{"nrhp_refnum":"08001035","name":"Sampson Theatre","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"130-136 E. Elm St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Penn Yan","county":"Yates County","state":"NY","lat":42.66344954300007,"lon":-77.05187426099997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-11-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story poured-concrete vaudeville house and movie theater at 130-136 East Elm Street in the village of Penn Yan, Yates County, New York, built in 1910 and designed by local physician Dr. Frank Sampson with consulting architect Frank Harrison.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the theater is a rare surviving vaudeville house/movie theater in Penn Yan and the first building there built specifically as an entertainment center. It is also an unusually early and ambitious use of concrete construction in a small-town setting, believed to be the first large-scale architectural use of concrete in Penn Yan.","narrative":"Built in 1910 at 130-136 East Elm Street in Penn Yan, this three-story theater was designed by local physician Dr. Frank Sampson with consulting architect Frank Harrison. Its walls are poured-in-place concrete, up to 20 inches thick, with a street facade veneered in concrete brick. The building opened on October 12, 1910, and hosted vaudeville, plays, musical events and operettas until 1927, with films shown from 1915 to 1928. It was the first building in the village constructed specifically as an entertainment center. Its early, ambitious use of concrete in a small town is also noted, and it is believed to be the first large-scale architectural use of the material in Penn Yan. Later uses included a miniature golf course in 1929, an automobile garage and dealership, and a tire warehouse. The marquee and original entrance are gone, but stenciled interior decoration, balcony stairs and eight basement dressing rooms survive. The building is vacant, and a theater company acquired it in 2004 to restore it.","period_of_significance":"1910 - 1928","architect_builder":"Dr. Frank Sampson, designer, assisted by consulting architect Frank Harrison (carpentry); Abner Carey (masonry)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Now vacant; owned since 2004 by a theater company that is restoring the building for performing arts use. The dropped ceiling was recently removed, revealing stenciled decoration.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.105897-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/08001035.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08001035/1d17cef311-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08001035/1d17cef311-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Shuvaev","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sampson_Theatre,_Penn_Yan_NY_01.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Shuvaev</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sampson_Theatre,_Penn_Yan_NY_01.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75323378","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampson_Theatre","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7410251"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/yates-county/sampson-theatre-08001035/"}