Photograph by Josh Monken
Edwardsville’s Main Street has thrived in recent years, adding some of the region’s best restaurants, including Erato on Main and Fond. Perhaps its most notable addition, though, isn’t new at all: the historic Wildey Theatre.
The Wildey first opened as an opera house on April 12, 1909, with a production of Girl at the Helm. Over time, it hosted vaudeville and amateur nights before being turned into a movie theater. Decades later, in 1984, the theater screened its last film under full-time management, The Big Chill.
Not until 1999 did the city purchase the theater and begin raising funds necessary for an extensive $2.9 million renovation, slated for completion this month. The renovated theater will include three lobbies, decorated with memorabilia that captures the theater’s history, as well as more than 300 seats.
“We’ll relight the theatre on April 12, its 102nd anniversary,” says Alderman Rich Walker, who heads a city council committee overseeing the renovation. A sample lineup includes live music, matinee movies, community performances, and more.
