{"nrhp_refnum":"05000872","name":"Grand Theater","other_names":["Paramount Theater","Wheaton Theater","Wheaton Grand Theater"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"123 N. Hale St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wheaton","county":"DuPage County","state":"IL","lat":41.86739082100007,"lon":-88.10823219699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-08-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, eclectic-style movie theater at 123 North Hale Street in downtown Wheaton, Illinois, completed in 1925 with a terra cotta and Cream City brick front facade. It was designed by architect E. Norman Brydges and built by contractor Math Atten.","why_significant":"The nomination argues significance under Criterion A for its role in Wheaton's entertainment history, reflecting the shift from vaudeville combination houses to movie theaters. Under Criterion C, it is a good local example of the eclectic small-town theater that brought the flavor of big-city movie palaces to smaller communities.","narrative":"Completed in 1925 at 123 North Hale Street in downtown Wheaton, Illinois, this two-story movie theater was designed by architect E. Norman Brydges and built by contractor Math Atten. Its front facade combines Milwaukee Cream City brick with glazed terra cotta in off-white, buff and dark green, arranged in seven bays with an arcade spelling out the name G-R-A-N-D. Inside, molded plaster decoration survives at the proscenium and on an elliptical dome, though the single 1100-seat auditorium was divided into four theaters between 1983 and 1989. The building opened as a combination house able to host live acts and films, with an organ played by a Wheaton College professor. It is recognized for its place in the town's entertainment history from 1925 to 1955 and as a small-town version of the lavish eclectic movie palaces of larger cities. The building remains in use as a movie theater.","period_of_significance":"1925-1955","architect_builder":"Brydges, E. Norman, Architect; Atten, Math, Building Contractor","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals; Other: Eclectic","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a movie theater; the original 1100-seat auditorium was subdivided into four theaters in 1983-1989.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.642238-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/99/8927/28892799/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/05000872.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000872/ecdac0faaa-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000872/ecdac0faaa-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Teemu08 at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GrandTheatreWheaton.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Teemu08 at en.wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GrandTheatreWheaton.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892799","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theatre_(Wheaton,_Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5595146"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/dupage-county/grand-theater-05000872/"}