Westmoreland Cultural Trust is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to stimulate cultural and economic development in the Westmoreland County region.
We promote the performing arts; we preserve and enhance our region’s assets for the benefit of the community.
What We Do…
- Managing Community Assets
- Presenting Arts and Entertainment
- Providing Support Services for Presenting Arts Organizations
- Developing a Historical, Cultural and Entertainment District
Westmoreland Cultural Trust has been a major force in the cultural and economic environment of the greater Westmoreland County. Having invested over $18.8 million in community restoration since its inception, Westmoreland Cultural Trust has been an engine of change, bringing renewed life to some of the most venerable and historically significant buildings in Greensburg including The Palace Theatre.
A Cultural Beacon: The Story Behind Westmoreland Cultural Trust
In 1969, Katherine Mabis McKenna, a well-known philanthropist educated in engineering drawing, provided the design and the funds to build the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center. The reason for building the center was twofold: it served as a memorial to her dearly departed son, Mennel, and as a catalyst that would enable her vision of an educational and cultural civic center to come to fruition.
Mrs. McKenna was so inspired by her vision that she donated the building to the city of Greensburg so that the entire Greensburg and Westmoreland County region could utilize it as a premier meeting center and multipurpose facility. Although governed by the Board of Directors of the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center, Inc., a five-member commission was appointed by the city council to oversee the center’s operation.
In 1992, the Board voted to change the focus and the name of the governing body. “The Westmoreland Trust,” a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, was born. It was formed to manage and operate GG&CC, as well as to serve the community on a much larger scale. It was determined that the most effective method of keeping Mrs. McKenna’s dream alive and providing necessary services to the region would be to expand the focus of the Trust to include taking on a leadership role in the development and enhancement of the cultural life and economic well-being of the Westmoreland County region.
To fulfill Mrs. McKenna’s dreams and successfully achieve this goal, the Trust accepted this challenge by pursuing the possibility of collaborating with other arts and cultural organizations to ensure the continuation of the enhanced cultural life. One of the ways this is achieved is by raising funds to help these organizations with their various needs, such as providing them with affordable office space.
Collaborations with organizations, such as The Laurel Ballet, Greensburg Civic Theatre, Westmoreland Symphony, River City Brass Band, and the Apple Hill Playhouse, have benefited the community. While some of these organizations no longer exist, their impact on the cultural landscape of the region remains. These partnerships brought art and culture to the area, fostering a unique community spirit and a source of regional pride.
The Trust has created and maintained many successful partnerships with city, county, state, and federal governmental agencies, foundations, corporations, and individuals from across the region.
In January 2005, The Westmoreland Trust was renamed “Westmoreland Cultural Trust” to better identify its true mission and purpose: taking on a leadership role in the development and enhancement of the cultural life of the Westmoreland County region.
The Palace Legacy: A Journey Through Time
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 2, 1926, as the Manos Theatre, a vaudeville and silent movie venue, the historic Palace Theatre now hosts the widest variety of live entertainment and concerts in the Laurel Highlands region. This beautifully renovated facility features 1,367 seats and is located across from the Westmoreland County Courthouse at 21 W. Otterman Street in downtown Greensburg. The Palace Theatre is proudly owned and managed by Westmoreland Cultural Trust.
The Palace Theatre opened on September 2, 1926, as the Manos Theatre, the crown jewel in a string of the Manos family’s vaudeville-movie houses in the region. Built at the then-extravagant sum of $750,000, the Manos was considered the area’s finest theatre. Westmoreland Cultural Trust is proud to say that it still is! From concerts and comedy to theatre, dance, family entertainment, and more, The Palace entertains more than 75,000 patrons at 100+ events each year.
Greensburg in the 1920s – as today – was Westmoreland County’s center of business and cultural activity and supported many theatres throughout the early 1900s. The biggest and most elegant of all was the Manos Theatre, constructed on the site of the smaller Rialto Theatre. Originally seating 2,136, the Manos Theatre provided the community with daily doses of vaudeville, silent motion pictures, and road shows, accompanied by a magnificent Wurlitzer organ. A dome of red, blue, and green lights high in the theatre’s ceiling would blink and flash to the music, similar to effects seen in today’s roller rinks.
