The Cervantes de Linares Theatre has its origins in the San Ildefonso Theatre, built in 1864 by Ildefonso Sánchez y Cózar, in the expansion zone of the city. It was a rectangular building with a facade facing two parallel streets and a French theatre typology, with a horseshoe-shaped room and a spacious stage. It was reformed in 1930 to improve its safety and hygiene conditions, and in 1952 it became a cinema, closing its doors in the 1980s.