Seating Capacity: 1438

Venue Type : Auditorium

Longest Performance:
02.09.96 - Seek Up (7:51)

Media Gallery

Built in 1894 for $39,000 by local philanthropist William Smith, The Smith was designed by well-known architects Joseph Pierce and Henry Bickford. The Richardsonian Romanesque structure is recognized nationally by major preservation organizations including the National Register of Historic Places and the Smithsonian. It is among the oldest operating theatres in the United States. In the early 1930’s Schine’s Amusement Company, Inc. Spent $500,000 gutting and renovating the opera house’s interior with a combination of Art Deco and Baroque motifs. The architect, Victor Rigaumount, also incorporated Victorian and Moorish influences to create grand interior. Currently, fewer than 300 of the nation’s original "movie palaces" remain. Fourteen are in New York State, and only eight are still used for the performing arts. They include Radio City Music Hall, Landmark Theatre in Syracuse and the Smith Opera House In Geneva.