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F. M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts Historical Information

Release: IMMEDIATE Date: April 18, 2006 Contact: Catherine Shafer cds creative, inc. 570-288-5313 catherine@cdscreative.com

F. M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts Historical Information

(Wilkes-Barre, PA) The building that houses the F. M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts has a rich past, standing nearly 70 years on Public Square. Millions have passed through its front doors. Time, weather and visitors have taken their toll on the theater and it is now in need of essential renovations. Cognizant of the heritage of this facility, restoration plans include modernization the structure and preserving its history. The Comerford Theater In 1938, the Comerford movie chain decided to construct a movie house on Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, PA as a monument to founder Michael E. Comerford. This was designed to be the grandest of all cinemas, replacing a bus terminal, a printing company, a stonecutter and a drug store. When it opened on August 18, 1938, the theater was the largest and most modern cinema in the area. The design was Deco-Moderne, a rarity in the Wyoming Valley. The outside was decorated with terra cotta and green marble. A lavish, ornamented interior included five lobbies, tall fluted columns, doors and walls in copper tints and ornate plasters and bronzers throughout. The auditorium was finished in walnut and translucent marble panels. The “Great Lavaliere,” a spectacular chandelier that still graces the Kirby Center today, was the centerpiece of all the décor. The theater held nearly 2,000 patrons, the largest capacity in the area. It was also technologically advanced in comparison to other theaters of its time, with air conditioning, hearing aid-equipped seating and a nursery with a matron available to patrons.