History

History of the Historic State Theater

The State Theater was constructed during 1942 for J.M. Hobbs, President of the Kentucky Amusement Company, by the T. J. Murphy Company of Bowling Green, Kentucky at a cost of $100,000. The theater was leased and operated by Bob Enoch during the majority of the time it was in use as a movie theater.

Fronting on Dixie Highway, the theater is one of the few remaining examples of Art Deco architecture in Hardin County. The building is constructed of brick in a common bond pattern. Significant features are the large marquee, neon signs and stepped roof parapet which are typical features of the Art Deco theater architecture of the late 1930’s and 1940’s.

The front facade includes in-laid geometric designs, which surround and emphasize the grand vertical marquee tower. Carrara glass accented portions of the front façade such as the ticket booth on the right of the building and the store-front style window on the left.

There are two entrances into the Historic State Theater. One entrance is on the far right next to the ticket booth that leads directly upstairs to the balcony. This entrance was used by the black patrons during the time of segregation and had a separate ticket window. The theater has a terrazzo floor and two sets of double doors which lead into the main lobby.

From the lobby there is a stairway on the left that leads up to the balcony. The balcony was divided into two (2) separate sections for white and black patrons. There are 277 seats in the balcony. At the back of the balcony is the projection room. It contains old preservable projectors and film reels.

Rambush Art Company of New York was commissioned to decorate the theater in varying shades of green and burgundy. Art works still exist of two (2) Greek Goddesses who hold the masks of comedy and tragedy. The State contained approximately 950 two-toned cushioned metal theater seats including the balcony area. The ground level contains three (3) sections of seat with two aisle ways. It was air-conditioned; a rarity in that day and time.

The Grand Opening on June 11, 1942 presented the movie “The Fleet’s In,” starring Dorothy Lamour, William Holden, Eddie Bracken, Betty Hutton and featured the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra with Bob Eberly and Helen O’Connell.

The Hardin County Enterprise described the Historic State Theater opening as follows:

“The opening on Thursday night was attended by the largest crowd that has ever witnessed a show in Elizabethtown. All of the 1,000 seats were filled before the first show began, and hundreds waited patiently in the lobby for three hours to see the second show. Cars were lined up on both sides of West Dixie for several blocks, and when we left at 9:45 a long line of customers was standing on the sidewalk, waiting to purchase tickets.”

It all began with one man’s dream. And it will continue with a communities support!

Today, the Historic State Theater Complex is the cornerstone project of Elizabethtown’s Historic Downtown Renaissance program. It provides the opportunity to preserve an historic building, which in the past played an important part in the social life of the community, and also establish an enlarged, state-of-the-art facility to address the cultural needs of the present expanding community.

The Historic State Theater Complex is incorporated as a public, non-profit organization with a 501(c)3 status and a Board of Directors. The project consists of three elements: preservation, restoration and construction. Once the theater is finished, movies will be shown as well as host concerts, plays, recitals, lectures, etc. It will have state of the art capabilities, including teleconferencing with remote access.

The adjoining building serves as a black box theater (120 seat capacity), that is used for small productions. The First Federal Gallery is used as an exhibit area, for luncheons, dinners, receptions, industrial meetings, weddings, churches and clubs. Both facilities have access to a catering kitchen and dressing rooms for use with their function.
This final phase will bring the Historic State Theater back to its original beauty. The walls and murals are being restored as they were in 1942. It seats approximately 650 people and will be an asset to this region.