Walk through the doors at 107 West State Street and the first thing that hits you isn’t the lobby or the ticket counter — it’s the ceiling. A deep blue canopy stretches overhead, studded with tiny lights arranged in constellations: the Great Bear, the Fish, the Ram, the Crab. Gargoyles peer down from shadowed corners. The walls suggest a Moorish courtyard open to the night sky. This is the State Theatre of Ithaca, and nearly a century after its opening night, it remains one of the most visually arresting performance spaces in the Finger Lakes.
In a college town famous for gorges, waterfalls, and relentless intellectual energy, the State Theatre holds its own as something genuinely singular — a 1,600-seat atmospheric palace that has survived condemnation, abandonment, and a painstaking community-driven resurrection. It’s the kind of venue where a touring indie band looks up mid-soundcheck and forgets what song they were playing.
From Automobile Showroom to Cinema Palace
The building at 107 West State Street started life in 1915 as a security garage and automobile showroom — about as far from theatrical glamour as you can get. That changed in 1926, when the Berinstein family, who already operated several theaters across Upstate New York, purchased the property and tapped Pittsburgh architect Victor A. Rigaumont to reimagine it entirely.
Rigaumont didn’t do anything halfway. He designed what he later called the first semi-atmospheric theater ever conceived, blending Moorish arches, Renaissance Revival detailing, and Collegiate Gothic nods to nearby Cornell University. A $26,000 Link organ was brought in from Binghamton. The transformation cost roughly half a million dollars — serious money in the late 1920s.
Opening night arrived on December 6, 1928, with a showing of the film Show Girl starring Alice White, organist Harry Springer at the console, and admission set at 50 cents. Paul Tremaine and his Aristocrats of Modern Music provided the live entertainment. The State quickly became the centerpiece of downtown Ithaca’s entertainment scene.
The Dark Years and the Comeback
Vaudeville faded in the 1930s, and the State settled into decades as a movie theater — a beautiful one, but one that aged without much investment. By the time it screened its last film on February 4, 1996, the building was showing its years. A year later, it was condemned outright due to accumulated decay.
What happened next is a story that could only unfold in a town like Ithaca. Historic Ithaca, a local nonprofit, purchased the property in 1998 and launched a restoration campaign that leaned heavily on community fundraising, volunteer labor, and sheer stubbornness. The plasterwork was stabilized. The starlight bulbs — over 3,000 of them — were repaired and many converted to LED technology. The ceiling was repainted. The gargoyles stayed right where Rigaumont put them.
The official reopening came on December 5, 2001, almost exactly 73 years after opening night. This time, the State wasn’t coming back as a movie house. It was coming back as a live performance venue.
The Sound and the Stage
Today the State Theatre hosts over 75 events per year — concerts, comedy, theater, dance, community performances, and the occasional classic film screening that pays tribute to its cinematic roots. The room seats 1,600 across orchestra and balcony levels, intimate enough that nobody feels distant from the stage but large enough to draw national touring acts.
The acoustics benefit from the atmospheric design. That ornate plaster ceiling isn’t just decorative — the varied surfaces scatter sound in ways that a flat modern box simply can’t replicate. Artists routinely comment on the warmth of the room. For audiences, the experience is immersive in a way that transcends the music: you’re sitting under a hand-painted sky, surrounded by nearly a century of architectural detail, watching a performer who’s probably aware they’re playing inside something extraordinary.
Getting There and Where to Eat
The State Theatre sits right on the Ithaca Commons, the pedestrian mall that serves as downtown’s spine. Street parking is available along surrounding blocks, and the city-run Green Street Parking Garage is a short walk away. If you’re driving in from the surrounding Finger Lakes region, Routes 13 and 79 both feed directly into downtown.
One of the genuine perks of catching a show at the State is the dining scene within a few minutes’ walk. Maxie’s Supper Club & Oyster Bar on West State Street serves New Orleans-inspired fare — po’boys, gumbo, and a raw bar — in a lively atmosphere that pairs well with a night out. The State Diner, practically next door, is a classic American-Greek diner with all-day breakfast and a loyal local following. For something more refined, Café DeWitt in the historic DeWitt Mall offers farm-to-table dishes built around Finger Lakes ingredients, with a brunch that has won regional awards.
Insider Tips
The balcony is where regulars sit. Sightlines are excellent, the sound carries beautifully, and you get the full effect of the atmospheric ceiling from up there. Arrive a few minutes early and take a moment to actually look around the room — the gargoyles, the zodiac paintings, the plasterwork details. Most people are so focused on getting to their seats that they miss half the artistry.
The Ithaca Commons is a pedestrian zone, so once you park, everything is walkable. In warmer months, the Commons comes alive with buskers, outdoor dining, and the general Ithaca energy that makes this town feel unlike anywhere else in the Finger Lakes.
For more information and upcoming shows, visit stateofithaca.org.
