Since it first opened its doors in December 1929, DeKalb's Egyptian Theatre has been a venue for motion picture screenings and theatrical performances--including vaudeville, dance, music, comedy, and live theatre. Like many of the Egyptian Revival theatres that cropped up across the United States in the early decades of the 20th century, the genesis of DeKalb's Egyptian Theatre was the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922: an archeological find that captivated the world. Only five of these theatres are still standing, and DeKalb has the only Egyptian Theatre east of the Rocky Mountains: it was saved from demolition and listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1978. Today, the Egyptian is owned and operated by the non-profit charitable organization, Preservation of the Egyptian Theatre, Inc. (P.E.T.). The theatre continues to screen classic and contemporary movies and has recently completed work to restore its 35mm film projector; in December 2017, the Egyptian showed a 1946 print of Frank Capra Christmas mainstay, It's a Wonderful Life.
