Will Rogers Theatre
705-715 Monroe Avenue,
Charleston,
IL
61920
705-715 Monroe Avenue,
Charleston,
IL
61920
7 people
favorited this theater
Related Websites
Will Rogers Theatre (Official)
Additional Info
Previously operated by: AMC Theatres, Frisina Amusement Company, Kerasotes Theatres
Architects: Roy M. Kennedy
Styles: Art Deco
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Nov 30, 2011 — Will Rogers Theatre to be restored
- Apr 15, 2011 — Two theaters among "Ten Most Endangered Historic Places" in Illinois
- Dec 6, 2010 — Will Rogers Theater in Charleston closed by AMC
The Will Rogers Theatre was opened February 8, 1938, with 1,000 seats in its single auditorium. It was twinned October 5, 1984 and was closed in 2010. Taken over by new owners in 2012, restoration and reopening is planned.
The theatre was placed on the Register of Historic Places in 1984.
Contributed by
Ange Albsmeyer
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Recent comments (view all 27 comments)
Please check out the new web site for the Will Rogers Theatre in Charleston IL The Theatre is in restoration.
www.WillRogersCharleston.com
My family has been to the Will Rogers Theater many times, back to when my husband and I were in college… back to when the management would post a note to remind the college kids that in the wintertime there may or may not be heat. It didn’t stop us from taking in the movies offered. My kids grew up watching movies there… after they split the theater (side by side for the Life’s too Short and yes, at one time it did have a balcony) they put semi-new seats in and upgraded the sound. The seating was still retched, lol, you had to look over people’s shoulders… but they had the best popcorn of all the movie theaters in central Illinois, and the kids that operated the counter were great and so was the management who would greet people who were regulars (like our family apparently). I was sorry to see AMC closed it’s doors and frankly, though the theater needed work, I didn’t understand it, it was packed every weekend.
For more information about the Will Rogers Theatre please visit www.WillRogersCharleston.com We have wonderful plans for restoration of this grand venue. Please support our mission.
My husband and I are the new owners of the Will Rogers Theatre in Charleston IL. Our web site is www.WillRogersCharleston.com We have set up a http://www.gofundme.com/49rb4o to help with the restoration. Thank you for your interest and support of the project.
I have uploaded a 1940 postcard view of the Will Rogers Theatre to the photo section.
The Will Rogers Theatre opened on February 8, 1938, according to the March 21 issue of The Film Daily.
Would love to manage this theatre when it is restored.
2 screens on October 5th, 1984. Grand opening ad in the photo section.
I guess they’re still trying, but they lost out on grant money recently. The December ‘22 streetview is pretty grim. Looks like the tile over one of the storefronts fell off.
Some historic views of the theater can be found at: https://dnrhistoric.illinois.gov/preserve/hargis.html
The navigation is extremely cumbersome, but you need to ‘Enter Hargis’, move the map to Charleston (it always drops you on Sprinfield, so go east and a bit south), and click on one of the purple dots downtown. The other one is the courthouse.