STATE THEATRE
37 E. MAIN STREET
The State Theatre Construction 1922
Courtesy of the State Theatre Center for the Arts
State Theatre Snapshot:
- Built in the 1921 by the Penn-State Amusement Company in the Beau Arts architecture style
- The theater began by showing silent movies and hosting vaudeville acts. Later, hosted live band performances and talkie films
- Most recently the theater was purchased and renovated by the Greater Uniontown Heritage Consortium who host local performances, musicals, concerts, civic events, graduations, movies, and education opportunities
State Theatre- The Full Story:
In 1921, the Penn-State Amusement Company commissioned well-known U.S. architect Thomas Lamb to design a “picture palace” for Uniontown, PA. When the State Theatre opened on October 30, 1922, it was called “the largest, finest, and most beautiful playhouse in Western Pennsylvania.”
The State Theatre was designed and built using the Beaux Arts style, which originated in Paris. This style was commonly used in the United States in the 19th century to pay homage to ancient Greek and Roman architecture, making use of such features as columns, triangular pieces, large stairways, elaborate ornamentation, and balconies. Designs were always symmetrical, and the buildings were usually constructed of stone.
Charles Gorley was its first president. He was Uniontown’s ultimate entrepreneur having owned and managed numerous restaurants and hotels before building his own, The Gorley Lake Hotel.
The theatre began showing silent movies and hosting vaudeville acts. The orchestra pit featured a Pleubet master organ for music to accompany silent films.
During the big band era, the State began to see more live music performances. Among the most famous acts were Paul Whiteman and the Dorsey Brothers. These live music shows continued to be a cornerstone of the theatre’s productions until the rise of talkie films, forcing the performances away from vaudeville and big band shows as the movie industry developed.
Courtesy State Theatre for the Arts
In 1988 the Greater Uniontown Heritage Consortium purchased the theatre and began presenting a series of nationally touring professional productions ranging from Broadway musicals to big band revivals, symphonies, dance, and dramatic performances. In 2007, the theatre began offering a Classic Film Series, showing on the silver screen some of the greatest movies ever made and returning the theatre to a “picture palace.”
An Education Series offered field-trip opportunities to school children, which was often the first theatre experience local children experienced. The theatre also hosts professionally promoted concerts, local dance recitals, high school musicals, graduations, and civic events.
The State Theatre Center for the Arts has hosted some very popular entertainers and productions throughout the past 100 years. In addition to Whiteman and the Dorseys mentioned earlier, some of the notable performers to appear here included Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Glen Campbell, the Statler Brothers, George Carlin, Anne Murray, Bob Newhart, Toby Keith, Tony Danza, and Chubby Checker.
Fayette County Historical Society
P.O. Box 193, Uniontown, PA 15401
724.439.4422