown Champaign opened on December 28, 1921 with a live stage performance of "The Bat." The exterior of the building is in Italian Renaissance style, while the interior is in Spanish Renaissance design.
Since then, it has been presenting movies, live concerts, and plays to the Champaign-Urbana community and has only been closed for short periods of renovation by the Park District. Until recently, the Virginia Theatre was privately owned. From the 1930s to the 1960s, RKO pictures held ownership. Subsequently, George Kerasotes Corporation (GKC Theatres) owned the building until it was sold to the Virginia Theater Group, a not-for-profit organization, organized for that purpose in the 1990s. The Champaign Park District purchased it in January 2000.
The theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003, based on its historical role in providing a wide variety of entertainment to Champaign and surrounding area, particularly in the years between 1921 and 1953. Of note were theatrical productions, vaudeville, concerts, and motion pictures. Also noteworthy was the building's state of preservation and the integrity of its original early to mid 20th century roots.
Tags: Champaign Champaign County East Central Illinois IL Downtown Business District Street View West Park Street Owner Champaign Park District Architecture Virginia Theatre 203 W. Park St. Architects C. Howard Crane H. Kenneth Franzheim Architectural Style Exterior Italian Renaissance Interior Spanish Renaissance Vaudeville Stage Plays Cinema Film Movies Movie Movie House Theater Theatre Marquee National Register of Historic Places NRHP Reference # 0300120 Film Critic Roger Ebert Statue Thumbs Up Eberfest Roger Ebert Film Festival Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Designed by theatre architects C. Howard Crane and H. Kenneth Franzheim, the Virginia Theatre in downtown Champaign opened on December 28, 1921 with a live stage performance of "The Bat." The exterior of the building is in Italian Renaissance style, while the interior is in Spanish Renaissance design.
Since then, it has been presenting movies, live concerts, and plays to the Champaign-Urbana community and has only been closed for short periods of renovation by the Park District. Until recently, the Virginia Theatre was privately owned. From the 1930s to the 1960s, RKO pictures held ownership. Subsequently, George Kerasotes Corporation (GKC Theatres) owned the building until it was sold to the Virginia Theater Group, a not-for-profit organization, organized for that purpose in the 1990s. The Champaign Park District purchased it in January 2000.
The theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003, based on its historical role in providing a wide variety of entertainment to Champaign and surrounding area, particularly in the years between 1921 and 1953. Of note were theatrical productions, vaudeville, concerts, and motion pictures. Also noteworthy was the building's state of preservation and the integrity of its original early to mid 20th century roots.
Every April the Virginia Theatre in Champaign is host of The Roger Ebert Film Festival, also known as Eberfest. The festival is organized by the College of Media at the University of Illinois. Ebert is an Illinois alumnus, and grew up in neighboring Urbana. A bronze statue depicting the late film critic giving his trademark "thumbs up" gesture stands in front of the theatre.
Located in Champaign County in east central Illinois, the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana are the home of the University of Illinois. The population of the City of Champaign at the 2020 census was 88,302, while Champaign County had a population of 205,865.
Source: Virginia Theatre (Champaign), Wikipedia
Tags: Champaign Champaign County East Central Illinois IL Downtown Business District Street View West Park Street Owner Champaign Park District Architecture Virginia Theatre 203 W. Park St. Architects C. Howard Crane H. Kenneth Franzheim Architectural Style Exterior Italian Renaissance Interior Spanish Renaissance Vaudeville Stage Plays Cinema Film Movies Movie Movie House Theater Theatre Marquee National Register of Historic Places NRHP Reference # 0300120 Film Critic Roger Ebert Eberfest Roger Ebert Film Festival Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Construction of the Princess Theater in downtown Rushville began in 1916 and was completed with the grand opening on May 12, 1917. Located at 116 E. Lafayette, this is the second theater of the same name to occupy this spot. The original Princess theater was destroyed by fire in 1916.
According to research credited to Mason Vincent on the Cinema Treasurers website, the film shown at the grand opening was William Farnum in “Fires of Conscience” in six parts. Matinee prices were 10 cents for children and 15 cents for adults; evening prices were 10 and 20 cents.
A story in the Rushville Times announcing the opening described the Princess Theater as "one of the most complete amusement houses in central Illinois. Transient visitors to Rushville will be impressed with this magnificent theater and carry away the impression of the city’s progressiveness as represented in its amusement place. The show room is 80 feet long. The new Princess will seat 475 people and its arrangement is well nigh perfect, no expense being spared in the installation of modern equipment.”
Changes in ownership saw the name of the theater change over the years. In 1938 it was renamed Lloyd Theater, and in 1976 was renamed Schuyville Theatre. After closing in 1993, the theater reopened in 1995 as the Princess. Since that time, it has been entirely operated by volunteers from the town of Rushville.
Located in rural west central Illinois, Rushville is the seat of Schuyler County, and had a population of 3,005 at the 2020 census.
Tags: Rushville Seat Schuyler County West Central Illinois IL Historic Downtown Princess Theater Cinema Movie House 100 Block E. Lafayette St. Architecture Small Town Rural Season Autumn Fall Canon 5D Mark IV 5DM4
A view of the 100 block of W. Lafayette St., on the south side of the square in downtown Rushville. This west central Illinois city is the seat of Schuyler County, and had a population of 3,005 at the 2020 census.
In the center of the block is the Phoenix Opera House. Built in 1882, the building housed commercial businesses on the first floor and an 500-seat opera house on the second floor. The opera house hosted traveling performers and theater companies as well as local social events. The opera house closed in 1910, as churches began to host the town's social functions and the local movie theater provided entertainment. From 1924 to 1956, the opera house served as a Masonic lodge. The building, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, is one of the few surviving examples of a combined opera house and commercial building.
Source: Phoenix Opera House Block, National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form.
Tags: Rushville Seat Schuyler County West Central Illinois IL Historic South Side Square 100 Block W. Lafayette St. Phoenix Opera House Architecture Theater Opera House Repurpose Reuse Masonic Lodge Commercial Business National Register of Historic Places Reference # 85001010 Canon 5D Mark IV 5DM4
A look at the north side of the 300 block of E. Sixth St., part of Austin's Sixth Street Historic District listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The historic district, a.k.a. Old Sixth Street and Dirty 6th, runs east from Lavaca St. (2 blocks west of Congress Ave.) to I-35. While the Sixth St. entertainment district extends well past Congress Ave. to the west, and I-35 to the east, it is the historic section known for its clubs, bars, live music, restaurants, and 19th century architecture that made Austin the "Live Music Capital of the World."
Among the notable buildings in the 300 block of E. Sixth is the Ritz. Since the theater's opening in 1929, it has been used as a movie theater, music hall, club, and comedy house. It reopened after renovations in fall 2007 as the new downtown location for the Alamo Drafthouse. The venue temporarily closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was permanently closed in 2021 when the Alamo Drafthouse filed for bankruptcy.
Fortunately, the Ritz won't be closed for long as podcaster, comedian, actor, and color commentator and newly transplanted Austin resident Joe Rogan will reopen The Ritz later this year as the Comedy Mothership At The Ritz Theater.
Tags: Austin ATX Nickname Silicon Hills Seat Travis County Texas TX Street view Sixth Street 6th Street E. 300 Block Dirty Sixth Entertainment District Nightlife Live Music 320 E. 6th St. Ritz Theater Comedy Mothership Joe Rogan Sixth Street Historic District NRHP Reference # 75002132 Canon EOS 5D Mark IV