{"nrhp_refnum":"85000977","name":"Majestic Theatre","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"240-246 Collinsville Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"East St. Louis","county":"St. Clair County","state":"IL","lat":38.62730575200004,"lon":-90.15774935099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-05-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1920s movie palace at 240-246 Collinsville Avenue, East St. Louis, Illinois, at the southeast corner of Collinsville and St. Louis Avenues. It was built in 1928 for Harry Redmon on the site of two earlier Majestic theatres and designed by Boller Bros.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the Majestic represents the movie palaces of the 1920s and kept much of its original opulence. It was the major entertainment center for East St. Louis and the surrounding area. It had a Spanish Gothic glazed-tile facade and was early to adopt air conditioning and sound films in the region.","narrative":"Majestic Theatre, at 240-246 Collinsville Avenue in East St. Louis, Illinois, is a movie palace opened in 1928 on the site of two earlier theatres of the same name. The first opened in 1907 and the second in 1909; the second burned in 1927. Boller Bros., theatre specialists, designed the replacement for owner Harry Redmon. Harry Bancroft was the contractor. Reinforced concrete forms the structure, and the brick walls carry a Spanish Gothic facade of peaks, arched windows and multicolored glazed tile mosaics. Inside are a marble lobby, a deep foyer with two staircases, and carved plaster detail around the stage and boxes. The hall seats 1,200 to 1,500 people. It served as the main entertainment center for the area and was said to be the first theatre south of Springfield to show talking pictures, in 1928. It was also early to install air conditioning. Recent work has cleaned the facade, replaced the roof and renovated three storefronts. Interior restoration was still being planned.","period_of_significance":"1928 to 1985","architect_builder":"Boller Bros. (Robert Boller); contractor Harry Bancroft","architectural_style":"Spanish Gothic","criteria":[],"status_note":"Structurally sound; phase 1 renovation (roof, facade cleaning, new doors and windows, three storefronts) completed, with interior renovation of the theatre and lobby planned. The storefronts are leased.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.970437-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/44/8941/28894144/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/85000977.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000977/ae2f9e776f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000977/ae2f9e776f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"binkle_28","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Majestic_Theatre_side_view.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">binkle_28</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Majestic_Theatre_side_view.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"14000622","name":"Downtown East St. Louis Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/downtown-east-st-louis-historic-district-14000622/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28894144","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majestic_Theatre_(East_St._Louis)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16894537"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/st-clair-county/majestic-theatre-85000977/"}