Quincy Theatre

521 Hampshire Street,
Quincy, IL 62301

Unfavorite 1 person favorited this theater

Additional Info

Nearby Theaters

Quincy Theatre

The Quincy Theatre opened in 1912 on Hampshire Street, among Quincy’s once many other theatres, including its neighbors the Washington Theatre, Savoy Theatre, and Gem Theatre. It operated until 1957 before closing.

Contributed by Bryan

Recent comments (view all 6 comments)

jeanpanyard
jeanpanyard on July 3, 2006 at 8:20 pm

I believe this may be our family’s theater. My mother says this because there were other theaters on this street and but theirs was known as the Quincy Theater. If this is the correct one, it was her grandfather’s theater. It was started by John O'Neill. John O'Neill had once owned a string of slot machines that he and my grandfather would service in a horse and buggy. The theater was later run by his son William or Bill O'Neill. However, my mother was in Quincy and the theater was torn down and became a parking lot.

If someone knows to the contrary please let us know. It was not built as part of a chain. Please feel free to contact me with more information or pictures if you have them. Sincerely, Jean-Marie Panyard

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on March 26, 2016 at 5:29 am

The Quincy Theatre has been demolished. It was on part of the parking lot between the 7-story bank building at 529 N. Hampshire and the WGEM building at 513 Hampshire. The Illinois Digital Archives has two later photos of the house, both apparently taken after it closed, as the poster cases are empty and the building looks Rather decayed.

First photo.

Second photo.

There is also this photo dated 1915, when the house had a more ornate front.

robboehm
robboehm on March 26, 2016 at 1:55 pm

Uploaded two pictures of the Quincy from the Quincy Public Library collection. In the 1916 photo actress Mae Miller is shown.

jeanpanyard
jeanpanyard on March 29, 2018 at 10:23 pm

I have just come back to this thread. What wonderful pictures. Thank you! Thank you! Ironic that my daughter is joining with friends to start an entertainment venue in Grand Rapids. It must be in the blood!

SethG
SethG on March 31, 2018 at 4:56 pm

I don’t see how the photo from 1916 can possibly be the same building. The entry looks much taller. Even in the 1957 photos the building plainly has a very old cast iron front which must have been original to the building. Wherever the 1916 photo was taken, it was a much fancier building.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on March 31, 2018 at 6:01 pm

It does look as though the library might have mislabeled that photo. The wall against which the poster behind Ms. Miller is leaning is also too wide for the Quincy.

You must login before making a comment.

New Comment

Subscribe Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.