Historic Newtown Theatre reopens after renovation

The historic Newtown Theatre celebrated its reopening after a four-month, $600,000 renovation with a ribbon cutting on Dec. 1.
The renovation was the theater’s first in well over 50 years.
The Phase I project included a new hardwood floor, new vintage-style seats on the first floor, plaster repair, a new coat of paint, the addition of a wheelchair lift and accessible restroom, a rebuilt front porch, new acoustic tiles, and the addition of a sprinkler system. In the coming years, additional phases will address the theater’s balcony and basement restrooms.
“These renovations were needed to bring the theater up to today’s standards of comfort, convenience and accessibility,” said Andrew Smith, executive director of the theater. “At the same time, we put great emphasis on retaining the historic character of the building.”
The nonprofit theater was first built in 1831 and rebuilt larger in 1883. Then known as “Newtown Hall,” the theater was originally used for town gatherings and as a nonsectarian church for traveling ministers.

Frederick Douglass and Lucretia Mott both spoke there and, in 1906, footage from the San Francisco earthquake was screened, making the theater the nation’s oldest continuously operating movie theater.
Today, the theater has expanded its programming to include live concerts, comedy shows, theater, and other special events.
Renovation work was completed by Newtown’s Mershon Builders. The architect on the project was Mills & Schnoering Architects of Princeton, N.J. The theater is located at 120 N. State St. in Newtown Borough.
For information, visit TheNewtownTheatre.com.

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