Pictorial History of Mattoon's Theaters
![mattoon theater 1896](mattoon_theater_1896.jpg)
Built in the summer of 1896, the Mattoon theater opened with Clay Clements in "The New Dominion", as well as "The Bells" the next night (Sept. 23, 1896).
It cost $25,000 to build the 3 floor theater, which included 6 dressing rooms, 10 proscenium boxes, 2 balconies, and steam heat.
![broadway 1900](broadway_c1900.jpg)
A scene looking down Broadway, c. 1900, the street that housed Mattoon's theaters at the turn of the century.
![time theater](time_theater.jpg)
The Time Theater opened in 1937, one of the last theaters to open in downtown Mattoon to date.
![dole opera house](dole_opera_house.jpg)
The Dole Opera House opened in 1896 as the first vaudeville-based theater in Mattoon.
![marriage portrayal 1912](marriage_portrayal_1912.jpg)
Children were often entertainers as seen in this marriage portrayal at the Dole Opera House in 1912.
![kids outside mattoon theater 1920](kids_outside_mattoon_theater_c1920.jpg)
Children also the largest audience to attend theaters, as seen outside the Mattoon Theater c. 1920.
![minstrel 1898](minstrel_1898.jpg)
Minstrel show as part of the Philharmonic theater group, October 29, 1898.
*All photos are courtesy of Local History Room, Mattoon Public Library