{"nrhp_refnum":"78003100","name":"Egyptian Theatre","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"135 N. 2nd St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"De Kalb","county":"DeKalb County","state":"IL","lat":41.93114633700003,"lon":-88.75257778899999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-12-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1,600-seat Art Deco movie theatre at 135 North Second Street in the business district of DeKalb, Illinois, designed by Elmer F. Behrens of Chicago and opened on December 10, 1929.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it was the first theatre of Egyptian motif in Illinois. Its Egyptian design, inside and out, is consistent and reflects academic research rather than the usual eclectic Mideastern style. It also served as a local entertainment venue for decades.","narrative":"Completed in 1929, this theatre on North Second Street in downtown DeKalb was designed by Chicago architect Elmer F. Behrens, who had earlier worked with Rapp and Rapp. It cost $300,000, seated 1,600 people and opened on December 10, 1929. The building has a pylon-shaped facade of cream terra cotta tile, a scarab and sun-disk stained glass window, and an interior built around Egyptian themes. The auditorium is treated as an open court with a peristyle of columns, painted murals of sunrise and sunset, statues of Rameses II and pharaoh heads. Research on the motifs was done at the Oriental Institute. The nomination calls it the first Egyptian-motif theatre in Illinois and notes that its design reflects academic study. Mostly a movie house, it also hosted vaudeville, organ concerts, stage productions and rock concerts. It had been unoccupied since November 1977, with roof damage as the main concern.","period_of_significance":"1929","architect_builder":"Elmer F. Behrens, Chicago (architect); Guldbeck-Eckstrom, general contractor","architectural_style":"Art Deco with Egyptian motif (Egyptian Revival)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Unoccupied since November 1977; the roof is the only part in poor condition, and a preservation group was negotiating to buy it for rehabilitation as a performing arts center.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.455543-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/20/8927/28892720/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/78003100.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78003100/87e521904c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78003100/87e521904c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.5","author":"Andy McMurray","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DeKalbEgyptian7.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Andy McMurray</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DeKalbEgyptian7.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892720","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Theatre_(DeKalb,_Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5348454"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/dekalb-county/egyptian-theatre-78003100/"}