Warner Theatre
120 N. High Street,
West Chester,
PA
19380
120 N. High Street,
West Chester,
PA
19380
3 people
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The Hotel Warner opens today.
Howard’s links link 1 link 2
Actually the site has 6 beautiful color photos of the Warner’s interior, auditorium & what appears to be aspects from the lobby http://www.decopix.com/LR_DOA_Gallery-Final/content/West_Chester_Warner_Auditorium_NX_large.html
Photo of auditorium ceiling http://www.decopix.com/LR_DOA_Gallery-Final/content/West_Chester_Warner_4_NX_large.html
Groundbreaking August 11, 2011 for the Warner Hotel http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2011/08/11/groundbreaking-for-new-hotel-in-west-chester/
Theater’s lobby building to be lobby for 76 room hotel http://www.thewarnerhotel.com/
I went to college in West Chester and seem to remember the Warner having a kind of art deco Egyptian motif. It was very impressive, at any rate. Movies were getting more permissive and much steamier when I was in college and I saw A Summer Place and Splendor in the Grass at the Warner. Both were the talk of the campus for days afterwards.
I have fond memories of the Warner. I went to my first movie on my own (sans parents) at the Warner to see Disney’s The Fighting Prince of Donegal. Later, in the early 70s, my high school English class was asked to leave in the middle of a special screening of The Lion in Winter which our English teacher had arranged for us.
Sorry ziggy, it looks like the website that was hosting the 1930 photo is gone. But you can click on the link posted on Dec 3, 2006 to see another 1930 photo including a shot of the interior.
I love that photo of the auditorium! What flamboyant decor!
Lost Memory; your photo link from 7/21/07 no longer works. Is there some way you can re-post it?
Another copyrighted photo?
Here is an interior photo from the Irvin Glazer theater collection:
http://tinyurl.com/n55qt5
Here is another 1985 photo.
1983 Photo
1985 photo of the Warner Theatre.
View link
This is a modern photo of the building.
Does anyone remember the Eric movie theater next to the Kmart in the Goshen Shopping Center in West Chester, PA? What happened to the Eric chain?
Here is an exterior photo from Google maps:
http://tinyurl.com/6k8pg7
Here is a photo dated October of 1930.
I’ve heard from a West Chester resident that “The art deco auditorium had seen better days by the 80’s, but you could still see the grandeur, and the size of the place itself was amazing.” The fellow says the auditorium was torn down and made it into a parking lot, and that the lobby was renovated into offices, which is where the Philadelphia Inquirer has their Chester County office today. He further tells me that “The only interior architectural detail that survived is the railing on the stairs, which were originally the balcony stairs.”
Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979
Warner Theater ** (added 1979 – Building – #79002207)
120 N. High St., West Chester
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event
Architect, builder, or engineer: Rapp & Rapp
Architectural Style: Art Deco
Area of Significance: Performing Arts, Architecture, Art
Period of Significance: 1925-1949
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function: Theater
Current Function: Recreation And Culture
Current Sub-function: Theater
This website has some history and photos of the Warner Theater.
The Warner Theatre opened on 14th November 1930 with the movie “The Life of the Party” starring Winnie Lightner and the Warner Bros, child star Davey Lee, billed as ‘The World’s Biggest Little Star’, made a personal appearance.