State Theatre

110 Pine Street,
Corning, NY 14830

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Schine Circuit Inc.

Architects: Leon H. Lempert, Sr.

Firms: Leon H. Lempert & Son

Previous Names: Opera House

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State Theatre

The Opera House was operating in the Fall of 1891. In February 1923 it was renamed State Theatre, and in 1941 had been operated by the Schine Circuit, who had recently closed the theatre. It was still listed as (Closed) in 1943. It had reopened by 1950.

Contributed by Ken Roe

Recent comments (view all 9 comments)

Will Dunklin
Will Dunklin on June 4, 2012 at 2:25 pm

The Wurlitzer records show their organ opus 570 was installed in the Princess Theatre in Corning NY. Would that be this theatre? CT doesn’t list a Princess Theatre in Corning, and the State / Opera House is the right age.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on June 9, 2012 at 4:11 pm

The August 12, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World had the following item about the Opera House:

“The Corning (N. Y.) opera house recently closed its doors. Just when the house will again be opened is much in doubt. In this connection a late report from Corning says the five-year lease under which the house has been operated expired July 1. Although the house has been kept open since on the old lease. It is understood that the arrangement has not been satisfactory to either party.”
Then the September 30 issue of the same publication has this item about the Opera House:
“Corning, N. Y.—L. E. Harris, proprietor of the Family theater, Albion, and Jack Lee, of that city, have leased the Corning Opera House. The theater has been redecorated throughout and has new opera chairs. The house seats 1,000 and will have an orchestra each evening. Mr. Harris will look after the mechanical end of the theater and Mr. Lee will take care of the executive duties. Road shows, vaudeville and moving pictures will be featured.”
Will: The Princess was one of two houses in Corning that were mentioned in the August 19, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World (the other was the Bijou.) As the Princess was mentioned between the two articles about the Opera House that were less than two months apart it seems unlikely that they were the same theater.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on June 9, 2012 at 4:15 pm

An ad for architects Leon H. Lempert & Son in the 1900-1901 edition of Julius Cahn’s guide has the Opera House in Corning on a list headed “Some of our theatres.”

Roger Katz
Roger Katz on December 23, 2012 at 10:10 am

Will: According to the website of the Palace Theatre their building was originally opened as the Little Princess Theatre in the late 1800’s.

Will Dunklin
Will Dunklin on December 23, 2012 at 2:15 pm

Thanks Roger. Good lead!

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on December 24, 2012 at 3:42 pm

An item in the February 3, 1923, issue of the Corning Evening Leader said that the former Corning Opera House would reopen as the State Theatre on Monday night, February 5.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on December 23, 2014 at 5:20 pm

A solicitation of bids for construction of the Corning Opera House was published in the March 26, 1891, issue of the Corning Journal. In an article about Rose Coghlan in the December 5, 1918, issue of the Corning Evening Leader the actress reminisced about her first appearance on the stage of the Opera House on October 8, 1891, saying that the theater was “very new” at the time. The theater must have opened in the fall of 1891.

Roger Katz
Roger Katz on January 27, 2015 at 7:43 pm

The 1914/15 American Motion Picture Directory places the address as 110 Pine Street (not 10).

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on February 1, 2021 at 9:29 pm

The Schine circuit had control of the State by 1926, when the March 13 issue of Moving Picture World said that the company planned a complete remodeling of the house. The $75,000 project was slated to begin on May 1.

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