Chester Opera House
| Chester Opera House | |
|---|---|
 Opera House Antiques | |
 | |
| Alternative names | ChesterOpera |
| General information | |
| Type | Cinema and Theatre |
| Address | 1001-3 State Street, Chester, IL 62233 |
| Town or city | Chester, Illinois |
| Country | US |
| Coordinates | 37°54′44.1″N 89°49′24.4″W / 37.912250°N 89.823444°W |
| Other information | |
| Seating capacity | 650 |
Chester Opera House was a cinema and theatre which showed both movies and live stage performances in Chester, Illinois, US. Elzie Segar, the creator of Popeye, worked there from the age of twelve.[1] The Chester Opera House was built in the late 19th century. It was converted to a movie house in about 1920s by its owner, Bill Schuchert.
History
[edit]Chester Opera House was listed in the 1897–98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, an annual for roadshow managers. The seating capacity was reported as 650.[2]
Opera House was managed by Herman Wiebusch and Edw. Tindall and the range of ticket prices was 25 cents to 50 cents. The proscenium opening was 18 feet x 9 feet (width x height) and the depth of stage was 18 feet. The theatre was on the second floor and had electric illumination.[citation needed]
It was closed as a movie theatre in 1931, the old Opera House housed a museum and Popeye-themed gift shop.[3]
Current owners, Debbie and Mike Brooks bought and renovated the Opera House into the Spinach Can Collectables gift shop and Chester Opera House museum back in 1994.[4]
As of 2021, it is in use as an Spinach Can Collectables and antique store on the 1st floor and the former auditorium on the 2nd floor has been converted into apartments.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Robert C. Harvey (1994), The art of the funnies, Univ. Press of Mississippi, p. 161, ISBN 978-0-87805-612-5
- ^ "Julius Cahn's official theatrical guide v.2 1897-1898". HathiTrust. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
- ^ a b "Chester Opera House 1001-3 State Street, Chester, IL". cinematreasures.org. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
- ^ "How "Popeye the Sailor" put a rural Illinois town on the international map". medium.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 23 Jan 2024.
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