Constructed by the bridge builder, ME Gillioz, the Gillioz Theatre is one of the few structures of this sort to be built in steel and concrete during the early years of the 20th century. Built near the US Route 66, it is said that the owner wanted to tap audiences who were traveling through the historic highway.

The Gillioz Theatre opened in 1926, originally as a transition theatre. It had a pipe organ to accompany silent films, a stage for performances like vaudeville acts. In 1928, it installed a sound system when sound movies started to come out.

After three premiers and a good number of prosperous years, the Gillioz Theatre closed its doors in 1980. It was then acquired by the Springfield Landmarks Preservation Trust and was restored starting 1990 until its reopening in 2006.