{"nrhp_refnum":"85001913","name":"Miners Institute Building","other_names":["Miners Theater"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"204 W. Main","address_restricted":false,"city":"Collinsville","county":"Madison County","state":"IL","lat":38.66927387900006,"lon":-89.98753794899994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-08-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story rectangular masonry union hall and theater at 204 West Main Street in Collinsville, Madison County, Illinois, built 1917-1918 for local United Mine Workers locals and designed by architect Robert C. Kirsch.","why_significant":"The building is tied to coal mining, Collinsville's most important industry, and was funded by miners' union locals and a state U.M.W.A. loan. It housed a theater, union offices, meeting rooms and a small library that became the town's public library. It is also noted for its Renaissance Revival front and its theater history.","narrative":"Miners Institute Building, also called Miners Theater, is a three-story masonry building at 204 West Main Street in Collinsville, Illinois. Local United Mine Workers unions erected it in 1917-1918, with Robert C. Kirsch as architect, to serve as a union hall and public theater. The cost of $138,993.26 was covered by a state U.M.W.A. loan and a one percent assessment on local members. The theater occupied the south end, with rental spaces at the front, while the upper floors held union offices, meeting rooms and a small library that grew into the Collinsville Memorial Public Library. The front is Renaissance Revival, using brick and terracotta, wrought iron balcony railings and a statue of two seated coal miners. Coal mining declined from about 1930, and the union locals later passed title to the Progressive Mine Workers; the building was sold in 1969. The interior is largely intact despite minor changes, and the building remains in use for retail, film and dance.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"H.W. Eberhardt/R.G Kirsh (cornerstone names Robert C. Kirsch, Architect)","architectural_style":"Renaissance Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good structural condition and occupied; it houses a retail business, a projection house (movie theater) and an aerobic dance studio.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.643365-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/84/8935/28893584/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/85001913.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001913/00d5d1d08a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001913/00d5d1d08a-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miners%27_Institute,_Collinsville.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miners%27_Institute,_Collinsville.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893584","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miners_Institute_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16895177"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/madison-county/miners-institute-building-85001913/"}