State Theatre of Ithaca

The State Theatre is the last remaining cinema and vaudeville palace in downtown Ithaca. According to the History Center of Tompkins County, downtown Ithaca once boasted seven grand theaters, including the Lyceum, the Crescent, and the Strand. With its 1,609 seat capacity, it is also one of the area’s most significant arts venues. The building dates back to 1915. Designed by local architect Henry N. Hinckley, it was originally an auto garage and dealership, specializing in Studebakers. In 1926, Cornell Theatres, Inc. purchased the building and hired celebrated theatre architect Victor Rigaumont to design and oversee the transformation of the garage and showroom into an atmospheric cinema and vaudeville palace. Rigaumont incorporated elements of the Moorish and Renaissance Revival Styles and the Collegiate Gothic symbolism of Cornell University to create a magical haven for theatre and moviegoers. Opening night on December 6, 1928 was a memorable and entertaining spectacle featuring Paul Tremaine and his Aristocrats of Modern Music. The show promised “21 Peppy, Snappy Entertainers” and admission cost 50 cents.

The State Theatre flourished as a premier entertainment venue and was a source of great pride to Tompkins County residents for many decades. Beginning with vaudeville, the theater has evolved with the times. When movies became more popular in the early 1930s, the theater thrived primarily as a cinema house. After World War II, with the advent of television and suburban movie houses, downtown cinema palaces like the State struggled. To adapt, the owners added a second movie screen in 1976, dividing the balcony from the main house.

When the movie business alone could no longer support the building, the owner considered demolition. In the mid-90’s, a major infusion of community volunteerism and seed money from the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival allowed for the removal of the balcony wall and a return to theatrical programming. If you look up from the front of the balcony, you can still see a visible line where this dividing wall met the ceiling. For three years the Ithaca Performing Arts Center (IPAC) produced a broad range of shows, from local theater troupes to world–renowned musicians and touring Broadway shows. Lacking adequate capital, IPAC was unable to maintain the aging infrastructure and the building was eventually deemed unsafe to occupy. The tenure of IPAC, however, proved that there was a demand for larger theatre-sized events as long as the venue could be kept open with additional community support.

On May 5th 1998, Historic Ithaca acquired the building and applied its expertise in preservation to revitalize the structure. A new roof (with thermal insulation!) was installed, historic plasterwork was stabilized and repaired, lighting and electrical systems were updated, and the organization learned how to run a theatre. Strong community support bolstered the first phase of the project and secured desperately needed funding from municipal, foundation and private donors. In 1999, the American Institute of Architects recognized the State Theatre as one of the most significant architectural landmarks in New York State. The building was added to The National Register of Historic Places a few years later.

In the spring of 2009, The State Theatre of Ithaca, Inc., a newly formed 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, purchased the State Theatre from Historic Ithaca. This allowed Historic Ithaca to return to its core mission of promoting architectural preservation programs and services in the Ithaca community. As the caretakers of this beautiful building, we take great pride in the architectural genius, outstanding acoustics, and exquisite ornamentation that can be found throughout the hall. We are also extremely grateful to Historic Ithaca, IPAC and all of the other people and organizations that have helped shepherd this building. Without them, this community gem would have been demolished many years ago.
Since taking over in 2009, this organization has invested well over $700,000 into this building. Most notably, the primary restrooms on the balcony level were completely renovated during the summer of 2015 allowing us to increase capacity while discovering some cost-savings from installing more efficient fixtures. If you’ve attended events here prior to last season, we’re confident that you’ll agree that the new restrooms are a huge improvement!

With assistance from community-minded supporters, consisting of both foundations and individual donors, we have been able to repair and repaint a significant portion of the damaged plaster that was highly visible throughout the interior of the theatre. Now the interior of this beautiful, historic gem is back to its original 1928 grandeur. There are dozens of other major repairs and renovations that have been completed behind-the-scenes, helping to ensure a safe, comfortable experience at The State Theatre. Future projects are planned to increase the efficiency of this building even more. If you would like to get involved with any of these projects, please let us know. We always welcome your thoughts and will continue to rely upon your support to ensure that the theatre provides this community with the finest performances, venue, and patron experience possible.

Thank you for your patronage. We look forward to seeing you as often as possible this season and for many years to come!