Flashing marquee lights dimmed. Once-filled seats emptied and covered in plastic. An energetic stage gone quiet. A bustling theater turned ghost town, suddenly living up to its haunted rumors.
For two years, Huntington’s crown jewel has been coated in masking tape, plastic sheeting and dust, dulling its nearly 100-year-old sparkle and leaving a hole in the heart of the city. With the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center’s marquee lights now glimmering again, a beacon of hope shines on Fourth Avenue.
Since December 2023, the Keith-Albee has been closed to the patrons who have so eagerly entered its doors since its opening in 1928. Now, the theater impatiently awaits its grand reopening in November, flaunting a $30 million facelift that has restored it to its original condition.
RENOVATIONS
With no public access for the past 22 months, the community has been left to wonder what’s really going on behind the theater’s closed doors. Executive Director David Miller says theatergoers will be surprised by what they see next month, but not in the way they may think.
“We get asked a lot of questions with the renovations,” Miller said. “I think they think that we have just sheetrocked, drywalled the whole building and modernized it.”
Although the theater has had the typical features of a construction zone for the past two years, the construction has only intended to rejuvenate the Keith-Albee’s most notable features, such as its decadent bathrooms, not just to remodel them.
Gary Cooper, the Keith-Albee’s director of operations, said everything the public will see when they walk through the theater’s doors will be exactly as it was when it welcomed its first guests in 1928.
While some of the restoration funding has been donated by private investors, such as Brad D. and Alys Smith’s $1 million gift in 2024, the restorations have largely been grant-funded, which puts the crew under obligation to follow strict guidelines in making the theater as historically accurate as possible, Cooper said.
Luckily for the restoration crew, just a block down the street from the theater lies a business full of leading-edge technologies and high-end 3D printers with the power to recreate architectural structures with the touch of a button: Marshall’s Advanced Manufacturing Center.
“We’ve partnered with people like Marshall Manufacturing to make components like these screens over the light fixtures and also the brass plates in the lobby,” he said, “and they’ve helped us manufacture and duplicate things from our vents and grates that were torn up.”
The restoration crew’s dedication to detail is evident in the theater’s makeover: designs on the rafters have been hand painted and stenciled once again, the original carpet has been duplicated and replaced by the same European company that manufactured it so many years ago, and the chairs have been refurbished with their original fabric pattern.
The biggest changes, Cooper said, will be in areas such as the basement and the dressing rooms to help better facilitate shows and accommodate performers. Even so, the trap room underneath the stage and the animal room, where traveling stars kept their pets, remain intact, although they are no longer in use.
Some exceptions to historical accuracy have been made to maximize the modern theater patron experience, though. The Keith-Albee auditorium will now sport a state-of-the-art sound and video projector system, for instance, and offer ADA-accessible seating for guests with wheelchairs as well as guests with visual or hearing impairments.
Overall, Miller said the community and the history of the theater have been at the heart of the project, which could have taken less time if there wasn’t so much care going into it.
“I want to make sure people know it’s been closed for a reason,” he said. “Every person that works on this project loves the building the same way they do, and the legacy and the mission of the building is like everything we talk about, booking shows or anything.”
A RICH HISTORY
The century-long legacy all started with Rae Samuels, one of vaudeville’s most famous singers, on May 7, 1928. Lindsey Harper, archivist and records management librarian in Marshall University’s Special Collections, said the theater has been a “staple” in the Huntington community since its opening night.
“This theater not only exposed people to new experiences through the arts, it also served as what we would now refer to as a ‘third space,’” she said. “A third space is a place where people can gather to socialize that is separate from their homes or places of employment.”
Despite the many disasters occurring in the world around it in its early years – the stock market crash of 1929, the Great Depression and even the 1937 flood of Huntington – the Keith-Albee remained open, providing a solace for the community.
“People tend to consume more art during times of war or famine, and with the Great Depression and World War II, there were plenty of reasons to want to consume more theatre, art and music,” Harper said.
In 1939, the Marshall Artists Series began hosting its shows on the Keith-Albee stage, shifting the focus from vaudeville to a variety of performances, such as Broadway musicals, comedians, orchestras and operas.
Then, with the new wave of television in the ‘50s and multiplex theaters in shopping malls in the ‘60s, the Keith-Albee had to adapt to remain relevant. Thus, the auditorium was split into four smaller theaters to begin functioning as a movie establishment in the ‘70s, although it closed as such and returned to its original operations in 2006.
No matter whose name or what show was displayed on the marquee, one thing has never failed to keep guests coming back to the Keith-Albee: its stunning architecture.
While the Keith-Albee is certainly unique to Huntington, it’s also not something one will find on any given street corner of a major city. Designed by prolific 20th century architect Thomas Lamb, the Keith-Albee’s Spanish Baroque, atmospheric style is characteristic of a small group of theaters in the country.
Although Lamb designed over 300 theaters around the world during his career, only eight of them were in the atmospheric style as creating the lavish outdoor appearance could be costly. The Keith-Albee is the only one of Lamb’s eight theaters still operating fully intact.
“We are the last one standing, so that’s the biggest, most important part to give that back to the community, so they can see the architect, the character and the design of this that people put into it back in the day,” Cooper said. “You just don’t walk into a theater and see this anymore.”
