HISTORY
-1926-
New theater announced on the site of Utica Stadium, home of prize fight boxing. “South Utica arena will seat more than 3,000 fans. Circus seat accommodations already owned by Utica Stadium will be used. New lighting and heating systems will be installed.”
- March 1st, 1927-
Utica Stadium is razed to make way for the Uptown. Sign on building read “on this site will be erected the Uptown Theater, Utica’s most modern, most beautiful fireproof theatre building.”
- April 18, 1927 -
Work gets underway after delays, seating capacity for 1500. All of the structural iron was supplied by the Utica Steam Engine and Boiler Works and the Empire Wall plaster company furnished all the masonry materials.
An organ costing $25,000 is installed: “It will be erected on a lift or elevator device, disappearing when the orchestra is used. A large stage is also part of the equipment, though original plans call for motion picture entertainment. Use of a modern dimmer system, will make the lighting system for the entire auditorium the latest style in illumination. In the front of the building will be erected a beautiful marquee. Already a huge electrical sign reading Uptown Theater has been erected. It will have lights on the edges and a boom effect. - Utica NY Daily Press 1927
- December 1927 -
The Uptown Theatre opens.
Several men and women prominent in the musical life of Utica will take part in the program which will mark the opening of the new Uptown Theater...The feature films will be shown for two days, giving three changes a week. Music will be furnished by the three-manual organ of the elevator type. The theater itself which will be thrown open for the first time Thursday is of an entirely new type of construction for Utica. It is constructed on the lines of an amphitheater, the seats rising in tiers, which give everyone a clear view of the stage.- Utica, NY Observer December 25, 1927
- 1960s - 1970s -
The Uptown and the Stanley are the last of dozens of Utica theaters to survive the recession.
- 1970s - 1980s -
Multiplex cinemas move into the area and the Uptown carves out a niche for itself as a second- run movie theater.
- 1996 - 2013 -
The Uptown switches management and business models several times before closing its doors in September 2013.
- 2017 -
The Uptown Theatre sits unused. UTCA is formed.
- March 2018 -
UTCA takes ownership of The Uptown with a plan for its restoration and reopening.
- JULY 2018 -
Phase 1 of Uptown Theatre Restoration Plan (renovation of former Michael’s Jewelers storefront) is completed with the support of Jay-K Lumber. UTCA begins offering classes in sketch writing, improv and improv for kids in the newly-renovated storefront studio space.
- FEBRUARY 2019 -
Phase 2 of Uptown Theatre Restoration Plan (renovation of the Uptown lobby) is completed with the support of a grant from the Herkimer and Oneida County Community Foundation. UTCA expands programming with live comedy, music and more!
- MARCH 2020 -
The Uptown marquee is retrofitted with energy efficient LED lights and is restored to like-new condition, made possible by an anonymous donation from a member of the community.
Two Dollar Tuesday movie night returns after UTCA wis the Arts & Culture category of the Community Foundation Community Choice Awards. The year-long movie series will provide low-cost entertainment to area residents. Sponsored by the Bull Family Fund
- AUGUST 2020 -
The Uptown Theatre is added to the State and National Registers of Historic Places, the official lists of buildings, structures, districts, landscapes, objects, and sites significant in the history, architecture, archaeology and culture of New York State and the nation. The Uptown’s Gothic Revival style is associated with the evolution of entertainment in the city and the neighborhood theater continued to show movies until 2012, making it Utica’s longest running movie theater. Two commercial storefronts in the building, which continue in operation today, accommodated a variety of small business operations over a long period of time, including a soda shop, bank, bakery, antiques store, and jewelry store.
- MARCH 2021 -
To take the Uptown through its next phaser of revitalization, UTCA launches SAVE A SEAT, a targeted, people-powered capital campaign to open the auditorium, main stage and lower level seating. a critical next step to position UTCA as a self-sustaining organization, while allowing more space to serve the community and expand programming opportunities.
- OCTOBER 2021 -
Mayor Robert Palmieri unveils Phase II of the city’s allocation of funding through the Utica Prosperity Initiative, which includes the Uptown Theatre. The allocation for Phase II consists of funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and will be combined with previously-awarded CDBG funds to replace the deteriorating theatre roof. “All the projects we’re looking at are things that are going to bring revitalization to our area,” Palmieri said.
- December 2021 -
Uptown Theatre for Creative Arts is awarded a $500,000 New York Main Street Grant from New York State through the Regional Economic Development Council to support the restoration of the Uptown Theatre. New York Main Street provides financial resources to strengthen the economic vitality of the State's traditional Main Streets and neighborhoods. These funds are intended to help establish or expand cultural, residential or business anchors — like the Uptown! — that are key to local revitalization efforts.
- SUMMER 2022 -
The Uptown Theater roof is replaced, saving the building from continued water damage.
- OCTOBER 2023 -
The Uptown Comedy Festival presented by Amigos De Garcia, with help from NYSCA, brings over 80 performers from across the country (and globe) to South Utica for four days of live comedy performances and workshops led by veteran instructors.
- FEBRUARY 2024 -
Construction begins on Phase 3 of Uptown Theatre Restoration Plan (reopening front of main auditorium) with an expected completion date of September 2024.
- May 2024 -
Uptown Theatre for Creative Arts is awarded a $200,000 New York State Council on the Arts capital grant to support the ongoing restoration of the Uptown Theatre.
