Empress Theatre

Empress Theatre. . The Empress Theatre was built in 1917 by the Western Theatre Corporation. Originally a burlesque theater for the local miners, the theater soon began showing silent movies. The Empress is one of four theaters that were erected along Magna's Main Street during the decades of the 1910s-1930s. This followed the establishment of the Utah Copper Corporation, which brought jobs and population growth to the area., For many years, the Empress went through a number of owners as well as periods of vacancies. The theater was abandoned for several decades and was purchased in 1978 by the Barker family who began restoring the building. Leo Ware took over ownership in 1983 and continued the project. However, in July 1984, the Salt Lake County Commission threatened to have the building demolished because it was unsafe. After an appeal, the Commission reversed their decision and allowed Ware until the end of the year to stabilize the building, which he did. He continued working on the building for more than a decade, using state and federal grants to help with the expenses. Unfortunately, Ware was injured in an auto accident in 2002 and could not finish the rehabilitation of the building. In 2006, a local non-profit organization, Oquirrh Hills Performing Arts Alliance, was formed to take over the project from Ware. The Alliance continued to receive grants and completed the work. The Empress finally reopened as a live performing arts theater in November 2006 and has seen over 100 productions since then., The design of the building, a combination of Neo-classical and Beaux Arts styles, makes the Empress Theatre the most outstanding example of high-style architecture in Magna. This theater is an example of the many distinctively styled, early 20th-century theaters found in small Utah towns, which are dominated by relatively plain commercial buildings. Historically, the Empress Theatre is one of the oldest and best preserved commercial buildings in Magna.