Detailed Information

The $200,000 State Theatre was constructed by the Lafayette Amusement Company and opened in April 1929 with a screening of Trial Marriage (1929)  starring Norman Kerry and Sally Eilers.

The 950-seat auditorium was designed in the Atmospheric theatre style with a Spanish castle theme by local architect firm Frankel and Curtis.

The theatre opened next door to the Kentucky Theatre, operated by the same owning company, and had a three-show-per-week policy operating at popular prices.

The proscenium arch was said to represent a Spanish castle flanked by balconies. Trees, birds, flowers, flying clouds, and a star-studded sky were reported to be in one’s first impression of the theatre.

According to press reports at the theatre’s opening, the 200-seat balcony was included for “colored citizens of Lexington and the Bluegrass”, with a separate entrance off the main street.

In late January 1964 the theatre became an Art House cinema called the Downtown Cinema screening foreign films. By the 1970’s the theatre was showing adult movies. In mid-October 1985 the theatre was renamed Movies on Main.

In 1996 the State Theatre was restored and reopened, serving as an annex to the neighboring Kentucky Theatre and showing films as well as presenting live entertainment. The two theatres share connected projection booths. The theatre’s original entrance was replaced with a retail unit. Access is from the Kentucky Theatre’s lobby, where a central concessions area and a ticket office are located. The State is programmed and operated in conjunction with the Kentucky Theatre.