Feb 5, 2005 By Steve Ferris 3 min read

The State Theatre Center for the Arts is the last of four theaters that once stood in Uniontown, and it has a long history. Marty Schiff, the theater’s executive director, said some recently completed renovations are as much about the future of the grand old theater as they are about preserving its history.

“It’s an icon of a time gone by and a beckoning to the future,” Schiff said.

As Uniontown’s downtown revitalization effort shifts toward attracting new businesses, he said, one of the key elements to show prospective employers is that the city has a cultural life.

The Manos, Penn and Capital theaters are only memories now, leaving the 1,400-seat State as the last bastion of culture in downtown.

Schiff said the State was built at a cost of $1 million in 1922 and is considered an architectural gem of theaters.

Architect Thomas Lamb designed the building.

“This guy is the Frank Lloyd Wright of theaters,” Schiff said, estimating that it would cost $50 million or $60 million to build today.

The recent renovations included restoring the box office and the marble in the vestibule.

Some modern amenities were added to the inner lobby, the ceiling in the lobby was restored and a concession stand was added.

The restrooms were updated and enlarged, and second floor restrooms were refurbished.

Air vents installed above the stage were removed, and that area was updated with new molding and plasterwork.

The promenade area behind the mezzanine seats received new paint, curtains, plaster and lighting. Furniture was added to create a sitting area behind the balcony-level seats.

Also, metal columns throughout the structure were faux painted to make them look like marble.

Joseph A. Hardy III and the Eberly Foundation paid for the first-phase renovations.

A crew of workers was hustling last week to complete the work before tonight’s performance of “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.”

The project was done in the middle of the theater’s season, but timed so it did not interfere with any performances.

The second phase of the theater’s renovations will start in May after the season ends.

The work includes installing an elevator, upgrading the marquee and completely renovating the backstage dressing room, which has not been changed since the theater was built, Schiff said.

Money for the second phase will come from a $385,000 grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development’s Housing and Redevelopment Assistance Program.

Gov. Edward Rendell delivered the funding in April when he allocated $3.15 million for the downtown revitalization project.

Like the State, a restaurant opening across Main Street from the theater is undergoing a transformation, and will have some theatrical flare of its own.

Named after its address, 30 East Main Street is scheduled to open April 15.

Maggie Hardy Magerko owns the restaurant.

Jeremy Critchfield, executive chef at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa, said he is designing the restaurant and menu to be fun and affordable.

Oversized theater masks of crying and laughing faces and playbills will decorate the casual-dress restaurant, he said.

Critchfield promised the restaurant will not be “stuffy” or “snooty,” and will have specials based on performances at the State Theatre on show nights.