Address | 104 N State St Belvidere, Illinois United States | ||||||||||||||||||
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Coordinates | 42°15′34″N 88°50′37″W / 42.25944°N 88.84361°W | ||||||||||||||||||
Opened | January 11, 1922 | ||||||||||||||||||
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The Apollo Theatre is an American theater in Belvidere, Illinois, built in 1921. The Apollo is a contributing property in downtown Belvidere's North State Street Historic District, on the north bank of the Kishwaukee River.[2]: 18 On March 31, 2023, the Apollo's roof collapsed in the midst of a tornado outbreak, during a concert attended by 260 persons.[3]
The Apollo was built and initially managed by the Rhinehart family of Belvidere. The theater was designed to host stage shows and films, featuring a pipe organ for live musical accompaniment. The Apollo's predecessor was the Derthick Opera House, located on the same site, which was destroyed by fire in 1917.[4]
The Apollo opened on January 11, 1922, seating 950.[5] The theater was built in commercial style by local general contractor and stonemason Edward Byron Glass.[6]: 188 The theater's decor includes simplistic stone and masonry designs on top of steel frames, with an overall focus on fireproofing.[2]: 17
The theater was the subject, and filming location, of Don O. Newland's 1926 film Belvidere's Hero.[7]
Air conditioning was added in 1931, and further renovations continued into 1940. A period of decline began in the 1950s, culminating in a major fire in 1975. The building cycled through owners until a long-term closure beginning in the 1980s.[4]
The theater reopened as the Apollo Theatre AC banquet hall in 2001, with Belvidere-based insurance agent Maria Martinez leading the effort to reopen the theater.[5]
The theater was listed as a contributing property to the Belvidere North State Street Historic District in 2012.[2]
Main article: Tornado outbreak of March 31 – April 1, 2023 |
On March 31, 2023, the Storm Prediction Center issued a high risk for severe weather, including tornadoes and an official Tornado Watch was issued at 2:35pm. An official tornado warning was subsequently issued at 7:24 p.m. CDT at which point Apollo Theater management halted the scheduled performance and had patrons remain inside the building to wait out the storm. The tornado reportedly struck at 7:44 p.m. CDT, causing the theater's roof and marquee to collapse. The National Weather Service reported "possible tornado damage" to the theater,[8] with winds in the area reaching 90 miles per hour (140 km/h).[9] An official damage survey revealed that an EF1 tornado had hit the building.[10]
Four death metal bands were scheduled to play on the evening of the collapse: Morbid Angel, Revocation, Skeletal Remains and Crypta.[11] Approximately 260 people were inside the venue at the time of the collapse, which killed one person and injured 48 others.[9][12]