Warner Theatre
An Art Deco theater by John Eberson — the architect of the Grand Rex in Paris — brought to a West Virginia university town, its marquee still ablaze with the visual ambition of 1931 American showmanship.
At a glance
The Warner Theater at 147 High Street in downtown Morgantown, West Virginia, opened on June 12, 1931, as an Art Deco movie palace designed by John Eberson — one of the most prolific and internationally recognized theater architects of the early twentieth century. Eberson’s portfolio spanned two continents: his work in the United States included dozens of atmospheric theaters, and in Europe, the extant Cinema le Grand Rex in Paris. The Warner brought this cosmopolitan pedigree to Morgantown, seat of West Virginia University, giving a mid-sized Appalachian city a first-class movie palace commensurate with national chains’ ambitions.
Key facts
- Opened: June 12, 1931
- Architect: John Eberson
- Style: Art Deco
- Address: 147 High Street, Morgantown, West Virginia
- Circuit: Warner Bros. Theatres (original operator)
- Coordinates: 39.6286°N, 79.9572°W
History
John Eberson opened the Warner Theater in Morgantown in 1931, at the height of his career and at the peak of the American movie palace era. By 1931 Eberson had already designed scores of theaters across the eastern United States, typically in his signature “atmospheric” style — interiors designed to evoke Mediterranean or Spanish courtyards open to an artificial sky. The Morgantown Warner brought his Art Deco expertise to a university town that was, by virtue of West Virginia University’s presence, a more culturally ambitious audience than its modest size might suggest.
The theater operated under various names and management through the decades. After a closure of more than thirteen years, renovation plans were announced to return the Warner to active use as a performing arts venue — a fate that has increasingly rewarded Art Deco theaters whose interior quality and urban presence make them natural anchors for downtown revitalization efforts.
What you see
The marquee — the subject of Carol M. Highsmith’s Library of Congress documentation photograph — is the Warner’s most arresting Art Deco element. Eberson composed the theater’s street presence around the marquee as a sign object: its geometric lettering, angular bracketed structure, and layered lighting components synthesize the era’s graphic and architectural design languages into a single act of commercial showmanship. Even in its deteriorated state at the time of the photograph, the marquee reads as a confident piece of 1931 visual culture.
Eberson’s theaters consistently deployed Art Deco as a language of aspiration — the marquee announced that what happened inside was worth the ticket. In Morgantown, the Warner’s presence on High Street was a statement that this Appalachian university city participated fully in the American entertainment culture of its moment.
Practical information
- Status: Closed for renovation; exterior viewable from High Street
- Address: 147 High Street, Morgantown, WV 26505
- Season: Exterior year-round
- Time needed: 15 minutes for exterior; combine with WVU campus walk
Getting there
Morgantown is located in north-central West Virginia, approximately 75 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and 150 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. The city is home to West Virginia University and accessible via Interstate 68 and U.S. Route 119. The nearest major airport is Pittsburgh International Airport, approximately 75 miles north.
Nearby
- West Virginia University campus — a large research university campus beginning one block from the theater
- Morgantown’s historic downtown — High Street commercial district with Victorian and early twentieth-century buildings
- Charleston Municipal Auditorium (1939) — another West Virginia Art Deco civic landmark, 160 miles south in the state capital
Sources
- Wikipedia, “Warner Theatre (Morgantown, West Virginia)”
- Carol M. Highsmith Photography Collection, Library of Congress, LCCN2015631559 (Public Domain)
- Hughart, Chase, “West Virginia’s Warner Theater to be renovated after 13 years out of operation,” WV News
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