The State Theater Tupper Lake
An original hometown theater in the Adirondacks.
Photo courtesy the State Theater
The Adirondacks are dotted with theaters from the pre-mega-plex age that served as our communities link to the period's popular culture. They present movies, theatrical productions, entertainment acts and more.
In Tupper Lake, that venue is the State Theater, initially opened in July 1914 as The Palace. The theater presented silent films along with vaudeville acts.
In the mid-thirties, the Schine movie circuit took over the theater. Schine renovated the facade and also added sound to the projection booth. These projectors were used until the 1970s.
The silent projectors, which had been modified for sound projection, were donated to the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake, now the Adirondack Experience, by the present owner of the theater.
Fashions and tastes changed, and In the 1970s, the theater was closed. Rumor was that there was water damage from a fire next door.
Luckily, a group called “Project Pride” began to renovate the theater and ready it to open again for the community. This was a volunteer effort; many people donated their time and materials to bring the theater back to life. It took several years, but they stabilized the building, spruced it up, and had a grand opening in 1982.
If not for this group, the State Theater would never have survived. There is a plaque inside the theater listing many names of people who were involved with this project–come and see it!
The present owner, Sally Strasser, has many years in show business and bought the theater in 2004. Since then, the theater has been twinned and renovated–every year, a new project is done, and it’s a work in progress.
In 2013 the GO DIGITAL OR GO DARK campaign allowed new digital projectors with 3D to be installed, along with new sound systems. This was an Adirondack-wide fundraiser for all of the theaters in the North Country and was the reason the independent theaters in our area survived—many thanks to all of the supporters.
Check out the State Theaters' current lineup of Hollywood hits and events.
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