History

On February 5, 1923, the Palace Theater opened in downtown Jamestown with a mixture of proclamations from Mayor Samuel Carlson and others, as well as musical performances from a mixed orchestra and an organist. The Lionel Barrymore film, The Face in the Fog, was the first movie to be shown that evening.

The theater was independently owned and operated by Peterson and Woods for three years, presenting "High Class Vodvil" acts, mixed with films for near-daily performances. In 1926, Nikitas Dipson bought the theater, operating it under his surname for four years. Warner Brothers leased the theater in 1930, showing its films as part of the national circuit until their lease ran out in 1950.

The Dipson organization refurbished the building adding stage shows, orchestras and a bit of vaudeville alongside the first-run movie schedule through 1956. That year, the national spotlight shown on the Palace as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz premiered their film Forever Darling to a hometown crowd, complete with a parade and celebrity guests. 1956 was also the last year live events would be regularly scheduled until 1981.

The theater continued showing movies through the next couple of decades as the interior and exterior fell into disrepair. In June of 1981, The Palace featured Harry Chapin live in concert, arranged by Chautauqua County Arts Council. The experience was marred for artist and audience alike as a leaky roof allowed rainwater into the theater during the performance. This prompted Chapin to offer to return to Jamestown for another concert, this time as a fundraiser, if the community would organize an effort to save and repair the building. Unfortunately, this second performance was not to be, as Chapin was tragically killed in a car crash the following month; however, Chapin’s encouragement sparked the beginnings of a local push to save the theater. As a result, The Palace Civic Center was born.

A group of citizens, with the help of the Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency and the Gebbie Foundation, banded together to repair and clean up the theater. This allowed for live “test” performances to be held again inside the theater in order to gauge community interest in events at The Palace, and see whether the results would warrant further renovation. By October 1982, the theater was once again ready to host such performances and did so for seven years as funds were raised for a fuller restoration. The renovated theater was renamed Reg Lenna Civic Center in October of 1990, opening with a gala to commemorate a new era of purpose and programming for the community. Philanthropists Reginald and Elizabeth Lenna provided a great deal of money toward the effort offering the former's name to the theater.

"The Reg" continued programming a mix of live events, including national touring acts, theater, concerts and community-led performances from the Lucy-Desi museum, Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet, National Comedy Center, Chautauqua Regional Youth Symphony and more. Cinema enthusiast Paul Schmidt programmed film screenings at The Reg for several years during this period.

By 2012, a changing economic landscape and limited funding streams prompted the merger of Arts Council for Chautauqua County and The Reg into one organization. in 2014, Reg Lenna Center for The Arts emerged with a nod to the past, opening a new season with a 10,000 Maniacs concert and "Harry Chapin: A Family Celebration."

A major renovation of the organization's buildings and offices, along with WRFA-LP and the theater's marquee, lobby, and entrance was completed in 2018. After six straight years of audience, event and movie growth, the theater's public activities ground to a halt in early 2020. The Reg was among the many venues across the nation to cancel performances and movies at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the spring of 2021, The Reg opened again to limited audience capacity and with admittance guidelines to both protect the health of the public and to ease an audience back into being together again. By early 2022, the theater was operating again at full capacity, without restrictions.

We head into 2023, ready to celebrate 100 years of "The Showplace of the Chautauqua Region", looking forward to another century of the best in the arts, film and live entertainment.