The Arcada Theatre Building is a theater in St. Charles,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, located on Main Street (which becomes

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further eastward). The theatre was opened on

Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...

, September 6, 1926, engaging projection of silent movies and the staging of live

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

acts. Except for brief periods of renovation, it has remained continuously open. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

History

The Arcada Theatre was built in 1926 by local millionaires Dellora A. and Lester J. Norris. Mr. Norris, a commercial artist and Chicago Tribune cartoonist, designed the interior of the Arcada. The exterior, designed by Elmer Behrns, is as a prime example of the

Spanish Colonial Revival Style The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture (), often known simply as Spanish Revival, is a term used to encompass a number of Revivalism (architecture), revivalist architectural styles based in both Spanish colonial architecture and Spanish archi ...

. Behrns also designed The

Egyptian Theatre Egyptian-style theatres are based on the traditional and historic design elements of Ancient Egypt. The first Egyptian Theatre to be constructed in the US – which inspired many of the identically-named theatres that followed it – was Graum ...

in DeKalb,

, The new theatre was a $500,000 example of the Norris family's confidence in the future of St. Charles. With only 5,000 residents in the town, more than 1,009 seats were installed. Upon the Arcada's grand opening, the public came in such large numbers that hundreds were unable to gain entrance. Chicagoans arrived by a special railway car to see the featured film "The Last Frontier" and the Vaudeville acts of

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. Patrons also heard a recital on the famous $25,000

Marr and Colton The Marr & Colton Company was a producer of theater pipe organs, located in Warsaw, New York. The firm was founded in 1915 by David Jackson Marr and John J. Colton. The company built between 500 and 600 organs for theatres, churches, auditoriums, ...

pipe organ, later enlarged (1928-29) by the local Geneva Organ Company with an art deco silver and red console, adorned with carved herons, native to the Fox River Valley. The Arcada became known as one of the outstanding Vaudeville houses in the Fox River Valley. Many legendary stars have graced the stage, including

George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film, and television. His arched eyeb ...

and

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and Charlie McCarthy,

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, the

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Band,

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and the Von Trapp Family Singers. In May 2005, Ron Onesti, president of The Onesti Entertainment Corporation (OEC), assumed ownership of its operations only. He does not own the Arcada Theatre building. Making use of its standing as a producer of entertainment shows in the United States, the OEC brought marquee performances typical of major city downtowns to the far western suburbs of Chicago. Today, the Arcada Theatre is an 897-seat venue featuring its original pipe organ that rises from within the stage floor. Among other notable performers,

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(2015),

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have been recent headliners. The theatre also functions a resource for community groups and local performers when not occupied by mainliner events. Comedian

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recorded his

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special "Indestructible" at the theater in August 2012.

Notes

External links

Official web siteNational Register of Historic Places Nomination Form
{{Authority control St. Charles, Illinois Theatres completed in 1926 National Register of Historic Places in Kane County, Illinois Buildings and structures in Kane County, Illinois Tourist attractions in Kane County, Illinois 1926 establishments in Illinois Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois