Paris Theatre
1234 E. Eldorado Street,
Decatur,
IL
62521
1234 E. Eldorado Street,
Decatur,
IL
62521
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Full history credit History of the Heartland:
“Dan Higgins, a Decatur police officer, opened a silent movie theatre 110 years ago tonight, on Christmas Eve, in 1913. Located at 1234 East Eldorado Street, Higgins branded it as "The Paris Theater”. Higgins was an efficient traffic cop who directed at the busy corner of East Main and Water Streets. His profession and focus on safety were reflected in his design for the theatre: it was the only one in town where the customers faced the exit. The projection booth was then the usual source of theatre fires. The electrical codes were more rudimentary, and the film projectors ran hot. In case of a fire in the projection booth, the customers would then exit AWAY from the fire. Higgins was born in Hamilton, Illinois, in 1870. He came to Decatur at age 14 and remained here for the rest of his life. Before his employment as a peace officer, he had worked for the Wabash Railroad as a wheel inspector, where he developed an excellent reputation for his attention to detail. Higgins sold the theatre in 1920. He died in 1922 at age 51. By 1923 the theatre had closed, and the building was repurposed for commercial use. Today, the site is an empty lot just east of the recently razed union hall building at the corner of Jasper and Eldorado."
The Paris originally opened in 1913. The Decatur Public Library has this photo of 1234 E. Eldorado Street in 1914, the caption on which says it was the location of Dan Higgins' Theatre. The date is confirmed by an item in the January 24, 1914 issue of Moving Picture World which says that “Dan Higgins opened his new moving picture theater, the Paris, at Decatur, on Christmas Eve.” The 1917 ad must have been for a re-opening.
July 12th, 1917 grand opening ad in photo section.