Gem
The Gem movie theater in Cairo, Illinois dates to 1910, though the original structure was torn down in the 1920s and replaced with this building. This building burned in 1934, but the exterior structure survived, and the theater was remodeled in an art deco style. The marquis dates to that remodel.
One thing to remember about Cairo is that although it's located in a northern state, Cairo was a southern town. According to the internet, there were at least three movie theaters in town during Cairo's heyday. The Gem was one of two "whites-only" theaters. The "colored theater," the Opera House, stood in the empty lot in the foreground. When the Opera House burned, the third theater--the Lincoln--became the colored theater.
The Gem lasted longer than the Lincoln, but it finally shut its doors in 1978. One assumes it desegregated by then, though you can't be entirely sure. Cairo has a sketchy past when it comes to race relations, and it didn't handle the Civil Rights era very well.
Gem
The Gem movie theater in Cairo, Illinois dates to 1910, though the original structure was torn down in the 1920s and replaced with this building. This building burned in 1934, but the exterior structure survived, and the theater was remodeled in an art deco style. The marquis dates to that remodel.
One thing to remember about Cairo is that although it's located in a northern state, Cairo was a southern town. According to the internet, there were at least three movie theaters in town during Cairo's heyday. The Gem was one of two "whites-only" theaters. The "colored theater," the Opera House, stood in the empty lot in the foreground. When the Opera House burned, the third theater--the Lincoln--became the colored theater.
The Gem lasted longer than the Lincoln, but it finally shut its doors in 1978. One assumes it desegregated by then, though you can't be entirely sure. Cairo has a sketchy past when it comes to race relations, and it didn't handle the Civil Rights era very well.