The Penn Theater
GENERAL INFORMATION
Butler’s
historic Penn Theater is the last of downtown Butler’s great 20th
century moviehouses. Situated near the corner of North and Main Streets,
The Penn Theater is an anchor for Butler’s Historical and Cultural
Districts. The Penn Theater opened on April 22, 1938, and has witnessed
various highs and lows, re-openings and closings, and renovations, throughout
its storied history. Styled with classic 1930s art deco appeal, geometric
shapes, neon, brass, marble, and deep reds, ambers, whites, blacks, grays, and
indigos, the facility features five distinct event spaces: the Lydia Mainstage,
a multipurpose and reconfigurable large space; the Bantam Auditorium, a smaller
box space with fixed seating; and three club or conference rooms, each able to
accommodate guests for events either in the Lydia or Bantam or standalone
reservations themselves.
Th MISSION, VISION, & VALUES
Mission: To
reinvigorate the historic Penn Theater as the region’s premiere hub for
arts, entertainment, culture, & heritage through community-centered,
high quality, diverse events, promoting economic revitalization for
downtown, while enriching the quality of life of our citizens and lifting
up the needs of those marginalized across our Butler County community.
Vision: To envision a Penn Theater that is more than a building, but a
gateway to downtown Butler; an anchor for its rich cultural and historic
heritage; a source for outreach and support and the region’s heart for
arts, events, and culture; a multi-use, community-centered facility where
all feel welcomed, where all feel a sense of what Ray Oldenburg in 1989
called the ‘third place,’ or one’s home away from home – neither home nor
work, but that place where they feel a sense of belonging, and where they
long to return; and collaborations with key public and private
stakeholders to help the community experience the magic of Butler again.
Values: The Penn Theater is Butler built, Butler proud, Butler resilient,
and Butler strong.
HISTORY
Paramount Theater Service
Corp, of Altoona, PA, announced a grand new theater for downtown Butler.
The general contractors, Miller & Dumbaugh, had a budget of $70,000,
and started work in September of 1937. Total cost of the project came in
at $125,000. At the time, Butler had 5 other theaters, but this would
stand out with its state-of-the-art projection equipment and geothermal
air conditioning system which cooled the air by forcing it over a pool of
water drawn from a 320-foot deep well, drilled under Main Street. The
Penn Theater was to open on April 16, 1938, but the usher and theater
worker labor union voted to strike, delaying the opening by one week.
Instead, the Penn opened on April 23, showing “The Girl of the Golden
West.” The Pennler Theater Corporation, charged with managing the
facility, thanked the thousands of patrons who attended showings
throughout its first weekend, in the polite writing of a bygone day in
the Butler Eagle, “Thank you, Butler, for the splendid turnout accorded
us yesterday… Thank you for the thousands of paid admissions, the praises
of our beautiful theatre, and how you were thrilled by the unforgettable
beauty of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's romantic 'Girl of the Golden West.” In
1954, a fire breaks out in the main cinema room, severely damaging the
Penn and forcing Pennler to close the facility for three months to
complete repairs. It could not have come at a worse time, too; Pennler
was struggling as Paramount dealt with anti-trust pressure. Chester
DeMarsh, founder of the DeMarsh Company, which eventually became Theater
Management, Inc, a Florida-based cinema company, purchased the Penn
Theater in 1965, and held its deed until 2004, even though company
executives wanted to either sell or demolish the Penn, for it was 'always
a favorite of his.' In an effort to accommodate more diverse audiences
and more than one audience at once, DeMarsh added a second cinema to the
Penn in 1969, named in honor of a recognizable Butler-made icon: now the
Bantam Auditorium. The American Bantam Car Co famously created the
formidable jeep for the U.S. Army during World War II, which gave way to
the modern Jeep. James Casale, a famous New York architect, originally
designed the Penn Theater for Anast N. Notopolous, opening up shop in
1910 and noted as one of the moving picture theater pioneers in the
region, in Casale’s signature 1920s & '30s luxurious art deco style,
with attention paid to its lighting, carpeting, marble flooring, friezes,
marquee, and artwork. However, by the 1970s, such style fell out of
favor, and the theater was updated in a major 1973 renovation to reflect
pop art and postmodern influences, such as bright colors, carpet, and
linoleum. The 1970s and '80s were turbulent for the Penn, as sales
declined and community support atrophied. Trends towards mall theaters,
metroplexes, and megamalls outside of downtowns took hold across America.
