Call me naive about my hometown, but I seriously doubt that this was the result of an insurance scam/arson. Time may prove me wrong, but you have to remember that this building was nearly 100 years old with wiring that was probably not a whole lot newer than the building. Things short out and things catch fire. I seriously doubt that the building had sprinklers, am I right? I’m sure that the other fires that you mentioned over the decades may have had similar reasons for starting as well. The lumberyard fire? Hello? Wood burns, so it’s not surprising that it burned to the ground. I would hold off on stringing up the lynching rope until after all the facts are in. Just my opinion.
Was the theatre an actual historic landmark or just one of those nostalgic things that everyone thinks should have been on the list? I haven’t lived in the area since 2004 and the most recent thing I remember reading about it was when a former H.S. classmate of mine got married there.
I am a native of the Paxton area. I just spoke with my dad this evening and he informed me that the Majestic theatre is no more. It was destroyed by fire today. Even though the 50 firefighters from around the area were able to save the surrounding buildings on the block, the theatre burned to the ground. I’m sorry to deliver such devestating news to you all…
One of the videos on Illinoishomepage.net showed the marquee actually falling. Talk about a dramatic exit…
Call me naive about my hometown, but I seriously doubt that this was the result of an insurance scam/arson. Time may prove me wrong, but you have to remember that this building was nearly 100 years old with wiring that was probably not a whole lot newer than the building. Things short out and things catch fire. I seriously doubt that the building had sprinklers, am I right? I’m sure that the other fires that you mentioned over the decades may have had similar reasons for starting as well. The lumberyard fire? Hello? Wood burns, so it’s not surprising that it burned to the ground. I would hold off on stringing up the lynching rope until after all the facts are in. Just my opinion.
Was the theatre an actual historic landmark or just one of those nostalgic things that everyone thinks should have been on the list? I haven’t lived in the area since 2004 and the most recent thing I remember reading about it was when a former H.S. classmate of mine got married there.
I am a native of the Paxton area. I just spoke with my dad this evening and he informed me that the Majestic theatre is no more. It was destroyed by fire today. Even though the 50 firefighters from around the area were able to save the surrounding buildings on the block, the theatre burned to the ground. I’m sorry to deliver such devestating news to you all…