The Colonial Theatre was originally a vaudeville hall but transitioned from live shows to movies in the late 1920s. We were hired by ACT to complete some basic renovations to bring the building up to code and repair the leaky roof. In 2002, we were asked to redesign the facade to pay tribute to a milestone decade for the Colonial; the making of the cult hit The Blob, which was released in 1957.
With old photos, the movie (which shows the theatre's exterior), and the front doors & yellow art glass that remained, we proposed a new facade fabricated from modern materials. The facade adaptation project received design approval & funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), as well as other funding sources.
In 2003, we were hired to design new public restrooms and replace the seats and carpet in the auditorium. The reconfigured seating provides handicap accessibility and a total fixed seat count of 658.
The theatre is able to provide a varied program to its audience, including art movies, live performances, music concerts, a classic movie series and a children's movie series. Due to the ongoing building upgrades, the board of directors continues to expand programming and offerings for a regional audience.
