The Fire of The Colony Theatre and the Rise of The McHenry Theatre

At the end of World War II, the Colony Theater was one of the most popular places in McHenry. Originally built in 1911 as the Empire Theater, the building served in many ways as a community center holding fundraisers and community events, not just shows. Changing its name around 1940 to the Colony Theater, the building still was the entertainment palace in town. This included the popular fashion revue, which raised money for the St. Mary-St. Peter’s PTA. The Colony was also a movie theater showing some of the most popular films of the time. It also played “spook” classics on Saturday afternoons, such as Son of Frankenstein and House of Dracula. Cartoons were often shown on Sunday afternoons for the kids. 

Advertisement for a fundraiser the Colony Theater from Jun 21, 1945 edition of the McHenry Plaindealer.

Sadly, McHenry lost its prize movie house on Nov 8, 1951, to a horrible fire. Police officer, Marshall Espey noticed what he thought was smoke from the theater, which has recently closed for the night. Espey was right in his assumption and summoned help immediately. Five different fire departments came to the aid of the Colony, but to no avail. It was quickly realized that the only thing that the firefighters could do was keep the fire from spreading. Luckily for other buildings, the wind changed and the fire blew over Boone Creek. Witnesses praised the efforts of the firemen, who spend six hours battling the blaze. The American Legion, which was located next to the blaze, provided food and coffee to the firefighters. It had to be hard to watch the Colony burn down, as it provided joy and entertainment through the Great Depression and two world wars.

Picture taken of original McHenry Theatre marquise in Apr 2017 during renovation. Note the holes next to each letter for the lighting.

When the fire finally died out, McHenry’s theater was left completely destroyed. Being such a huge loss for the community, it didn’t take long for people to start talking about rebuilding. However, this wasn’t as easy as it sounds. Theaters were pricey endeavors and at that time there really weren’t big companies that would come in to build a theater on their own. It would take an individual or group of people to get the funds needed for construction. Soon, some of McHenry’s leading citizens came together to start putting the pieces together. One of the things that helped was that many of McHenry’s own people supplied the materials, labor, and experience to come together with what was required to get the city a theater again. The structure would be built by some businesses in town. Then a company that would rent out the expensive equipment such as the screen and projector. The McHenry Boone Creek Theater Corporation was formed by the body that would raise and manage the money (about $100,000) and another the McHenry Amusement Corporation to do the actual construction.

Picture taken during renovation of Apr 2017 of the outside. The front looks very similar to how it did when it opened.

Everything was lined up and construction started in the fall of 1954. Several familiar names in McHenry were involved in the construction of the theater. The general contractor was the Tonyan Construction Company. McHenry Sand & Gravel provided the material for the foundation. The McHenry Lumber Company supplied the wood and H.E. Buch & Sons did the plumbing. George B. Kane painted the interior and the Carey Electric Shop provided all of the electrical work. The theater was capped off with Emil Patke’s roofing.

Add for the new McHenry Theater from March 22, 1955 edition of the McHenry Plaindealer.

By February 1955, McHenry had its theater with the original name of: The McHenry Theatre. While the name lacked pizazz, the building itself was actually very nice, measuring 150 feet wide and 60ft in length, and could fit 696 people. The screen was a large 37-foot wide Cinemascope screen that could be used for any movie produced at that time. Also, there was room allotted in front of the screen so events and performances could still be held. One of the nicer features was the “cry room” where infants and small children could be taken, so as to not disturb other moviegoers. Two stores were put in the front, the first to open was Tonyan’s Home Furnishings, run by Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Tonyan. There were two bathrooms upfront that featured ceramic tile floors and walls. The interior of the theater was beige with black fixtures and each seat was a comfortably padded, pushup seat. The grand opening for the McHenry Theatre was on February 9, 1955, and ran for many years, closing in 2014. The theater reopened in 2018 as the McHenry Downtown Theater, which still has live performances as well as cinematic movies.

Sources

  • “Several Hundreds Witness Fashion Revue” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 5 Jul 1945, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Style Revue” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 20 Jun 1946, 4. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Movie Short Tells Problems Of Our Disabled Veterans” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 1 Dec 1949, 8. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Colony Theatre Down In Flames Early Sunday Morning” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 8 Nov 1951, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “McHenry Area Now Assured New Theatre” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 26 Aug 1954, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Several Hundreds Witness Fashion Revue” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 5 Jul 1945, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Style Revue” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 20 Jun 1946, 4. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Movie Short Tells Problems Of Our Disabled Veterans” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 1 Dec 1949, 8. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Colony Theatre Down In Flames Early Sunday Morning” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 8 Nov 1951, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Elect Directors and Officers For New Corporation” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 2 Sep 1954, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Several Hundreds Witness Fashion Revue” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 5 Jul 1945, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Style Revue” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 20 Jun 1946, 4. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Movie Short Tells Problems Of Our Disabled Veterans” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 1 Dec 1949, 8. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Colony Theatre Down In Flames Early Sunday Morning” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 8 Nov 1951, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “New Theatre Hold Grand Opening Feb 9” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 3 Feb 1955, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Several Hundreds Witness Fashion Revue” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 5 Jul 1945, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Style Revue” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 20 Jun 1946, 4. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Movie Short Tells Problems Of Our Disabled Veterans” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 1 Dec 1949, 8. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Colony Theatre Down In Flames Early Sunday Morning” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 8 Nov 1951, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.
  • “Premier Opening Of New Theatre Praised By Many” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 10 Feb 1955, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 7 Dec 2021.