herr2ck: The Venetian Paramount

May-June 2025.

The Paramount Theatre is one of Aurora’s best-known architectural landmarks, so naturally I completely fumbled the bag while documenting it. Designed by highly regarded theater architects Rapp & Rapp, its iconic sign and Venetian-inspired ornamentation are much like Chicago’s eponymous theater.

The Paramount Theatre is located at 23 East Galena Boulevard in downtown Aurora, Illinois. It is bordered by Galena Boulevard and the Copley Theater to the north, the Fox Theater Building to the south, the Fox River to the east, and the Block & Kuhl Store to the west.

History

Historic photo of the theater shortly after its construction. (Paramount Theatre website)

Aurora was well-known for its performing arts long before the Paramount Theatre was built. Various local theaters hosted vaudeville and silent films. As the concept of “talkies” (movies with audio) was being developed, J. J. Rubens and other Aurora theater owners founded the Aurora Theater Company in 1915. After a trip to Italy, Rubens was inspired by the architecture, and sought to build a theater he called “The Venetian.” Ultimately, the Aurora Theater Company was sold to the Paramount-Famous-Lasky Corporation (now Paramount Pictures) in 1930, and the design’s name was changed.

The park that was adjacent to the building after construction, showing its original footprint. (Paramount Theatre website)

The Paramount Theatre was designed by Chicago architects Rapp & Rapp. The exterior is largely in the Renaissance Revival style with Venetian influences, but the interior is undoubtedly Art Deco. At a cost of one million dollars, the fanciful theater opened in a lavish ceremony on September 3, 1931. It was designed to show both live performances and movies, seating 2125. The theatre was apparently the first building featuring air conditioning outside of Chicago.

Historic photo of the interior c. 1978. (NRHP listing)

The theater operated successfully through the following decades, though later generations began to squander its previously elaborate decor. The NRHP listing notes that “[f]rom the opening in 1931 to 1976 the theatre went basically unchanged except for gradual deterioration due to lack of maintenance and attempts to ‘modernize’ the lobbys and marquee.” [sic]

In 1976, the Aurora Civic Center Authority purchased the theater and began restoration work, which cost $2.5 million. They used historic photos to restore and recreate the original ornamentation, and minimal changes to allow the building to function better for modern use were made. The building reopened in 1978 and has continued to operate since. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, and it is also a part of the Stolp Island Historic District.

Most recently, an addition was built adjacent to the principal facade, which is known as the Grand Gallery. Its construction began in 2005 and it opened in 2007. The addition’s arched windows imitate the brickwork on the east side.

Photos

The Paramount Theatre was kind of a nightmare to take photos of, and I feel like most of my shots didn’t come out very well. Galena Boulevard is almost always a busy road, and the day I stopped by was even worse. Oh well. Here is the front facade:

The addition is the closer portion, while the original building’s entrance is confined to the tower. I’m kind of indifferent about the design--it’s unremarkable, fitting well enough but still not quite fully blending in.

I understand why it’s needed, though, as the original entrance is pretty small for a theater of this size. Looking back at the historic photos, it’s odd how the building used to jog in plan, and I think this addition fills a void that the architects left.

I think this is the only photo I’m happy with…the tower:

The base is bare masonry, but the shaft above is a lighter brick. Each wall has an elaborate panel of Venetian ornamentation, and the top is crowned by a tile roof. Detail: