{"nrhp_refnum":"85001001","name":"Jefferson Theater","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"230 N. Findley St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Punxsutawney","county":"Jefferson County","state":"PA","lat":40.94421317200005,"lon":-78.97462440599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-05-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A theater building in the central business district of Punxsutawney, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, built in 1905 with a brownstone-veneered entry facade and a large auditorium with a balcony.","why_significant":"The building is significant for its long association with local entertainment and as the community's only remaining theater. Its auditorium interior is described as reasonably well preserved and as a notable local architectural resource of the early twentieth century.","narrative":"Set in the central business district of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the Jefferson Theater was built in 1905 for the Punxsutawney Opera House Company. H.C. Parks of Ridgway designed it, and McKean Harl served as builder. The 1,265-seat house opened in November 1905 with a performance by the Princess Chic Opera Company. Its exterior is a modest brownstone veneer over brick, but the auditorium keeps its original plan, cast iron balcony columns, ornamental plaster proscenium and rose-colored hangings. Electrical work came from the Iron City Engineering Company of Pittsburgh. Over seven decades the house hosted touring troupes, vaudeville, silent films and sound pictures. The Stanley Company of America operated it until 1966, and it closed in the 1970s. It is significant as the town's only remaining theater and as a notable local interior of the early twentieth century. The auditorium is in poor repair from disuse, with peeling plaster.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"H.C. Parks, arch't; McKean Harl, builder","architectural_style":"Colonial Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Operated by the Stanley Company of America until 1966 and closed in the 1970s; the auditorium is in poor repair from disuse and the entrance is boarded up.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:32.922534-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/85001001.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001001/972a9216fe-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85001001/972a9216fe-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ATA_Transit_Center.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ATA_Transit_Center.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997894","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Theater_(Punxsutawney,_Pennsylvania)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6175600"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/jefferson-county/jefferson-theater-85001001/"}