Ephrata Main Theaters

The Main Theatre was built in 1938 by brothers Harry, Barney, Oscar and Morris Stiefel. The three day grand opening celebration began the day after Christmas of that year, featuring “Just Around the Corner” starring Shirley Temple, as well as the short subjects “The Declaration of Independence” (in Technicolor), “The Captain’s Christmas” and, fittingly, “Opening Day.” The marquee was made by Superior Sign System of Elizabethtown. The ticket office was made with Belgium glass brick, with 596 sockets to “furnish illumination”. The theatre itself was originally designed to seat 1,000, but in interest of comfort the owners added six inches of space between rows so that only 808 seats were placed into the theatre. In 1970, a large modern concession stand was installed in the theatre lobby.This beautiful structure offered movies and live productions until it deteriorated into disrepair and was closed to the public. In 1990, the Denver and Ephrata Telephone Company purchased the land containing the theatre and incorporated it into the design of what would become the Brossman Business Complex. Many items from the original theater were preserved and incorporated into the reconstruction.