Nameoki Cinema
30 Nameoki Village Circle,
Granite City,
IL
62040
30 Nameoki Village Circle,
Granite City,
IL
62040
2 people
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The Nakeomi Shopping Center had launched theater-less with Kroger and W.T. Grant as anchors in 1963. In an expansion ten years later, the center added Mid-America’s Nameoki Cinema Twin on Friday July 27th, 1973 with “Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid” and “Class of ‘44”.
Florence Bloomer’s Bloomer Amusement Circuit - B.A.C. Theatres - of Belleville took on the Nakeomi from Mid-America. On December 18, 1986, Kerasotes took over B.A.C. Theatres including the Alton Cameo, Roxana Cinea, as Eastgate 1-2 in East Alton along with the Nameoki.
Kerasotes sailed along with the Nameoki Cinema twin until 2003 when the center wanted the cinema gone - as in demolished - after its 30-year leasing agreement expired. But there was a disagreement over the building rights so the theater continued short term while things got sorted out. They didn’t get sorted out. Kerasotes finally closed it permanently on October 17, 2004 with “Shark Tale” and “Friday Night Lights” due to “circumstances beyond” its control.
First operated by Mid-America Theaters.
The new building that was constructed upon the demolition of the Nameoki Twin Cinema was an Applebee’s restaurant.
Thanks retromike,I think that is the way it outta be.
Christopher Walczak has his information wrong. The Nameoki Cinema opened as a “Twin Cinema” on Friday July 27th, 1973. The opening program was “Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid” and “Class of ‘44”. When the Cinema opened up there were plans to expand it to four screens the following year but this never happened. The cinema was under the management of the Mid-America Theatres chain. When the theatre closed for the final time it was demolished for the sake of a new shopping strip mall. There is a bar/tavern close by and there is a Rent-to-own business in another building that sat behind the theatre. However for the sake of history let it be known that this building was born a cinema and it died a cinema and never housed anything else.
This may be the same article (the above link no longer works):
View link
The article is incorrect in stating that the building was demolished; it is still there, across a parking lot from the mentioned supermarket.
This article mentions the Nameoki but also discusses a new theater coming to Granite City:
http://tinyurl.com/c85ygg