Virginia Theatre (Champaign) facts for kids
Virginia Theatre, circa 2008
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| Location | 203 W. Park Champaign, IL 61820 |
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| Owner | Champaign Park District |
| Type | Renovated theatre |
| Capacity | 1,463 |
| Opened | December 28, 1921 |
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Virginia Theater
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | 203 W. Park Ave., Champaign, Illinois |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1921 |
| Architect | C. Howard Crane and Kenneth Franzheim, George Ramey |
| Architectural style | Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 03001201 |
| Added to NRHP | November 28, 2003 |
The Virginia Theatre is a cool place in downtown Champaign, Illinois. It's a theatre where you can watch live shows and movies. Since it opened in 1921, it has brought lots of fun to the Champaign-Urbana area.
Every year, the Virginia Theatre shows old movies and hosts plays. You can also see concerts there. It's even home to Ebertfest, a special film festival. The Champaign Park District owns this historic building today.
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History of the Virginia Theatre
The Virginia Theatre first opened its doors on December 28, 1921. The very first show was a live play called The Bat. The next night, they showed two silent films: Tol'able David and The Boat.
Since then, the theatre has always shown movies, live concerts, and plays. It has only closed for short times when it needed repairs. For many years, the Virginia Theatre was owned by private companies. From the 1930s to the 1960s, RKO Pictures owned it. Later, George Kerasotes Corporation (GKC Theatres) took over.
In the 1990s, a group of people formed a non-profit organization. They bought the theatre to keep it going. Then, in January 2000, the Champaign Park District bought the building.
In 2003, the theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a very important historical building. It was recognized for providing all kinds of entertainment from 1921 to 1953. This included plays, vaudeville shows, concerts, and movies. The building was also noted for being well-preserved. It still looked much like it did when it was first built.
Restoring the Theatre
A big part of the Virginia Theatre's story is its restoration. In December 1999, the Champaign Park District received a grant. It was $900,000 from the State of Illinois. This money helped fix up the theatre, which was quite old and needed work.
Many repairs were done to make the building safe and modern. Most of these changes can't be seen by visitors. In 2000, the old curved movie screen was replaced. A new, smaller screen was installed. It can be moved out of the way for live shows.
More restrooms were added in 2001. The box office was updated, and dressing rooms were remodeled in 2002-2003. New carpet was also put in. In 2007, the east lobby was redone. The main lobbies and concession stand were renovated in 2010. This was possible thanks to a generous gift from Michael Carragher.
The old neon sign from the 1930s was removed in 2010. A brand new sign was put up in September 2011.
Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ
When the theatre opened in 1921, it got a special musical instrument. The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company installed a theatre organ. This organ played music for the silent films. It had two keyboards and eight sets of pipes.
In December 2010, the organ was taken out for repairs. Buzard Pipe Organ Builders of Champaign did the work. It was put back into the theatre in the fall of 2011. Now it can play beautiful music once again.
Fun Events at the Theatre
The Virginia Theatre hosts many different events all year long. Classic films are shown on the huge 56-foot-wide screen several nights each month. The theatre is also a popular spot for touring musicians and comedians.
From 1992 to 2010, the Champaign-Urbana Theatre Company (CUTC) performed plays here. CUTC started performing shows at the theatre again in 2016. Since 2015, "That's What She Said" has been a popular event. It's an annual show by The She Said Project. This event highlights stories from local women.
Roger Ebert's Film Festival
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Every April, the Virginia Theatre hosts Ebertfest. This is Roger Ebert's Film Festival. It started in 1999 as Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival. Now, it's a very popular event. Tickets often sell out quickly.
The festival was started by Roger Ebert. He was a famous film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times. The event shows films that might be less known. It also features some popular movies.
Roger Ebert passed away in 2013. After that, people in Champaign decided to raise money. They wanted to build a life-size bronze statue of him. Ebert's wife, Chaz, helped choose how the statue would look. It shows him sitting in the middle of three theatre seats. He is giving his famous "thumbs up" sign. The statue was revealed at the 2014 Ebertfest. You can see it right outside the theatre.
