Origins of the Illinois Theatre

A page one story in the Champaign Daily Gazette of Wednesday 10 January 1894 optimistically began “Urbana will have a handsome new opera house in the near future.  At least that is the talk and some important steps have already been taken in the matter.  So far, the project has been kept a secret, and consequently few people have been made acquainted with the plans.” 1

The story went on to say that “there have been occasional expressions of a wish for a new place of amusement at the county seat, and this has become more pronounced as the city’s improvements have increased.  Busey’s Hall has well served the purpose for which it was constructed’ in 1870, “but objection has been made that its stage is too small for first-class companies.  The fault may lie in this, and yet it may be that no one has yet done the most that could be done in the management of the house.  Apparently, a majority of the companies that have appeared here in the past few years, have failed to strike the popular chord and so amusements have run with a drag in Urbana.” 2

The Gazette reported that a few gentlemen had met informally in W.J. Ford’s office to discuss the project and begin to make plans.  The men even sketched out plans for the building that they expected to cost around $20,000. They imagined it built of brick, two stories high with a tower in the center, “to lend dignity and architectural beauty to the structure.”  There was to be two good sized store rooms with plate glass show windows on the first floor.  A wide staircase between the store rooms would lead to the second floor with office rooms on the front of the building with the theatre at the rear.  They planned a seating capacity of 500 or 600 and possibly some box seats.  The stage was to be large and the dressing rooms generous in size.  They had their eye on a lot on the east side of Market Street [now Broadway] just north of Main Street. 3

A reported $9,000 had been pledged at the meeting, with W.J. Ford putting in $4,000 and others pledging $1,000 each.  It was thought a majority of the city’s merchants would be willing to contribute.  Another meeting was scheduled for 11 January at Ford’s office to begin organizing the stock company. 4

The opera house meeting held 11 January night was very well attended by Urbana citizens.  Louis Stout was chosen to chair the meeting and John Thomas was chosen as secretary.

Several men made short talked briefly of their support of the project.  They included W.W. Lindley, G.W. Call, Dr. J.F. Morrison, W.J. Ford, R.Z. Gill, D.D. Cannon, John Thomas, and Thomas Kerr. 5

 It was determined that $2,000 annually could be realized from building rentals, based on the available space in the plans proposed by R.Z. Gill.  This did not include any revenue from the theatre operations.  W.W. Lindley, George W. Call and W.I. Saffell were appointed as the site selection committee.  The stock subscription committee was yet to be appointed. 6

There were four sites under discussion for the proposed opera house.  Two were on Market Street [today’s Broadway], directly north of the Herald building on the corner of Broadway and Main, and another south of the city building.  A vacant lot on Main Street east of the court house and the lot on Race Street, directly back of the Lowenstern building were also under consideration.  Two of the sites were owned by Thomas Lindsey’s heirs and the understanding was they would exchange either one for stock in the building.  Opinions varied considerably on which site was best. 7

A few days later, another possible site was added when Hugh Connerty offered to sell two adjacent lots and buildings on [the 100 block of West] Main Street opposite the Columbian hotel for what he had paid for them. 8

On 30 January 1894, The Champaign Daily Gazette reported that the committee members were 

soliciting Urbana business men and intended to continue until all had been visited.  The committee was putting off incorporating the company until they had a firm figure of how much could be raised via the stock subscriptions.   The Gazette quoted W.W. Lindley, one of the active committee members: “Nothing has been said about the project for some days, but none of us have lost interest in the matter.  We are bound to have a nice opera house for Urbana, and do not propose to give up until we get it.” 9

Several months later, on 9 June 1894, the Champaign Daily Gazette reported: “There will be a meeting of Urbana citizens in W.W. Lindley’s office Thursday evening, at 7:30 o’clock, to discuss plans for the erection of an opera house.  All interested citizens should attend. 10  That appeared to be the end of it.  Presumably they had not been able to raise the necessary funds.

There was renewed interest in 1898.  Busey’s Hall was now closed.  In fact, the entire building was now being used as W.I. Saffell’s department store and Urbana had no opera house.  In Champaign, the Walker Opera House was the main theatre for the Twin Cities.

