Our Past
Our Past


Just like a family, each community has hundreds of stories to tell about itself, stories about the history and people, the places and events that make it so special. In Mercer County one of the most amazing and inspiring stories that can be told is about the Columbia Theatre.


The Theatre's grand opening featured Nance O'Neil, and from what we here, was jam packed. As you can see, King Kong was showing when the theatre opened, and downtown Sharon was a lot different.

The Columbia Theatre first opened on November 29, 1922, as part of the Columbia Amusement Company's system of company-owned vaudeville facilities. With imported marble staircases to the balcony, ornate plaster medallions and grillwork, the auditorium seated 1,700 and featured a full stage, orchestra pit, seven dressing rooms, projection booth and theatre office. The Columbia was hailed as the "finest theatre between Pittsburgh and Erie", providing the ultimate in patron comfort and modern theatrical systems. From its earliest beginnings, the Columbia Theatre was meant to be more than a place where vaudeville was presented; it was to be a palace where entertainment for everyone could be experienced in the opulent surroundings.

By 1933, the Theatre operated a split week policy: part of the week was devoted to first run movies and part to vaudeville shows. This continued into the 1940's when the theatre was aquired by Warner Brothers and into the 50s as it changed hands once again. By the 1960s however, motion pictures had replaced live programming and the theatre began to feel financial pressure from the suburban multiplex cinemas.

Columbia Theatre closed its doors for the last time in 1981, when a fire destroyed the adjacent Rembrant Photography studio which housed the theatre's entrance hallway. Although the auditorium had not been damaged by the fire, the theatre suffered through subsequent winters without heat, a badly leaking roof and overdue maintenance. A fledging Columbia Theatre Inc., acquired the building in 1984.

During the mid-1980s several renovation projects were undertaken which stabilized the facility but did not replace the building or theatrical systems. Projects continued through the late 1980s and into the early 1990s as the funding and need presented themselves. Although the facility as it exsists has cosmetic deficiencies, the Columbia Theatre was built of steel and concrete and remains structurally sound, retaining the basic elements of her once elegant interior.

This picture was taken after the theatre was acquired in 1984. You can see that the ern to the left was damaged by water, and the right one was taken to be kept in safe-keeping. The area of deteriation was caused becuase of a pipe going down the wall that had broken, and leaked into the plaster.


The Columbia was the grandest of the Mercer County theatres. Now it is the only survivor, outliving the Gable, Nulluna, Capital, Colonial, and Strand. Its rich history and architecture is a legacy of an era of America's great theatres and movie palaces. No modern building can duplicate this heritage.

If you would like to become a member, please contact
Pam Voisey - Executive Director of CTI, at

724-342-ARTS (2787)

P.O. Box 210
Sharon, PA 16146

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