The Warner Theatre in Erie, Pennsylvania

This opulent cinema in downtown Erie, commissioned by Warner Bros. Studios and designed by Chicago-based architects Rapp & Rapp, first opened its doors in 1931. Built for $1.5 million (about $32.95 million today), the grand venue channeled French Renaissance style with its Persian marble archways, gold-backed mirrors, and intricate silver leaf gilding. The glitz and glamour of ’30s showbiz is reflected its ruby red curtains and iconic 10-ton electric marquee, made with 8,000 lights. The Warner is one of only a handful of former Warner Bros. theaters still operating today, as most of the studio’s 360-plus cinemas shuttered during the mid-20th century. Though the Warner stopped showing films in 1976, it remained the cultural heart of Erie. It now serves as a performing arts center and fixture of Erie’s downtown revival that now also includes a bustling shopping and events district, renovated green space, and more development on the horizon. Over the course of several decades, the theater was lovingly restored and expanded to become a bona fide artistic hub. Restoration efforts preserved the original period details of the space while updating it for the 21st century with new sound an…

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