Majestic Theatre

Joe Vogel on January 5, 2012 at 4:52 am

The Majestic Theatre was an extensive rebuilding of the Utica Opera House, which had been built in 1871. When Sam Shubert took over the lease on the Opera House in 1900, he had the building largely gutted and expanded to create a space for a more modern theater. In addition to the new Majestic, the building housed a second-floor assembly room at the Washington Street corner of the structure, and this was converted into the Orpheum Theatre in 1901.

The December, 1900, issue of Engineering Review featured an article on the rebuilding project, focusing largely on the heating systems of the new theater. It noted that the architect for the project was Fuller Claflin, of the New York firm of J. B. McElfatrick & Son.

This page from the Oneida County Historical Society web site has details about the Majestic and Orpheum Theatres, as well as three early photos.