The Apollo Theatre in Martinsburg, West Virginia

Martinsburg, West Virginia

Martinsburg is a city in the Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia, United States. The city's population was 14,972 at the 2000 census; according to a 2009 Census Bureau estimate, Martinsburg's population was 17,117, making it the largest city in the Eastern Panhandle and the eighth largest...

 was designed by architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

 Reginald Geare with local architect Chapman E. Kent, and built in 1913 by theater owner H. P. Thorn. As constructed it had a seating capacity of 1000, and was used for movies, vaudeville

Vaudeville

Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...

 and concerts. Upper floors provided meeting spaces for large groups.

The Apollo Theatre is presently operated as a community-supported facility. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1979. It is included in the Downtown Martinsburg Historic District

Downtown Martinsburg Historic District

Downtown Martinsburg Historic District is a national historic district located at Martinsburg, Berkeley County, West Virginia. It encompasses 281 contributing buildings...

.