Cascade Picture Palace
11-15 S. Mill Street,
New Castle,
PA
16101
11-15 S. Mill Street,
New Castle,
PA
16101
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Located in the heart of the New Castle, PA, downtown, The Cascade Picture Palace was the first theatre operated by the Warner Brothers. Well, almost. Actually, they began showing movies in the back room of a funeral parlor further along E. Washington Street. 50 or so folding chairs were set up and the single, hand-crank projector spooled out 7 minute novelty films on a 7 foot glass mirror.
The Warner’s lived in nearby Youngstown, OH and had earned some money with a primitive projector and portable screen and a tent. They moved from town to town showing brief films were ever they could attract an audience willing to view the new miracle. Pittsburgh, New Castle and Youngstown were burgeoning industrial centers at the time and, by 1903, any one of the three could have eventually grown into a major city.
The Warner’s found a sizable audience in New Castle with no competition. Pittsburgh’s Nickelodeon (the world’s first), was open and thriving. The movie theatre/funeral home was successful for more than two years. At various points it was called the Bijou (little gem) and the Pioneer. Several other store-front cinemas had popped up along
Washington Street, including the Dome, Nixon, Star and Park Theatres. Not to be outdone, the Warner’s opened the Cascade Movie Palace a few doors down from the funeral home in 1907.
The Cascade Picture Palace featured real theatre seats and a permanent screen. The hand-crank projector displayed 7 minute episodes of the newly emerging feature films. Because the projectionist had to change reels every few minutes, each reel was advertised as ‘A Drama in 8 Acts’, or the like.
Time moved on and so did the Warner Brothers. Harry Warner moved to New York to handle their ever growing chain of palatial theatres and Jack Warner to Hollywood to produce films and establish the WB studio.
According to, now long gone, New Castle operators, the Warner’s wanted to build a fabulous theatre in New Castle to commemorate the start of their empire. As rumor goes, when word got out, the price of the land sky-rocketed. The plan for New Castle was abandoned and a theatre was built instead in Youngstown. The Warner Theatre/Powers Auditorium still stands and is home to the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra.
The site of the Cascade Picture Palace eventually became a Neisner 5 & 10 store and offices. In recent years a non-profit group has purchased this and other buildings in an attempt to create a memorial to the Warner Brothers. All that has seemed to evolve to date is a second floor, upscale restaurant which recently closed and a reproduction of the front of the Cascade Picture Palace in the buildings main lobby. The display includes an old seat and an equally old, but probably not from the Cascade, projector, complete with (sigh) CinemaScope lens. It would truly be nice to see a real Warner theatre opened as a tourist and historical commemorative.
Contributed by
Jack Oberleitner
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
I think that is a side street that intersects with E. Washington Street. Although the Neisner Building, which housed the theatre, runs along Mill Street, it fronts on E. Washington Street. The restaurant at the same location was named The Mill Street Grill with a side entrance. So the question is: did the theatre front on E. Washington of on Mill Street to the side? Maybe someone else will know.
From google maps comes this recent shot of the above mentioned intersection …
View link
The historical marker for the Cascade Theatre is at 11-15 S. Mill Street, according to this web page. I don’t know if that means the theater was at that exact address or not, but as it was a very small house it might well have been located in a storefront on the side street.
It is my understanding that the Cascade theater in New Castle fronted on North Mill Street. Not E. Washington Street. Also the historical marker has not been erected as of this time and in in storage. John Meyers, Vice President, Warner Film Center. We are so very great full to Jack Oberleitner for for his expertise and welcome him to the Board of Trustees.
Many people in the community have refused to see the Cascade Picture Palace and its important part of movie history fade from memory. A non-profit, 501 c3 corporation is established and with it comes new efforts launcing to recreate the original Warner theatre along with a museum featuring ever-changing displays commemorating the Warner Brothers, New Castle and the development of the motion picture business. The site is now recognized as a national historic location. Through the efforts of the team of Trustees and advisers, WFC hopes to educate and entertain visitors to the Warner Film Center about the early ‘glory’ days of this unique community as well as the contribution the Warner family made to the area and the world. The WFC is currently soliciting memberships and corporate sponsors. They are also seeking photographs and memorabilia that might be used in the museum displays. This is a true labor of love! The current Board of Trustees include Jerry Kerns, President, John Meyer, Bill Zeiger Audrey Przybylski, all of New Castle, and Jack Oberleitner, www.cinema-consultant.com. of Dayton, OH.
Note to whomever: this building has not been demolished. The original building still stands. Only the interior has been changed.
We won’t be able to get a good Google Street View, as it looks like the camera truck didn’t go down South Mill. Bing Maps has a decent Bird’s-eye view.
The status of this location should be changed to: closed, renovating.
Fantastic News! The Cascade will be reborn in Feb. 2014! The Warner Film Center has reached agreement with the building owners on 3000 sq. ft. of space that will house two new cinemas a gift shop and a historically-accurate replica of the 1907 Warner Theater. The space is a donation from Dr. Andrew Matta and Refresh Dental Associates to the Warner group. The building will also house 2 restaurants and retail space on the first floor. It will be a must see for theater fans everywhere! Oberleitner Associates, www.cinema-consultant.com served as the chief negotiator for this project.
The board of the Warner Film Center wants to send you away. The non-profit organization is offering a chance to win three trips. They will be given away this summer. According to John Meyers, vice president of the center, “these lavish vacations amount to over $5,000 in total value.” The third-place winner will receive a three-night stay at a five-star resort in the Great Smokey Mountains of Tennessee near legendary Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and the Dollywood theme park. The Oct. 11, 12 and 13 excursion is during prime foliage time. The second-place winner will spend Sept. 13, 14 and 15 in a five-star suite in Nashville, Tenn. The Music City resort is near Opryland and other major attractions. The grand prize winner will receive a seven-night stay in a luxury suite at Florida’s Bonnet Creek Resort in Orlando from Aug. 23 to 29. The resort features deluxe amenities and is close to Disney and Universal theme parks. All accommodations are one-bedroom suites, sleeping two, with a fold-out couch in the living room for two more. The tickets are $10 each and only 1,000 will be printed. Treasurer William Brown said the winners will be determined by the three-digit, evening drawing of the Pennsylvania Lottery for July 1, 2 and 3. All proceeds go directly to the Warners’ film birthplace construction and development fund, he added. Anyone interested in purchasing tickets can visit the news and events section of the Warner Film Center website, www.warnerfilmcenter.org, contact any member of the board of trustees, or call sweepstakes sales chairman Tim May at (724) 652-0875.