The Warner Theatre

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 and lighting equipment, an extended stage, repainted terra cotta reliefs, and a reconstructed marquee. A new orchestra shell and rehearsal space ensure that the Warner remains an artist-friendly space and continues to deliver only the highest-quality entertainment. 

Today, the Warner is home to the Erie Philharmonic and the Lake Erie Ballet, and hosts touring Broadway shows, concerts, dance troupes, weddings, and graduation ceremonies. “Hairspray,” “Chicago,” “Mamma Mia!,” and “Kinky Boots” are just a few of the award-winning shows that have brought crowds to the Warner, week after week.  

With its regal bronze staircase, dazzling chandeliers, and towering ceilings, the theater is a prime example of Warner Bros.’s design motto for all of the company’s movie palaces in its heyday: “twice as rich, three times more fanciful than life.”