Historic Springfield theater hit by thieves

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Preservationists in Springfield are dismayed after someone stole part of the city's history.

Thieves hit the downtown's Gillioz Theatre, long remembered by generations of Ozarkers for its elegance.

A collection of the movie house's furniture, including fixtures from the grand opening in 1926, disappeared sometime over the Memorial Day weekend.

No one knew the dollar value of the furniture, but it held sentimental for many Ozarkers.

Two oversize baroque-style chairs, a matching love seat, a settee, a restored theater seat and an oval mirror were discovered missing May 29, two days after the back door of the Netter's building, which adjoins the vacant theater, was found open.

Except for the theater seat, the stolen pieces were original fixtures in the Gillioz lobby from the theater's grand opening on Oct. 11, 1926, to its closing in 1980.

The furniture was held in storage for years before being moved to Netter's, where it could be admired by people touring the two buildings, currently under renovation.

The chairs, love seat and settee were covered in burgundy velvet. The theater seat, mounted on a square of plywood, was upholstered in turquoise tweed to give visitors an idea how the seating would look after renovation.

Springfield police have no suspects in the burglary, but they are still waiting on evidence analysis, said public information officer Matt Brown.

The Springfield Landmarks Preservation Trust has been coordinating renovation efforts for the two buildings since 1992. Its president, Nancy Brown, said the furniture was not visible from the street, and the burglars would have to have known what they were looking for.

"We have done so much over the years," lamented Brown. "To have someone so callously take something that was part of the theater, we're dismayed and disheartened. This is a very special set of furniture."