About the Will Rogers Theatre
The Will Rogers Theatre and Commercial Block was built between 1935-1937 by contractor Roy Kennedy and opened its doors in 1938 with a performance by Ina Ray Hutton. Unique to the area with the inclusion of six storefronts along with the theatre, the distinctive Art Deco façade features glazed brick and terra cotta reliefs in geometric and floral designs. Characteristic of Art Deco architecture, the theatre’s construction was a collaboration between architects, designers, and artists. Original Art Deco elements remain throughout the building, including light fixtures, mirrors, the double staircase to the second floor, hand-painted frieze panels in the auditorium and the entry doors with the frosted glass “WR” insignia. Local tradition was reflected in the building’s color palette; the exterior glazed brick in crimson and yellow are the Charleston High School colors, and the original blue and gray recessed ceiling in the auditorium echoed the colors of Eastern Illinois University. Although the Will Rogers was converted to a two-screen theatre in the 1980s, the original coved ceiling and its plaster and painted ornamentation remain under the dropped ceiling. The Will Rogers Theatre and Commercial Block was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