A brief report in the Champaign Daily Gazette of 9 February 1898 indicated a movement was afoot for a long-needed improvement: an opera house.  None of the organizers were named and few details were given other than they anticipated organizing a stock company, capitalized at $50,000, to build the play house to be located across from the city building and probably would include one or two store rooms. 11  That effort was also not successful.

There was more talk in 1902. “It is hoped that Urbana will soon boast of a new opera house.  The most favored location is on the corner of Elm and Market streets.” appeared in the Champaign Daily Gazette, of 28 January 1902. 12  Again, no opera house was built.

Then, in 1903, the Champaign Daily Gazette printed this report on 31 January: “At noon today, W.E. Coffin announced that he had $5,000 subscribed toward securing Urbana an opera house.  For some time Mr. Coffin has been thinking seriously about the opera house problem but no one seemed to care in assisting him in securing one so he started out himself to raise the money.  He intends to raise $25,000 before he stops and is now confident the opera house question is no myth.” 13  Despite his confidence, Mr. Coffin was not able to get the opera house built.

The year 1906 brought increasing interest in building one or two new opera houses in Champaign and Urbana.  George W. Chatterton of Springfield visited Champaign on Saturday 3 February 1906 reported The Champaign Daily Gazette.  He was exploring the possibility of building an opera house in Champaign.  His proposition was that if the citizens would buy out this new house, at $10 each, for the first night’s performance, he would build an opera house with a seating capacity of at least 1,500 or more people that would cost $60,000 or more.  The Gazette quoted Mr. Chatterton: “Speaking about the location, that will be easy enough after the money is in sight.” 14

The Champaign Chamber of Commerce opera house committee had been working with George W. Chatterton.  The committee took options on several sites for the opera house, but it was said that Mr. Chatterton did not consider the location as the really important part of the proposition to build in Champaign. 15

George W. Chatterton was back in Champaign Friday 16 March 1906 looking to arrange financing to build an opera house in Champaign to add to his opera house circuit.  Chatterton said he was short of ready cash at the moment as his money was tied up in his other opera houses.  He was no longer asking for the $15,000 from the opening night’s seat sale, but was willing to pay interest on that amount secured by stock.  He also said he was able to put up $45,000 toward the planned $60,000 building. 16

Another theatre promoter spent time in the summer of 1906 remodeling the Coliseum that had opened 28 August 1905 in Champaign.  It wasn’t going to be as lavish or as big as people perhaps hoped.  It was renamed the Crescent and reopened 26 November 1906.  It is by no means clear if that made it more difficult to raise funding in Champaign, but Chatterton began talking to promotors in Urbana. 

By the autumn of 1906, the talk in Urbana had gotten serious.  The Champaign Daily Gazette ran a story on 22 September 1906 that reported an unnamed “Urbana business man who pays more attention to the accumulation of money than he does to mere talking, says he is able to declare positively that Urbana will have a fine new opera house at the beginning of the theatrical season next year.  The question has been talked of for years, but has now reached such a stage that money will do the talking, it is asserted.” 17

The article went on to say the theatre would be a four-story building just west of the Flatiron building which is where it was eventually built.  These plans included two floors for the Flatiron Store, a dance hall on the fourth floor, and a summer roof garden joined to the Flatiron building.  The reported location proved to be where the opera house was built, but the other features did not come to fruition. 18

By October, 1906, it was looking more certain that Urbana would have an opera house.  Quoting the Champaign Daily Gazette: “The question of whether Urbana is to have an opera house is attracting renewed interest in the county seat by reason of an earnest discussion of the matter which is now taking place.  The ball was started by a prominent citizen, who favors the opera house, saying he would be one of a number of citizens to subscribe liberally to the undertaking.  This called forth a spirited protest from Rev. Willoughby N. Toble, of Trinity Methodist Church, declared that an opera house in Urbana would be a "public curse."      That Rev. Mr. Toble did not voice the opinion of most of Urbana's people was evidenced by the replies which were promptly made.  Practically everyone in the county seat wants an opera house, and many are ready to back up their belief with subscriptions.  It is reported that five of Urbana's most successful business men will give $1,000 each to the building of a $100,000 playhouse.” 19