Only venues in larger cities could match the elegance of the Manos Theatre. Its French Renaissance design boasted a golden Grecian marble balustrade and trim, an elegant Vermont marble staircase, brass railings, colorful murals, black and white checkerboard tile floors, wrought copper and iron hanging baskets for flowers, and a flowing fountain with live goldfish. Below the Manos Theatre was a bowling alley, billiard parlor, and a production facility that turned out newsreels of current events to play on the theatre’s movie screen before the show. The Manos was a spectacular place to visit and quite the place to be for superb entertainment. Lines at the Box Office on show days would often extend up the block to Main Street.
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 major film production companies owned hundreds of theatres to ensure that their films were seen throughout the country. The increasing popularity of motion pictures soon replaced vaudeville, and the industry experienced tremendous growth throughout the next decades. Scores of area natives still fondly remember spending Saturdays at the Manos, watching cartoons and movies for hours. Warner Bros. Theatres went through its own growth cycle, with a series of name changes and mergers over the years, evolving into RKO-Stanley Warner Theaters, Inc. by the early 1970s.
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. The theatre closed as the company opened Cinemas IV at Westmoreland Mall, and Cinemette sold the Manos in 1977 to local businessman Carl V. Marinelli and his business partner Adelaide DelVitto, and the venue was renamed The Palace Theatre. A year later, Mrs. DelVitto sold her interest in the theatre back to Mr. Marinelli.
Mr. Marinelli scheduled movies and live performances and boasted such talent as the up-and-coming Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine, Ricky Nelson, Mel Tillis, Tammy Wynette, Dr. Hook, and Chubby Checker. In the late 1980s, Mr. Marinelli considered selling the theatre to an out-of-state businessman who wanted to raze it. A group of culturally minded activists rallied to save the theatre. Before arrangements were made, Mr. Marinelli passed away. City leaders, with the assistance of the Greensburg Area Cultural Council and other community leaders, worked with Mr. Marinelli’s heirs to spare the theatre from the wrecking ball.
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 then Westmoreland Cultural Trust in 2005 to best identify its mission. Westmoreland Cultural Trust continues to manage Greensburg Garden and Civic Center, the James/Stark building, and the Union Trust building in downtown Greensburg.
Westmoreland Cultural Trust has spearheaded more than $18 million in Palace renovations since 1990, including lighting and sound systems, an infra-red hearing-assist system, carpeting, air-conditioning, Loge and Balcony seating, restoring two murals, creating a courtyard, installing replicas of the theatre’s original opera boxes, dressing room upgrades, and the construction of Megan’s Suite. The Palace Theatre now accommodates up to 1,367 patrons.
In the late 1990s, renowned conservator Christine Daulton restored two of The Palace Theatre’s three original murals based on French fairy tales and painted by artist Louis Grell. Murals along each side of the Loge were covered for years with tapestry and furring strips that severely marred the paintings. The third mural is under a coat of paint spanning the area above the stage’s proscenium arch. This third mural could only be restored at a significant financial cost and would require the theatre to close for performances for an extended period. This ambitious project would enable new generations to view the long-hidden masterpiece underneath.
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 car accident at the age of 18. Megan was active in her school’s theatre productions, and her parents’ generous contribution helped to create a space for casual gatherings and formal receptions. The two-story Suite includes restrooms for men and women on both levels and an elevator to facilitate access to the Theatre’s Mezzanine, Loge, and Balcony. Outside Megan’s Suite, on the site of the former Strand Theatre, is the landscaped courtyard, completed in 2000 through private funding and donations. Megan’s Suite and the newly renamed Duffy & Summer Friedlander Courtyard (2024) are available for conferences, meetings, private events, and pre- or post-show parties.
Much of the original Manos Theatre remains intact. The golden marble ticket booth, with its unique wheel of overhead lights at the theatre’s entrance, is still used before performances. Keen eyes will notice the pink, yellow, and blue flowers on the lobby chandelier. Black and white floor tiles continue to grace the outer lobby and mezzanine. Movie projectors from the 1920s are displayed in the mezzanine area, where children once enjoyed a fountain bubbling in the Spanish-inspired mosaic tile pond of live goldfish! Through the generosity of the late Paul Jennings, the mezzanine features photos of projectionists from long ago.
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.
