Cattaraugus County Center For the Performing Arts
10 Main Street,
Salamanca,
NY
14779
10 Main Street,
Salamanca,
NY
14779
1 person
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Located in Salamanca, N.Y. the theatre was originally called the Seneca Theatre and built by the Schine Chain to replace an aging venue a couple of blocks up the street. Construction was started in 1941 just before the outbreak of WWII. Because of a shortage of building materials caused by the war, construction was not completed until 1945 after the war ended.
The theatre was called the Seneca after the Indian nation which owns the underlying ground. The entire city of Salamanca is located on the Seneca Indian reservation (I believe it is the only city in the US so located on an Indian reservation). The land is ground-leased from the Senecas and everyone in the town pays an annual Indian rent.
The theatre lobby featured many sculptures in crevices on the walls. It was operated by the Schine Chain until the mid-1960’s. The theatre continued to show movies until June of 1972 when the auditorium ended up under eight feet of water in the flooding which accompanied Hurricane Agnes.
The Seneca Theatre sat abandoned until the early 1980’s when Cattaragus County acquired the building. Over the next several years the theatre was slowly renovated and transformed into the Cattaragus County Center For The Performing Arts. It is now primarily used for local live theatre and travelling acts.
Contributed by
Jonathan M. Crist
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Recent comments (view all 19 comments)
Ray Evans, the songwriter of such enduring standards as “Mona Lisaâ€, “Silver Bellsâ€, “Que Sera, Sera†and “Buttons and Bows,†was born in Salamanca, New York on February 4, 1915.
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Patsy: Later in his life and practice, father and son often joined forces to work on projects. There are quite a few theaters that list both John and Drew as the architects of record.
I have visited it as it was part of the Schine Theater Chain and it really is a lovely little place. It has been quite altered inside due to a couple of floodings and to create more servicable areas to meet the theaters needs. But the facade and marquee are still quite nice and they have started a “Walk of Fame” in front of the theater. Of course Ray Evans is the first and biggest star!
Since 11/06, posters have identified John and Drew Eberson as architects, but the introduction still says “unknown.” Why? David Naylor claims the Ebersons in his book, “"Great American Movie Theaters. Naylor also says that for the reopening as the Cattargus County Arts Center, "the Seneca interior has been adapted to include a 650-seat playhouse, art galleries, a dance studio and meeting rooms.” Since Naylor’s book was published in 1987, that configuration might no longer be true.
P.S. Naylor also describes the Seneca’s original style as “late Art Deco.”
Here is a recent photo of the Seneca Theater.
This was the Seneca in 1987.
Here are two more 1987 photos:
Photo1
Photo2
Now thats quite a long name for a theatre.
Any interior photos?
From the 1950s a photo postcard image of Seneca in Salamanca.