Marietta Theater
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In February of 2000, a group of Marietta Restoration Associates prepared a feasibility study on the prospect of purchasing and restoring the Historic Marietta Theatre. Unfortunately for the Associates, the purchase price at that time made the project prohibitive, costing $175,000 for the real estate alone.
Five years later, MRA has made their dream of owning the Marietta Theatre a reality. On June 7 2005, the MRA purchased the Historic Marietta Theatre at 130 West Market Street in downtown Marietta for $42,000.
The Marietta Theatre was constructed in 1913 by an Italian immigrant named Samuel A. Acri. Acri, one of the first professional exhibitors on the east coast, came to Marietta circa 1910, and originally showed movies in a rented room in Central Hall (now the Marietta Borough Hall). The Marietta Theatre (then known as Acri’s Theatre) opened in the Spring of 1914 as a motion picture theater that could also accommodate stage productions.
The Marietta Theatre is on the National Register of Historic Places. At the time of it’s closing in 1997, it was the oldest operating motion picture theater in Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest in the nation.
Over time, the Marietta Theatre fell into disrepair. While structurally sound, there was interior damage to the ceiling, walls and floors due to water seepage from a leaky roof. The Theater seats, the organ, and most of its furnishings were also removed from the building.
Over the years, MRA has repointed the exterior brick, replaced the roof, and maintained and updated the property in hope that future generations can enjoy the building.
MRA hosts an annual Halloween event at the Theater.
Five years later, MRA has made their dream of owning the Marietta Theatre a reality. On June 7 2005, the MRA purchased the Historic Marietta Theatre at 130 West Market Street in downtown Marietta for $42,000.
The Marietta Theatre was constructed in 1913 by an Italian immigrant named Samuel A. Acri. Acri, one of the first professional exhibitors on the east coast, came to Marietta circa 1910, and originally showed movies in a rented room in Central Hall (now the Marietta Borough Hall). The Marietta Theatre (then known as Acri’s Theatre) opened in the Spring of 1914 as a motion picture theater that could also accommodate stage productions.
The Marietta Theatre is on the National Register of Historic Places. At the time of it’s closing in 1997, it was the oldest operating motion picture theater in Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest in the nation.
Over time, the Marietta Theatre fell into disrepair. While structurally sound, there was interior damage to the ceiling, walls and floors due to water seepage from a leaky roof. The Theater seats, the organ, and most of its furnishings were also removed from the building.
Over the years, MRA has repointed the exterior brick, replaced the roof, and maintained and updated the property in hope that future generations can enjoy the building.
MRA hosts an annual Halloween event at the Theater.
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