2002-21 DESIGNATING A LANDMARK LINCOLN SQUARE THEATRE AND INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS - 141-145 NORTH MAIN STREET

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LINCOLN SQUARE THEATRE I� Odd Fellows (IOOF). The end result was the construction of the Lincoln Square Theatre I! and commercial building that extended to the south and north of the theatre entrance. ' The section to the north housed the IOOF and the Emerson Piano Shop. The storefronts all faced along North Main Street, including the entrance/lobby to the Lincoln Square Theatre were all similarly designed with a Classical Revival scheme that featured light ' brown brickwork with tena cotta trim, The Lincoln Theatre and IOOF sections of the building were the most elaborate compazed to the other sections of commercial storefronts. The main auditorium section of the theater ran along the back of these , buildings, separated with a two foot thick fire wall, constructed to ensure that theater ' would never be destroyed by a fire, as many previous buildings in downtown had been. '� To ensure this, the boilers for the theatre were placed in the basement of the IOOF Hall 'I and sepazated by a firewall.2 ', The opening of Lincoln Square Theatre marked the first large-scale layhouse in town. I'�, P While by today's standards this may not seem like a giant feat, in 1916 it symbolized , much more. A grand theater, l�ce the Lincoln Square Theatre was, served as a status '� symbol for the city. It sepazated the small time towns from the big cities. At the opening I of the theater the current mayor, Dan Dinneen, made a few opening remarks that shows � just what it meant to the city: The dedication of this new theater marks a distinct step in the advancement of � Decatur. In the past few years, we have made marry improvements in the way of new pavements; better parks, a handsome lighting system and other things, but we have lacked a playhouse. We now have one, which is as good as any to be found in the Central West. A man who puts his money into an enterprise of this sort does so for something else than financial return. He does it in a spirit of progressiveness and loyalty to his city.� When the Lincoln Square Theatre opened in October of 1916 for its first year it only showed vaudeville productions. By 1917, however, silent filrns had gained in popularity and the theater had begun the films along with the vaudeville productions. In 1918, the theatre continued to broaden its horizons with the addition of a house orchestra and the installation of a pipe organ.' Later in 1920, a few operas were even performed at the Lincoln Square Theatre. As technology progressed sound was soon introduced into the movie business, and in 1929 the Lincoln Square Theatre showed its first"tallcie." During the yeazs where vaudeville was popular at the Lincoln Square Theatre, a number of nationally recognized performers stood on its stage. A few of those were A1 Jolson, World Heavy Weight Boxing Champion Jack Dempsey, entertainer Bob Hope, and magician Harry Blackstone, among others. The storefront to the north of Lincoln Square Theatre contained the IOOF Hall on the second level and retail space on the first level. This section of storefront was larger than the sections to the south because it was much deeper and extended along the north end of the theatre space. The IOOF Hall was used as a meeting space for the fraternal organiz.ation. The fraternal organization had several chapters or lodges that collectively used the same space, including a female organization called the Rebekah's Lodge. These 5