November 15, 2019
Pictured in photo are DeKalb County Community Foundation board and staff members and Egyptian Theatre board and staff members.
The historic Egyptian Theatre in Downtown DeKalb is excited to announce the awarding of a grant from the DeKalb County Community Foundation to help with the ongoing expansion project at the theatre.
The DeKalb County Community Foundation awarded the theatre $75,000 as part of the Community Needs fall 2019 grant cycle. This grant is awarded to non-profit and local organizations as part of the Foundation’s mission to give back to community.
“The community foundation has been a long-time supporter of the Egyptian Theatre and we are so appreciative of their support of this transformational project,” said Egyptian Theatre Executive Director Alex Nerad.
The Egyptian Theatre is underway with construction on a $5.5 million expansion that will consist of a two-story addition that will add restrooms, concessions and storage spaces that will enhance the visitor experience at the historic theatre. Most importantly, installation of air conditioning will allow the theatre to remain open year-round with programming.
“This grant from the DeKalb County Community Foundation is so meaningful and we hope it inspires others in the community to support this project as well,” said Egyptian Theatre Board President Dan Schewe.
These improvements will dramatically grow the cultural and economic annual impact that the Theatre contributes to the region. It will also significantly improve the ongoing preservation efforts of the historic building that is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, named in the Top 20 Architectural Treasures by the State of Illinois Tourism and named 1 of 150 Great Places in Illinois by the American Institute of Architects.
The Egyptian Theatre currently welcomes over 40,000 people through its doors each year and is host to over 25 different community organizations that utilize the Egyptian for their events each year.
The Egyptian Theatre located in Downtown DeKalb is owned and operated by the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Preservation of Egyptian Theatre, Inc. Annual support of the Egyptian Theatre is provided by First National Bank, Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, Tapa La Luna, and Shaw Media. For more information on the Egyptian Theatre expansion project and to make a donation visit www.egyptiantheatre.org.
