The Castle Theater opened on Nov. 21st, 1904 in Bloomington, Illinois. During its initial run, the Castle featured Vaudeville shows and silent films. In 1916, the theater relocated to 209 E. Washington, nixing the Vaudeville acts and focusing solely on films. The “new” Castle Theater remained open until 1988 when financial difficulties forced the theater to close. The Castle found itself resurrected in 2003 when a young ISU graduate named Ben Slotky purchased the building and set out to restore it to its past glory. After renovations running into the millions, the third incarnation of the Castle opened. Well received upon its reopening, the fanfare quickly died down and, four years later, the Castle closed once again. Finally, in 2010, the Castle found its doors opened once more albeit not as a movie theater, but as a music venue.

The collection includes newspaper articles, promotions, upcoming event fliers, and miscellaneous items from the Castle’s history.