History
|
April 1884 |
 The Danville Opera House Company was organized
with a capital stock of $35,000 divided among 50 persons in the
sum of 7 shares each. The building cost $28,000 including furnishings,
scenery and equipment. The lot was purchased for $6,000 from
R. W. Gillette. On the lot was a house, barn, woodshed and hen
house surrounded by an iron fence. It was the former residence
of Dr. W. W. R. Woodbury, a prominent Danville physician. The
original building was 65 feet wide and 127 feet long. The foundation
was 4 feet wide butting up to a base two feet wide which was
carried up to the first tier of joists. From this point up to
about 20 feet in height the walls are 20 inches thick, and from
there to the top 16 inches thick. The red brick walls were trimmed
with Bedford stone from nearby Indiana. |
|
November 5, 1884 |
 The Grand Opening was held. The
Commercial News described the theatre as "both spacious
and elegant". It describes heavy draperies on the stage
in blue and gold. "The drop curtains, Oriental in design,
depict a large Moorish arch through which is seen a Turkish city
with its domes and minarets. In the foreground are ships and
boats." It also noted that there was a perfect view of the
stage no matter where one was seated. The Grand Opening feature
was the Emma Abbott Grand English Opera Company presenting "King
for a Day". Receipts were $1,001.75. The house netted $
59.65. It seemed political excitement was a distraction that
night, for it was election night and grover Cleveland was to
be the first Democrat elected since the Civil War. There was
a seating capacity of 1,100 |
| December 7, 1885 | Lillian Russell performed. The house lost $1.20. A critic wrote "Miss Russell can sing, when she wants to, and act well, but last evening she seemed not to care whether she pleased the audience or not". |
|
June 7th, 1888 |
The last Danville High School graduating class from the old Washington School held commencement exercises in the theatre. |
The people of Vermilion County were treated to a variety of stage plays in those early days. The Minstrels always drew a crowd. When the Burton and Wilsons Minstrels performed in December 18, 1884, when the temperature was 15 below zero, they drew a large attendance. The Waverly Minstrels grossed over $400.00 for the house, when they performed on December 28, 1888. The old ledgers for the theatre are now at the Vermilion County Museum.
|
October 26 and 27, 1889 |
The first movie held at the theatre was shown by the International Cinegraph Company of New York. It was the Fitzsimmons-Jeffries fight held earlier in the year on June 9 at Coney Island. |
|
April 16, 1907 |
The Grand Opera House was sold to George W. Chatterton, Sr. of Springfield, Illinois |
|
May 1912 |
 Mr. Chatterton sold his interest
to Louis F. Fischer. The theatre was closed for remodeling and
structural renovation. The building was enlarged by 40 feet to
the West and the stage was moved back the same distance to provide
more seating space. The entrance was changed to Harrison Street.
A new facade was made on Vermilion Street and four first floor
storefronts were created on Vermilion Street. A new balcony was
added. There was a new mezzanine floor with 100 boxes (loges)
that would seat 6 people each. The Lyric Theatre next door, which
opened in 1906, was also remodeled. The cost for both theatres
was $100,000. |
| March 13, 1913 | The Grand opening of the "new" Fischer Theater. |
|
1929 |
 The Fischer and Palace (former
Lyric Theatre) theatres were sold to the Publix Great State Theatres.
The following changes were made to the Fischer Theater. The entrance
on Harrison Street was changed back to Vermilion Street. The
lobby was enlarged by absorbing two of the four storefronts created
in 1912. The ticket booth now faced the outside. There was a
new Marquis, the largest in town, and state-of-the-art motion
picture equipment was added. All the vintage movies, "Gone
With the Wind", "The Wizard of Oz", "Singing
in the Rain", etc was shown at the Fischer. |
| 1938 | Air conditioning was installed in the theatre |
The Old Town Preservation Organization
sold the building to the Vermilion Heritage Foundation so the
funds raised by the stars' benefit could be used to start renovation
to the lobby area of the theatre. Many of the members of the
Board of Directors of the Vermilion Heritage Foundation are Old
Town Preservation members. The renovation and expansion of the lobby was
completed, including refurbishing and replacing the tin ceiling, new heating
and air conditioning, and the creation of a concession area. A donated
boiler and theatre seats have been installed.