Full Text of HR0666 96th General Assembly
HR0666 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 |
| Representatives are pleased to recognize the 80th anniversary | 4 |
| of the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb on December 10, 2009; and
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| WHEREAS, The rich history of the Egyptian Theatre began in | 6 |
| the 1920s, during a period of great prosperity for the people | 7 |
| of DeKalb; the City's new-found affluence from the invention | 8 |
| and manufacturing of barbed wire fencing made the creation of a | 9 |
| vaudeville theatre and movie house possible; and
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| WHEREAS, In response to great public demand, the | 11 |
| architectural firm of Rapp & Rapp, one of the premier and | 12 |
| prolific theatre design firms in the nation, was chosen to | 13 |
| design the Egyptian Theatre; the firm selected and Egyptian | 14 |
| theme to commemorate the discovery of King Tut's tomb; site | 15 |
| acquisition was then completed by the DeKalb Theatre Company, | 16 |
| which awarded the construction contracts to Guldbeck and | 17 |
| Eckstrom in 1928; and
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| WHEREAS, The theatre opened on December 10, 1929, despite | 19 |
| the crash of the stock market just six weeks before; as the | 20 |
| Great Depression grew deeper in the 1930s, the demand for | 21 |
| movies increased and vaudeville shows faded away; the mighty | 22 |
| Wurlitzer organ, manufactured in DeKalb, played for daily |
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| shows; and
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| WHEREAS, By the late 1970s, the Egyptian Theatre fell into | 3 |
| disrepair, with holes in the roof, flooded dressing rooms, and | 4 |
| ruined murals and ornaments; the theatre was on the verge of | 5 |
| being demolished; and
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| WHEREAS, In response to the potential loss of this classic | 7 |
| DeKalb fixture, The Preservation of the Egyptian Theatre | 8 |
| (P.E.T.) was formed on March 1, 1978; the theatre was placed on | 9 |
| the National Register of Historic Places by the United States | 10 |
| Department of the Interior on December 1, 1978; a major theatre | 11 |
| renovation followed and was completed in 1983, opening with the | 12 |
| world premiere of G. Gordon Liddy's "Will", which was filmed in | 13 |
| the DeKalb and Sycamore area; and | 14 |
| WHEREAS, In December of 2007, the Egyptian Theatre was | 15 |
| named one of 150 important Illinois architectural sites by the | 16 |
| American Institute of Architects; and
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| WHEREAS, The Egyptian Theatre has welcomed many | 18 |
| personalities throughout its 80 years of existence, including | 19 |
| Jerry Colonna, Lawrence Welk, Ray Charles, George Winston, | 20 |
| Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Dizzy Gillespie, Ramsey Lewis, Wynton | 21 |
| and Branford Marsalis, Stan Getz, Woody Herman, Jay Leno, and | 22 |
| John Astin; on October 25, 1959, John F. Kennedy, then a |
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| candidate for U.S. President, made a campaign stop at the | 2 |
| theatre during a 3-day tour of Illinois; and | 3 |
| WHEREAS, Today, the Egyptian Theatre is the home of many | 4 |
| local performing groups and hosts many private parties and | 5 |
| celebrations; even in the age of the multiplex theatre, the | 6 |
| Egyptian still shows movies on its single 35-foot movie screen, | 7 |
| the largest in DeKalb County; and | 8 |
| WHEREAS, The Egyptian Theatre's iconic architecture and | 9 |
| world-class entertainment are significant contributions to the | 10 |
| rich culture and history of the City of DeKalb and the State of | 11 |
| Illinois; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 13 |
| NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 14 |
| congratulate the members, volunteers, and patrons of The | 15 |
| Preservation of the Egyptian Theatre on the occasion of the | 16 |
| theatre's 80th anniversary and wish them continued success in | 17 |
| preserving this historic icon for the enjoyment of present and | 18 |
| future generations; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 20 |
| presented to the P.E.T. Board of Directors as a symbol of our | 21 |
| esteem and respect.
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