Illinois Theatre
1600 2nd Avenue,
Rock Island,
IL
61201
1600 2nd Avenue,
Rock Island,
IL
61201
No one has favorited this theater yet
The Illinois Theatre opened on December 26, 1901. It was designed by architect George H. Johnston and one of the promotors of the theatre was soon to be architect John Eberson. It operated successfully as a live theatre for several years, hosting travelling stage companies, vaudeville, musical performances and sporting events. By 1916, it had become a movie house.
The theatre was remodeled and updated in 1920, but was open only intermittently for the next several years. In 1929, the interior of the structure was largely gutted for conversion to a Montgomery Ward department store.
In its later years, the building was occupied by a furniture store, until 2005, when it was taken over by the Quad Cities YWCA. Today, the ground floor is occupied by a used clothing store run by the organization.
Contributed by
Joe Vogel
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
Google Maps puts its pin at the corner of 2nd Avenue and 17th Street. The Illinois Theatre was actually a block west, at the southeast corner of 2nd Avenue and 16th Street. Street View has been set to the proper location. The theater was in the three-story building diagonally across the intersection.
Architect was George H. Johnston. This was one of the first projects John Eberson was involved in, as a promoter.
19 Jun 1900, Tue The Dispatch (Moline, Illinois) Newspapers.com