Egyptian Theatre (DeKalb, Illinois)
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| Egyptian Theatre | |
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| (U.S. National Register of Historic Places) | |
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| Location: | DeKalb, DeKalb County, Illinois |
| Coordinates: | |
| Built/Founded: | 1928-29 |
| Architect: | Elmer F. Behrns |
| Architectural style(s): | Egyptian Revival |
| Added to NRHP: | December 1, 1978[1] |
| Reference #: | 78003100 |
| Governing body: | Preservation of The Egyptian Theatre |
The Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, Illinois is an Egyptian Revival theatre that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The theatre was built in 1928 and 1929 as part of a much larger wave of national fascination with Ancient Egypt throughout the United States, thanks, in large part, to the discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922. The theatre in DeKalb was added to the National Register in 1978. The 1,430-seat auditorium is DeKalb County's largest.[2] It is located at 135 North Second Street.
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[edit] Architecture
[edit] Motif
Though it is one of up to one hundred Egyptian-style theatres built during the early 20th century, it is believed to be only one of the few remaining in the United States.[3] This particular theatre has no mere hodgepodge of hieroglyphics and Egyptian symbols; architect Elmer F. Behrns, who had more than a passing interest in Egyptology, designed the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb to have one central theme, and Pharaoh Ramses II was the motif he chose to go with.[4]
[edit] Exterior
The exterior facade is covered in a light sage terra cotta and exhibits a 20-foot-tall stained glass window, which bears the ancient scarab symbol. The scarab is holding up the sun god Ra whilst standing on top of the Earth. Each flank of the stained glass window holds two huge pharaohs, meant to "guard" over the theatre entrance. The entirety of the theatre's front facade is designed to resemble the gate of a great temple.[4]
[edit] Interior
The small outer lobby is meant to evoke the feeling that one has entered the outer chamber of an ancient Egyptian tomb. The walls of the outer lobby are built from huge unadorned blocks with a fake sandstone surface, with only the front of the ticket box office decorated in a dusky sienna red with a golden sunburst emblazoned above the window. Leaving the outer lobby of the current DeKalb Egyptian Theatre through the glass doors and into the main lobby reveals the original mosaic-tiled floor and the 40-foot-high ceiling towering above the visitor.[4]
The walls of the main lobby are of cream-colored plaster, surrounded by eight pillars with cornices adorned with golden lotus blossoms and palm leaves. High up on the walls between each of the pillars are large golden plaster urns, six in all. These urns are decorated with lotus blossom buds and palm leaves as well, and crowned by a gilded design of outstretched falcon wings and the disc of the sun entwined with golden serpents. The lotus motif is repeated on the frosted wall sconces below the urns and on the chandelier hanging over the center of the double staircase at the end of the main lobby which leads to the mezzanine and balcony.
The decoration and layout of the auditorium is meant to resemble a royal Egyptian courtyard.[4]
[edit] History
When the theatre opened in 1929 it was one of many so called Egyptian Theatres across the United States. Of those Egyptian theatres, the DeKalb Egyptian is one of six still standing today.[3] In its earliest days the theatre specialized in silent films and vaudevillian live performances. As the decades passed, the theatre became more and more focused on film presentations and remained so throughout the 1940s, '50s and '60s. By the 1970s the theatre was in disrepair and the plaster walls were crumbling. The owner handed the theatre over to the city of DeKalb. It was in 1978 that a group of citizens banded together to restore and save the Egyptian. When the Egyptian received designation as a Registered Historic Place in 1980, the group, Preservation of the Egyptian Theatre (PET), qualified for a $2.3 million grant from the state of Illinois. This money allowed a restoration of the theatre.[5] It was estimated at that time that $3.5 million was needed to completely restore the theatre, but that only the $2.3 million was available. Because of that fact, there were many projects that had to be cut, including adding air conditioning which the building never had, and still does not have.
[edit] The current theatre
The theatre is preserved and governed by PET. This non-profit organization was formed in the 1970s to save the theatre from destruction. In 1980, under the direction of PET, the theatre underwent a major overhaul. In the ensuing time the theatre has been host to a variety of films and events and continues to attract the people of the surrounding communities to its events.[6] The current marquee is the fourth to adorn the theater, and was installed during the 1982 restoration.[4]
The DeKalb Egyptian has a 42-week season during which it features around 75 events annually. The Egyptian's season is cut short by the hot northern Illinois summers; the theater has no air conditioning. In addition, more than thirty professional groups used the theater in 2006 as well as numerous student organizations and university departments from nearby Northern Illinois University.[2]
[edit] The mystical and supernatural
The DeKalb Egyptian, like many other Egyptian Revival structures, is meant to create an air of mystery and wonderment to observers. The imagery of the ancient Egyptian symbols has fostered the popular belief that there is some kind of mysterious hidden meaning behind the symbology and color scheme in and on the DeKalb Egyptian[2]. Despite this belief, the theater insisted through a spokesman in 2006 that both the colors and the decorations were chosen for their beauty and no other reason.[2]
While there are no hidden messages in the architecture, there have been numerous occurrences and reports of alleged ghostly phenomena. The Egyptian has been widely rumored to be the home of two ghosts. One is said to be that of Irv Kummerfeldt, co-founder of PET along with his wife Barb; Kummerfeldt had a heart attack and died at the top of "Aisle One" of the Egyptian Theatre. His ghost has been reported in that area of the theatre ever since.[2] The second ghost, "Bob" as theater workers and preservationists have dubbed it, is much more free roaming. The ghost Bob has been seen all about the building; objects will be moved, doors will open, and sometimes people feel a tap on their shoulder when no one else is around. Occasionally, footsteps have been heard echoing across the auditorium as if some unseen being had walked across the stage.[2] The theater operators and preservationists lend enough credence to the ghost sightings and stories to have a board member of PET, the member in charge of the archives, keep an eye out for any information on who the ghost might have been.[2]
[edit] Trivia
- The Egyptian Theatre has the largest movie screen in DeKalb County at 35 feet wide
- All of the seats in the auditorium are still the original seats that were in the theatre when it opened on December 10, 1929.
- There were additional buildings that were supposed to be attached to the existing building, but they were never built due to the crash of the stock market in late 1929. There was supposed to be a hotel attached to the north on the front side of the building. There was also supposed to be a building attached on the west side of the building to house storage, office spaces, and rehearsal spaces.
[edit] Photo gallery
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[edit] Notes
- ^ NRIS Database, National Register of Historic Places, retrieved Jan. 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g Thorne, Evan. Survive like an Egyptian, Northern Star, 13 Oct 2006.
- ^ a b Egyptian Theatre, Wild Prairie Digitization Project, Northern Illinois University, 2004.
- ^ a b c d e The History of the Egyptian Theatre, Preservation of the Egyptian Theatre, 2006.
- ^ Bartholomew, Steven. Landmark Egyptian Theatre needs help of DeKalb residents, Northern Star, 21 Sep 2006.
- ^ Current Projects, About Preservation of the Egyptian Theatre, Preservation of the Egyptian Theatre, 2006.
