{"nrhp_refnum":"82003787","name":"Warner Theater","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"811 State St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Erie","county":"Erie County","state":"PA","lat":42.126891655000065,"lon":-80.08477962499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-04-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The Warner Theatre is a 2,500-seat motion picture theatre in Erie, Erie County, Pennsylvania, completed in 1930 for the Warner Brothers company. It was designed by the Chicago firm of C.W. and George Rapp.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the theatre is one of the most outstanding buildings in Erie and the largest theatre of its kind in northwestern Pennsylvania. It is presented as a leading example of the movie palace type by a pre-eminent firm, and as the only building in the region in French-Renaissance/Art Deco styling. It also served as a district headquarters of the Warner Brothers theatre empire.","narrative":"Completed in 1930 in Erie, the Warner Theatre is a 2,500-seat motion picture house designed by the Chicago firm of C.W. and George Rapp at a cost of $1,500,000. The brick facade has ornamental terra cotta spandrel panels, a vertical Warner sign and a marquee over the ticket booth, and the free-standing booth and five entry doors are solid bronze. Inside, the grand lobby is 130 feet long with a 33-foot ceiling, gold and silver leaf decoration, a terrazzo floor, and a grand staircase with brass railings leading to balcony seating for 730. The 1,780-seat auditorium has an Egyptian motif with Art Deco swirls and gold-leaf ceilings. The theatre served as an entertainment venue for live performances and films and as district headquarters for the Warner Brothers theatre empire. It is regarded as the largest theatre of its kind in northwestern Pennsylvania and the only building in the region in French-Renaissance/Art Deco styling, and its design is associated with the movie palace work of the Rapp firm.","period_of_significance":"1930","architect_builder":"C.W. & George Rapp (architects); George A. Fuller Co. (builder)","architectural_style":"French-Renaissance with Art Deco influences","criteria":["C"],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.333845-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/82003787.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003787/be1ee48d94-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82003787/be1ee48d94-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Pnoble805 at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Warner_Theatre_Erie_Front_2007.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Pnoble805 at en.wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"http://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:Warner_Theatre_Erie_Front_2007.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995501","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Theatre_(Erie,_Pennsylvania)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7969766"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/erie-county/warner-theater-82003787/"}