The Normal Theater was built by Sylvan and Ruth Kupfer, who owned the 209 North Street lot where the movie house went up. The grand opening was held Friday, November 19, 1937. In December 1974, the Springfield, IL based chain Kerasotes Brothers took over the Normal Theater. Moviegoers to the Normal became increasingly scarce, especially after the 1990 opening of the eight-screen Parkway Cinemas off Veterans Parkway. The end for the Normal Theater as a commercial enterprise came on May 16, 1991. The Town of Normal purchased the theater in November 1991. The grand reopening was held October 7, 1994, with a showing of Singin’ in the Rain. October 7, 2014, marked the 20th anniversary of the rebirth of the Normal Theater as a town-run venue.
The collection includes newspaper article about the Normal Theater, advertisements, tickets, invitations, schedules, movie programs, etc.