This negatively impacted both The Penn Theater and downtown Butler. The
Penn closed for the first time in 1991. However, in 1997, DeMarsh
contributed $250,000 in upgrades to the facility for a revival and
eventual reopening, including new food service and audio-visual
equipment. After the quarter of a million dollars DeMarsh spent on
renovations and upgrades failed to attract the necessary support and
patronage of the greater Butler community, Theater Management closed the
Penn Theater for good in May of 2001. Unsure of what to do with the
physical property, and unwilling to spend any more money on the upkeep of
the building, Theater Management, Inc., lists the Penn Theater for
auction on eBay in 2003, the premiere auction and bidding website of the
early 2000s. Starting price was $195,000. The Butler Penn Theater
Community Trust (BPTCT) made the purchase from DeMarsh in 2004 for $180,000,
with a total mortgage of $250,000 to also provide fiscal wiggle room for
needed renovations. The Downtown Butler Association also provided $5,000
for start-up cash, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided support
through various grants, and a private supporter gave $240,000 if the
large room was named after their late mother, which is now the Lydia
Mainstage. In 2007, the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation
(PHLF) loaned the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Butler (RACB)
$250,000 to buy the Penn Theater, which had been threatened with
condemnation by the city and was facing foreclosure, with the hopes a
non-profit organization would restore and operate it once again. This
launched the first Penn Theater Performance Company (PTPC). After more
than a decade of decay and stagnation, new owners, Wallace Group
Productions, led by Bryan Frenchak, a Butler native and true self-made
success story, and Marina Silver-Frenchak, a mental health advocate,
community-organizer, restauranteur, and fashion designer, set out with a
new mission, new vision, new purpose, and a new future for the Penn
Theater, along with downtown Butler and the entire community. The
Frenchaks purchased the Penn from RACB and PHLF for $65,000 in late 2022,
while also spending their own time, talent, and treasure on renovating
and reconstructing the physical space, reinvigorating the non-profit
organization, and rallying support from the community through meaningful
connections. Looking now at 2023 and beyond, the new Penn Theater will
truly be a multipurpose, community-serving event facility, focusing on
art, entertainment, culture, and heritage for all of Butler. It's time to
rediscover the magic of Butler again!
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
The Penn Theater features
14,000 sq.ft. of events and operations space across the Lydia Mainstage,
its first-floor, other-abled accessible multipurpose and reconfigurable
large room, the Bantam Auditorium, its second-floor smaller box room
with fixed seating, and three club or conference rooms, each able to
accommodate guests for events either in the Lydia or Bantam or
standalone reservations themselves. The Penn also features a beautiful
art deco overhang marquee facing Main Street featuring bright neon and
LED event boards, as well as a medium-sized lobby, perfect for pre-event
staging space.
- Exterior: The exterior
consists of a two-story ceramic tile cinderblock rectangular structure
actively being renovated and restored to its former glory. The building
originally had glass block and awning-style windows on the second floor,
some of which have been removed and the spaces blocked for the Bantam
Auditorium’s installation. Initially, there was a center elevation,
accommodating the original ticketing booth, to the front marquee that
has banding thrusting from the flat roof, now featuring the iconic
P-E-N-N neon sign. These features are currently being restored to their
as-original-as-possible configuration to the 1938-design.
- Interior: The downstairs
interior is divided into two principal spaces: the lobby and the Lydia
Mainstage. The Lydia was originally the 1100-seat Cinema #1 and
the largest of the Penn’s event spaces. The space, when completed, will
feature original, restored comedy and drama murals, an original,
restored shallow-depth vaudevillian proscenium stage, a built-in,
full-service bar, state-of-the-art lighting and sound, and three
distinct seating areas: pit (closest to the stage), mid (largest and
evenly spaced between the bar and the stage), and bar (closest to the
bar). The Lydia will be reconfigurable with all seats (theater-style),
no seats (standing room only), all tables (conference/trade-style), or
seats and tables (cabaret-style). It will be perfect for large events or
events that have specific configurable needs. The Lydia’s art deco theme
continues from the façade and lobby with their terrazzo brass-inlaid
marble floors. The stage will feature a spiral staircase, leading to
artist dressing rooms. A new backstage area will also feature expanded
storage, a catering prep area, and a lift for vendors from the Cedar
Street loading dock. The lobby will feature restored and reconfigured
concession, ticketing, merchandise, and pre-event areas, personal care
and restroom facilities, a small prep kitchen, and access to the Penn’s
small basement. The original lobby was more expansive than it appears
today, as two commercially-zoned rental properties have been divided off
at 145 N. Main and 151 N. Main to help generate revenue for The Penn
Theater. Added to the Penn in 1969, the Bantam Auditorium originally
served as the 125-seat Cinema #2 on the original mezzanine level; over
time, however, the Bantam started to accommodate Butler’s need for
smaller, community-driven film festivals, speakers, small performance
companies, poetry slams, and similar events. This is how the current
iteration of the Bantam Auditorium, with upgraded lighting, sound, and
projection equipment, will be used, serving as the perfect complement to
the Lydia. The Bantam does not have the detailed or artistic flair of
Lydia, which makes it perfect for corporate or non-profit meetings and
conferences, speakers, and community or film events. The mezzanine also
featured an elevated balcony, which sat on either side of its original arc-weld
projection room. Today, the projection room and associated balcony rooms
are being converted into three (3) separate club or conference rooms, up
for sponsorship lease with naming rights and usage privileges. These
rooms can be utilized for events hosted in either the Lydia or the
Bantam, since they will be soundproofed and will be retrofitted with
collapsible privacy screens for their amazing birdseye views of the
Lydia, or when events are not taking place, the rooms can be utilized as
conference or meeting spaces individually. Each box will feature
comfortable event seating, intuitive conference and event furniture and
audio-visual equipment, ambient lighting, and private bar and catering
access. Box 1, the former projection room, will accommodate approximately
20 people; Box 2, the former left balcony turned administrative office,
and Box 3, the former right balcony turned storage room, will
accommodate approximately 10 people.
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To get information about upcoming events, services,
policies, or amenities, to buy tickets, to book your next event at the
Penn, to volunteer, to learn about career opportunities, to donate to the
non-profit, or to discover how we’re helping Butler, visit: www.thepenntheater.org.
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