Arcada Theater Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Arcada Theatre
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| Location | Main Street (North Avenue), St Charles, Kane County, Illinois, United States |
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| Built | 1926 |
| Architect | Behrns, Elmer F. |
| Architectural style | Mission/Spanish Revival, Moderne |
| NRHP reference No. | 94000977 |
| Added to NRHP | August 16, 1994 |
The Arcada Theatre Building is a famous historic theater in St. Charles, Illinois. It first opened its doors on September 6, 1926. Back then, it showed silent movies and hosted live stage shows called vaudeville.
For almost a century, the theater has stayed open, closing only for short periods to be updated. Because of its long and interesting history, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which is a list of America's most important historic sites.
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History of the Arcada Theatre
The Arcada Theatre was built in 1926 by a wealthy local couple, Dellora A. and Lester J. Norris. They spent $500,000 to build it, which was a huge amount of money at the time. This showed they believed in the future of their town, St. Charles.
Even though the town only had about 5,000 people, the theater was built with over 1,000 seats.
Designing a Classic Theater
Lester Norris, who was an artist and cartoonist for the Chicago Tribune, designed the beautiful inside of the theater. The outside was designed by an architect named Elmer Behrns. He used a style called Spanish Colonial Revival, which was inspired by old Spanish buildings. Behrns also designed the famous Egyptian Theatre in nearby DeKalb.
A special feature of the theater was its $25,000 Marr and Colton pipe organ. This amazing instrument could rise up from the stage floor. It was later made even bigger and given a stylish silver and red look.
A Grand Opening Night
The theater's opening night was a huge event. So many people came that hundreds couldn't even get in! A special train car brought people all the way from Chicago. They came to see the movie "The Last Frontier" and live comedy acts.
The Arcada quickly became known as a top spot for vaudeville shows in the area. Many famous stars performed on its stage in the early days, including:
- George Burns and Gracie Allen
- Judy Garland
- Edgar Bergen and his puppet Charlie McCarthy
- The John Philip Sousa Band
- The Von Trapp Family Singers, whose story inspired the movie The Sound of Music
The Arcada Theatre Today
In May 2005, Ron Onesti and his company, Onesti Entertainment Corporation, took over running the theater. They began bringing in big-name performers that you would normally only see in a large city like Chicago.
Today, the Arcada Theatre has 897 seats and is still a popular place for entertainment. The original pipe organ is still there and can rise from the stage.
Famous Modern Performers
Many famous musicians, actors, and comedians have performed at the Arcada in recent years. Some of these stars include:
- The B-52's
- 38 Special
- Sophia Loren
- Mickey Rooney
- Shirley MacLaine
- Jerry Lewis
- Dionne Warwick
- Joan Rivers
- Paul Anka
- Kenny Rogers
- Pat Benatar
- Wayne Newton
- Howie Mandel
- Martin Short
In 2012, comedian Andrew Dice Clay filmed a TV special called "Indestructible" at the theater. When it's not hosting major stars, the theater is also used by local community groups and performers.