A BRIGHT FUTURE
And thanks to the careful work done over the last two years from the restoration crew, the Keith-Albee will remain in its glory for the next generation of theatergoers.
With the theater’s centennial approaching in May 2028, Miller said the community has much to look forward to. Although official plans have yet to be made for the Keith-Albee’s 100th birthday, the executive director plans to have “just about anything and everything” his team can think of, including a gala and general celebration for the public.
For now, Miller said his focus remains on the grand reopening, which is expected in early November, as well as the theater’s new era.
While the Keith-Albee has been known primarily as the home to the Marshall Artists Series in the past, hosting a handful of performances each season, Miller’s goal is to have an everchanging marquee under his leadership.
“I want people to be able to look over here and not be surprised when a new show announces, but to just be like, ‘Oh, what do they have next?’” Miller said. “And to just know that they can trust that good stuff does consistently come here.”
Although the theater will not be reverting to its multiplex theater structure of the ‘70s, the movies will be making their way back to the Keith-Albee as a consistently offered form of entertainment.
Dave Lavender, the program coordinator at the West Virginia Film Office, said the reopening of Huntington’s “grand movie palace” will have a significant impact on the artistic community.
“We kind of pinch ourselves that we now have this exquisite, world-class facility that’s going to be here for, hopefully, time and eternity,” Lavender said. “We can use it for locations for film. We can use it for shooting concert videos of folks who play there.”
Additionally, Lavender said he expects the Keith-Albee to return as a venue for film premieres, having premiered international hits “The Bridge at Remagen” in 1969, “Rain Man” in 1988 and “We Are Marshall” in 2006.
Memories of film premieres such as these were part of the driving force behind the Smiths’ donation to the theater. Brad, a Kenova native, said they gave their gift in support of the future of a place that shaped many memories of his childhood and young adult life, such as his first date and the premieres of blockbusters like “Jaws” and “E.T.”
From late night film festivals to early morning educational programs, the theater will have a place for relatively any event, Miller said. However, local dance studios or theater troupes looking to use the theater will not face the same financial burden as national touring groups.
In comparison to similar theaters, like the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, Kentucky, Miller said the Keith-Albee has an advantage with its price range for booking as it does not have to account for much overhead debt or maintenance fees coming out of a grant-funded renovation period.
“What I’m finding is when I talk to agents and promoters that put together how much it’ll cost to put on a show here, they’re really happy because they’re like, ‘That’s the cheapest 2,400-seat theater to come to,” he said.
Aside from costs, Miller said the Keith-Albee also has a unique advantage in its location as it would take at least two hours in any direction to travel to another theater of its size.
Considering performing arts venues in Huntington specifically, the Keith-Albee is reopening at an ideal time, said Anna Adkins, the director of marketing and sales at the Huntington Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
With the theater’s reopening, Huntington will have four major venues to offer traveling artists: The Loud, which holds up to 500; the Keith-Albee, which seats up to 2,400; the Marshall Health Network Arena, which seats about 7,500; and the Joan C. Edwards Stadium, which holds approximately 38,000.
“This is filling a small gap we had, just where it’s been closed for renovations, for that few-thousand-people theater,” Adkins said. “But now we have these venues from 500 people to 40,000, so if we can just get on the radar of some people, maybe it won’t work at the arena, but it would be perfect for the Keith-Albee. Then, it’s too big for the Keith, but maybe it can go to the Joan.
“It’s moving pieces, but I think it’s a really good puzzle to have,” she said.
Adkins, whose Convention and Visitors Bureau promotes tourism in Cabell and Wayne counties, expects the theater’s reopening to create a boom in local tourism. With visitors coming from near and far, Huntington’s small businesses will provide the perfect space for people to spend their time, and their dollars, before attending an event at the theater, she said.
However, the economic impact of the reopening will be felt far beyond the initial celebrations, said Megan Archer, the president and CEO of the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce.
“The Keith-Albee’s renovation represents more than a building restoration; it’s an investment in Huntington’s future. Revitalizing our historic landmarks drives foot traffic, supports nearby businesses and strengthens our city’s position as a regional destination for arts and culture,” Archer said.
As the head of the region’s leading business advocate as well as a Marshall alumna, Archer said her unique position has allowed her to recognize both the nostalgic importance and the economic potential of the historic theater’s future.
“The Keith-Albee is such a beloved piece of Huntington’s identity, and seeing it come back to life is truly exciting,” she said. “Its reopening not only preserves a part of our history, but also brings fresh energy to our downtown. Moments like this remind us that when we invest in our community’s character, the economic impact naturally follows.”
Archer’s sentiments on economic and cultural growth are what Smith referred to as the theater’s “purpose,” which also led him and his wife to their investment.
“Alys and I are privileged to play a small part in this endeavor,” Smith said. “Together, we are not just saving a theater; we are reviving the heart of a town.”
Smith and Archer are not the only ones looking forward to the revival of the Keith-Albee. Adkins said she’s noticed an excitement recently buzzing throughout the city as the reopening approaches, replacing a two-year feeling that something is missing.
For Lavender, this feeling can only be articulated by referencing a name so lovingly given to the theater by the community many years ago.
“If you have a crown and it doesn’t have a jewel in it, you’re missing something,” he said, “so I think now we feel like we have our crown jewel back.”
Baylee Parsons can be contacted at [email protected].
