State Journal-Register
When the Palace Theatre opened at 1836 S. 15th St. in 1915, the “very pretty little house” became a venue where downtown movies were brought to Springfield’s southeast side.
Despite its grand name, the theater was very small about the size of a modest two-bedroom home but it served as a social outlet for a burgeoning Eastern European enclave.
Emanuel Wycoff, an immigrant coal miner, operated the Palace. Wycoff whose last name originally was Wojkofka and his family were part of the Banat Swabian minority, a Romanian-German population tied to the larger community of Danube Swabians who lived in the area. The Wycoffs lived next door to the theater.
State Journal-Register
In segregated Springfield, the Pekin Theatre was the only movie house that not only catered specifically to African-Americans, but was managed by African-Americans as well.
The Pekin was at 811-15 E. Washington St., in the heart of Springfield’s African-American shopping and entertainment district.
The Pekin opened on Dec. 1, 1914. Opening announcements made no suggestion that the theater wanted to appeal mainly to African-Americans. But, in what may have been understood as code, an announcement in the Illinois State Journal emphasized that “the management will … guarantee the best of treatment, and will appreciate the patronage of one and all.”