Timeline Stories

Westmoreland Cultural Trust has not finished its renovation efforts. There is much yet to do as the organization approaches their 100-year Centennial Anniversary in 2026. Westmoreland Cultural Trust will continue the development of The Palace Theatre, both as a structure and an institution, to serve future generations.

Megan’s Suite, adjacent to the outer lobby (originally featuring ice cream and candy in the Strand Sweets Shoppe), features table seating, concessions, and bar service for most performances. Dedicated in September 2004, the space was named in memory of Megan Smith, a Greensburg-Salem High School graduate who perished in a […]

City Council approved the sale of The Palace Theatre in 1990 to Greensburg Garden and Civic Center Inc., the city entity charged with management of the facility of the same name, which was gifted by Katherine Mabis McKenna in 1969. The organization was renamed The Westmoreland Trust in 1992, and […]

By 1973, film distribution had developed so significantly that theatre ownership was no longer necessary for the major motion picture companies to thrive. The Manos Theatre was sold to Cinemette Theatres, Inc. of Pittsburgh, PA. New suburban multiplex theatres, however, posed a threat, and business at the Manos Theatre suffered. […]

In 1927, the film industry exploded with the Warner Bros. release of the world’s first synchronized-sound feature film, The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson. “Talking pictures” became the rage, and in 1930, Warner Bros. Theatres, Inc. of New York assumed ownership of the theatre from Manos Enterprises. During that era, […]

The Palace Theatre holds a prestigious legacy, having welcomed dignitaries and celebrities such as the Dalai Lama, Ella Fitzgerald, The Beach Boys, Wayne Newton, Tom Jones, George Carlin, Bernadette Peters, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Wiz Khalifa, the Jonas Brothers, Kenny Rogers, and Blue Man Group, among others. Originally opened on September […]