History
Construction began in 1921 with art designers from the Ingstrip-Burke Company of Chicago, decorating the interior in the Adam style, which had surged in popularity as part of the Colonial Revival movement. The artist in charge, Michael Tomlin, educated at the School of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia pronounced himself well satisfied “It is better than I hoped it is what I dreamed.” The opening program included a film that highlighted the construction of the theater as well as the silent films Eternal Flame starring Norma Talmadge and Adolphe Menjou, and The Reporter, a silent comedy short starring British slapstick comedian, Lupino Lane. With seating capacity for 1,900 patrons, opening night had a standing-room-only audience of close to 2,000.
The State Music Hall
Local auto dealer, Clyde Tewell, bought the theater and re-opened it as the State Music Hall in July 1978, featuring country legends like Johnny Cash, Slim Whitman, Waylon Jennings and the Statler Brothers as well as disco bands like Sheik and pop groups like Kool and the Gang. However, the rising costs of production and promotion led to the closure again in 1982.
The Start of the State
At the dawn of the 1920s, Uniontown, Pennsylvania was booming. Home to more than a dozen millionaires, the population was growing rapidly in part due to a steady influx of immigrants seeking work in the coal and steel industries. Popular forms of entertainment were in transition as the demand for silent films with stars like Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford began to replace live vaudeville performances.
Around 1920, the Penn Amusement Company, a major entertainment developer in western Pennsylvania, commissioned Thomas W. Lamb, the preeminent theatre architect of the day, to design a “picture palace” for Uniontown. Lamb designed theaters across the eastern United States into Canada, including the third Madison Square Garden in New York (1925-1968) and the Pantages Theatre in Toronto.
Hailed as “the largest, finest and most beautiful playhouse in Western Pennsylvania” the State Theatre opened to many accolades on October 30, 1922 showing silent movies and presenting Vaudeville’s finest acts from the B.F. Keith Circuit. The State Symphony Orchestra played from the orchestra pit with a $40,000.00 Pleubet Master Organ to accompany the silent films. As the Big Band sound emerged, the State hosted some of the country’s greatest musical attractions including Paul Whitman, Glen Gray and the Dorsey Brothers. The popularity of “talkies” signaled the end for in-house musicians and the end of Vaudeville entertainment.
Though the greatest names in Hollywood flickered across the screen, and epics such as Gone with the Wind drew packed houses, the State’s days as a movie palace were numbered. The trend for movie theaters shifted toward multiplexes that could offer multiple simultaneous screenings in one place and Uniontown was no exception. The opening of the Laurel Mall in 1971 and the Uniontown Mall in 1972, both with movie theaters, drew crowds away from the downtown theaters. After 50 years, the State Theatre closed in June of 1973, and the nearby Manos Theater closed in the late 1980s.
The State Theatre is Back!
I know we aren't really going to say "The State Theatre is Back!
In 1988, a group of local citizens worked with local politicians, including State Representative Bill Lincoln, to secure grant funds and private donations to revive the Theatre. This group, known as The Greater Uniontown Heritage Consortium, purchased the theatre for use as a nonprofit performing arts venue. After cleaning the building, repairing the seats, adding new curtains and making other upgrades, the Consortium reopened the State in time for the 1990-91 season with the staging of Dracula: the Ballet, performed by the Pennsylvania Ballet Theater. The GUHC offered nationally touring professional productions ranging from Broadway musicals to Big Bands, symphonies, dance and dramatic performances.
In 2014, a summer musical program was launched called ‘Summer at the State.’ Over the past decade, that program has grown into its own nonprofit arts organization, Main Street Theatre Company. With the State Theatre being MSTC’s home base, they now produce five full-scale musicals, summer camps, and a full schedule of educational programming.
Today, the State Theatre presents a full season of professionally touring acts, ranging from family programming to comedy and tribute acts. The Film Series and Educational Series also remain a staple in the Theatre’s programming. With a newly developed Strategic Plan, the State Theatre Center for the Arts is Reimagining the Future and ensuring the beloved landmark thrives for another century.