Powers Auditorium facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Warner Theater
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Federal Plaza façade
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 260 West Federal Plaza, Youngstown, Ohio |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1930 |
| Architect | Rapp & Rapp; Heller Bros. |
| NRHP reference No. | 80003152 |
| Added to NRHP | May 31, 1980 |
Powers Auditorium is a super cool place in Youngstown, Ohio. It's one of the biggest performance halls in the area! This awesome building is the main spot at the DeYor Performing Arts Center in downtown Youngstown.
The DeYor Center also has other great places like the Adler Art Academy, the Beecher Flad Pavilion, and the Ford Family Recital Hall. Powers Auditorium was first built way back in 1931. It was called the Warner Theatre then and showed movies. Later, it got a big makeover and reopened in 1969 as Powers Auditorium.
Today, the main group that performs here is the Youngstown Symphony. They play amazing music from October to May. Powers Auditorium also hosts other musical shows and touring Broadway plays. Local theater groups, like Ballet Western Reserve and Easy Street Productions, also put on their shows here.
A Look Back: The History of Powers Auditorium
Powers Auditorium was designed by famous theater architects named Rapp and Rapp. It first opened its doors on May 14, 1931, as the Warner Theatre. This theater was part of a huge chain of movie theaters owned by the Warner Brothers film company.
The building was created to honor Sam Warner. He was one of the Warner brothers who lived in Youngstown before he became famous in the movie business. The Warner Theatre showed movies until 1968. At that time, there were plans to tear it down to build a parking lot.
But people in the community really loved the theater! They spoke up, and the Edward W. Powers family stepped in to help. They donated $250,000 to save the building. Thanks to them, the theater was saved and fixed up in 1969.
During the renovation, many items from the old theater were sold. The main hall was also specially changed to make the sound perfect for concerts. In September 1969, the building was renamed Powers Auditorium. The Youngstown Symphony played the first concert in the newly renovated hall.
Powers Auditorium Today: What's New?
Powers Auditorium can hold a lot of people, about 2,303 at once! It's a fantastic reminder of the old days of movie theaters. This historic building is even listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important place in history.
In recent years, the outside of the building, called the Art Deco facade, was restored. It now looks just like it did when it first opened! The building keeps growing and getting better too.
In 2000, a new East Wing was finished. This part gave the Symphony a place for their music library and offices. It also added an elevator and other equipment to make the building easy for everyone to use, including people with disabilities.
More recently, the Beecher Flad Pavilion was completed. This new section includes the Ford Recital Hall, which can seat 600 people. It's perfect for orchestra, brass, and choir performances. The pavilion also has new kitchens, dressing rooms, and bigger loading areas. Plus, it has special soundproofing so that Powers Auditorium and the new hall can be used at the same time without bothering each other!
See also
- List of concert halls
