Shea's Buffalo Theater
Posted by: 
Rayman
N 42° 53.490 W 078° 52.360
17T E 673703 N 4750961
The ornate 1925 movie palace first known as Shea's Buffalo Theater is located on the west side of Main Street in the heart of Buffalo's traditional theater district.
Waymark Code: WMCAF
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 05/10/2006
Views: 20
The eight story building is constructed of steel and concrete and trimmed with terra cotta. It is L-shaped in plan. The short (43' wide) end fronts on Main Street and the bulk of "The Buffalo" with its "acre of seats" extends north behind other Main Street store fronts.
The only exterior facade elaborately designed for public view is the Main Street (east) side where the principal theater entrance is located under a mammoth marquis. Newspaper reports boasted that 7,000 electric lights were used to illuminate the front entrance on the opening night (Buffalo Evening News, January 16, 1926).
Above the marquis the Main Street facade is finished in terra cotta unlike the other facades of the building which are tucked out of public view and finished in unornamented buff-colored brick.
The decorative terra cotta on the front (Main Street) facade surrounds a monumental plate glass and iron window. A crowning terra cotta parapet with lavish Volutes and a bulbous finial was removed in 1932, six years after the opening of the theater. The only other major alteration to the Main Street facade was the removal of the huge vertical sign which read "Shea's Buffalo" and was attached to the building on the south (downtown) side of the large arched window. Without the vertical sign this single undecorated bay gives the front facade a somewhat unbalanced appearance.
On the rear (Pearl Street) side there is another less elaborate entrance than the Main Street one. It reflects a similar arrangement of doors, an overhanging marquis and a large, decorative arched window.
Street address:
646 Main Street
Buffalo, NY United States
14202
County / Borough / Parish: Erie
Year listed: 1975
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event
Periods of significance: 1925-1949
Historic function: Recreation And Culture: Theater
Current function: Recreation And Culture: Theater
Privately owned?: yes
Season start / Season finish: From: 01/01/2007 To: 12/31/2007
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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