 Despite a decline in the overall interest in vaudeville and stock theatre, and a rise in the competition from White-owned theaters in Bronzeville, Chicago, the Pekin continued thrive under Motts' ownership until his passing in 1911.According to J. Hockley Smiley of the Chicago Defender "no other funeral in the memory of the writer has brought out such a vast crowd of people as that of Mr. Motts".Following his passing, the Pekin remained in the Motts' estate before being sold to various owners over the next decade, never fully reclaiming its prominent position.