CINEMA THEATRE
120 West Main Street, Urbana Illinois 61801
The Cinema is a later incarnation of the Princess. Please read the Busey's Block (the historic name of the building) and Princess Theatre pages for complete information.
The Cinema opened in 1967 (renamed Princess Theatre) and closed 10 November 1994.
Kerasotes Theaters came to Urbana-Champaign in October 1958 with their purchase of the Princess Theatre and other Alger Brothers owned theatres.
In 1967 Kerasotes gave the Princess Theatre a new name: the Cinema Theatre.
In 1985 George Kerasotes Corporation converted the adjoining storefront (formerly McClellan Electric) into a second auditorium seating 230 people. The old auditorium was given cosmetic changes including a suspended ceiling and a decorative acoustical material on the walls. The 1930s wall lights were retained. The lobby was made much more spacious by the removal of the tiny storefronts. An entrance to the new auditorium was created, and some of the space was used for an office and new, lobby-level, restrooms.
GKC closed the Cinema Theatres on Thursday, 10 November 1994. The last films shown were Ed Wood at 8:00 and Red Rock West at 8:15.