{"nrhp_refnum":"98000899","name":"Embassy Theatre","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"6 S. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lewistown","county":"Mifflin County","state":"PA","lat":40.596892540000056,"lon":-77.57433802099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-07-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1927 motion picture and vaudeville theatre on South Main Street in downtown Lewistown, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, built within the walls of an 1916 National Theatre Building.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the theatre is significant under criterion A for its role in the entertainment history of Mifflin County, and under criterion C as an outstanding surviving Georgian Revival movie palace of the 1920s. It is described as the first theatre in the county designed primarily for films and the first local theatre to install permanent sound equipment.","narrative":"Built in 1927 on the southwest corner of Monument Square in Lewistown, the Embassy Theatre occupies the shell of an 1916 National Theatre Building. Its front is Georgian Revival, with a symmetrical deep red brick facade, concrete pilasters and entablature, and an elaborate marquee with over 1,000 lights. Inside, the auditorium rises from ground level to the roof and retains almost all of its 1927 details, including a walnut box office in the Egyptian Revival manner and plush velvet seats. Albert Douglas Hill of Hodgens and Hill in Philadelphia designed it, and Haverstick-Borthwick Co. built it for Hyman and Harold Cohen. It opened on October 17, 1927, and was the first theatre in Mifflin County designed mainly for films and the first local house to install permanent sound equipment. It hosted film premieres, touring stars and local talent until its closure in 1981.","period_of_significance":"1927 - 1948","architect_builder":"Architect: Hill, Albert Douglas, Hodgens & Hill. Builder: Haverstick-Borthwick Co.","architectural_style":"Georgian Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Closed as a movie house on November 4, 1981; vacant and damaged by neglect; owned by the Friends of the Embassy Theatre, Inc., which intends to restore it to its 1927 appearance.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:36.647941-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/98000899.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000899/90a194aa45-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000899/90a194aa45-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Pubdog (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Embassy_Theatre_Lewistown_PA_Apr_10.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Pubdog (talk)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Embassy_Theatre_Lewistown_PA_Apr_10.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996260","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embassy_Theatre_(Lewistown)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5369528"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/mifflin-county/embassy-theatre-98000899/"}