The Normal Theater is a cinema located in the downtown area of

Normal, Illinois Normal is a town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 52,736. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area, and Illinois' seventh most ...

of the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, which is located in McLean County. The theater closed for a time in the early 1990s but reopened in 1993 after being purchased and renovated by the town of Normal. It has since been in continuous operation, showing a mix of first run and classic films. The building is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

and has been since July 25, 1997.

History

The Normal Theater opened for operation in November 1937. The

Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial desig ...

building was a state of the art cinema at the time which was built to "show sound movies in the best comfortable environment." The original commercial operation of the Normal Theater ended in May 1990 after it had been divided into a two screen theater a few years prior.Normal Theater
History, Normal Theater. The Town of Normal purchased the theater and reopened it in 1993 through a community restoration effort.Normal Theater History
Town of Normal. Today theater goers enjoy a "throwback" theater going experience in the fully restored art deco theater. The inside restoration installed plush, coral colored seating, blue, maroon and salmon colored walls, high-modern style aisle lights and layered ceiling of multi colored neon lights.

External links

Normal Theater website

Notes

National Register of Historic Places in McLean County, Illinois Buildings and structures in Bloomington–Normal Cinemas and movie theaters in Illinois Streamline Moderne architecture in Illinois Tourist attractions in Bloomington–Normal Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois {{McLeanCountyIL-NRHP-stub