Our Story
The History of The Egyptian Theatre
The Egyptian Theatre has roots back to the age of the pharaohs. This historic structure owes this connection to the discovery of the tomb of King Tut in 1922 that set off a nationwide interest in everything Egyptian. The Egyptian influence reached DeKalb County in 1928, when the DeKalb Theatre Company was trying to settle on a design for a combination motion picture house and vaudeville theatre. Needing a larger facility than its theatre at the corner of First Street and Lincoln Highway, the firm talked with Chicago theatre architect Elmer F. Behrens. Contracts for the new theatre were awarded in 1928, but construction, other than a foundation excavation, did not start until spring of 1929. Dale Leifheit was president of the DeKalb Theatre Company and served as the building’s first manager when it opened on Dec. 10, 1929. It is believed that the initial construction cost roughly $250,000.
By the 1930’s the theatre was one of over 100 theatres across the country to decorate itself with an Egyptian style. Of all the Egyptian theatres, the DeKalb theatre is one of only 6 remaining and is the only Egyptian Theatre east of the Rocky Mountains. In the original design, additional buildings were supposed to be attached to the existing building, including a hotel on the north side but they were never built due to the stock market crash in late 1929.
The stock market crash in October 1929, changed some building plans, but failed to dampen the opening celebration. The unique broken-tile main lobby floor was a compromise with a dollar shortage; it was originally supposed to be marble.
The theatre opened on December 10, 1929. The first film on the Egyptian’s giant screen was “The Hottentot,” an “all talking” film about horse racing; general Admission was 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children. The live vaudeville acts generally were reserved for weekends between movie showings. Ownership of the Egyptian changed hands over the years, but for a majority of its commercial life, the building was owned and operated by the Thomas Valos family which ran a chain of Midwest motion-picture houses.
In the forties and fifties, the Egyptian concentrated mostly on movies, with an occasional live event. On October 25th 1959 Senator John F. Kennedy made an appearance to a packed house at the Egyptian. A short three months later he would announce his candidacy for president. Throughout the sixties, the Egyptian was a movie house, although some exceptions still did occur.
In the early 70's the aging theatre continued to show movies and sometimes hosted concerts by popular up and coming rock bands such as Journey and Heart. By the mid seventies, the Egyptian was a ghost of its previous splendor. The plaster walls and interior motifs were crumbling away, the seats were in disrepair, the plumbing rarely worked, the boiler was no longer functioning, and there were holes in the ceiling letting in both rain water and wild animals. In 1977, the Egyptian Theatre was closed and the property given over to the city of DeKalb.
With the theatre on the verge of being condemned in 1978, a group of citizens banded together to restore and save the Egyptian. The Egyptian was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. In 1982 Preservation of the Egyptian Theatre (PET), qualified for a $2.3 million grant from the state of Illinois. This money allowed the restoration of the theatre to begin. Renovation was started in 1982 by and finished by the fall of 1983.
When the theatre opened again in 1983 it was host to dozens of events a year. The diversity of events was impressive with multiple community groups and national groups calling The Egyptian Theatre “home”. The Egyptian season was filled with live events, weddings, receptions, community meetings, and movies. The theatre continues to be home to DeKalb County’s largest movie screen at 35 feet wide and 22 feet tall.
Today, the theatre is utilized by the community for a wide variety of events and also attracts national touring acts. From 2006 - 2012 over 1.5 Million dollars was invested in restoration, maintenance and upgrades to the Egyptian Theatre. In the summer of 2011 the original seats from 1929 which were still in use in the theatre were sold off to the community and replaced by brand new seats that look nearly identical to the originals. Through the continued support of the community the Egyptian Theatre is able to not only keep the doors of the theatre open but continue to improve the theatre for all to use and enjoy.
P.E.T.’s vision for the Egyptian Theatre since the beginning has been a community-based one. The success of the Egyptian Theatre has continually been embraced by both the arts community and by the people of DeKalb County. The vision of P.E.T. has grown from just keeping the doors open to opening new doors.
Over the years the Egyptian Theatre has been the stage for performances by: Lawrence Welk, BB King, Jay Leno, Ray Charles, Winton Marsalis, Corky Segal, Danny Glover, Ron White, Brian Regan, Lewis Black, REM, Journey, Heart, Gaelic Storm and many more.
For more information, please visit www.EgyptianTheatre.org
The Egyptian Theatre is a 1929, fully restored, Egyptian Art Deco movie palace, operated and staffed by the volunteer group, P.E.T. Inc. Behrns.
