Exactly a century ago this Nov. 14, a large crowd gathered at what was once a vacant lot behind the 183-year-old Hotel Gettysburg building in Lincoln Square. Fifteen hundred people came out to attend the opening of the newly built Majestic Theater, designed by prominent Philadelphia architect William H. Lee.
Conceived by Henry M. Scharf (who managed the hotel and later became president of the Gettysburg Times), the Colonial Revival-style venue claimed its home in the town as the largest vaudeville and silent movie theater in Southern Central Pennsylvania.
The first silent film and vaudeville show at the Majestic began a century of showcasing film, theater, music, dance, and visual arts as the theater grew its imprint on the town.
During the 1950s, Ike and Maime Eisenhower regularly attended shows, and the theater’s ballroom served as a meeting place for White House press conferences when the first couple was in residence at their nearby farm.
Later, in 1983, a massive fire destroyed the original Gettysburg Hotel — flames could be seen over a mile away — and although the theater annex survived, excessive water damage closed it until the following year, when it reopened as a triplex cinema.
Gettysburg College purchased the movie theater (along with the hotel) in 1988 for the purpose of restoring and preserving a historic landmark, revitalizing Lincoln Square, and creating a long-lasting college/community cooperation.
In 2004, the College launched a meticulous $16.5 million restoration under founder and Executive Director Jeffrey Gabel’s leadership. The campaign represented a major investment by Gettysburg College, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under Gov. Ed Rendell, and a leadership gift from Dave and Jennifer LeVan that inspired thousands of other community members to join the cause. Beautifully restored with embossed tin ceilings and marble floors, the Majestic reopened in 2005 as an arts venue housing a large proscenium theater with an elevating orchestra pit and balcony seating, two cinemas, an art gallery, a patrons’ lounge, concessions on two floors, and a café named after Mamie Eisenhower.
The College’s Sunderman Conservatory of Music uses the main auditorium for rehearsal and performance space, and the Majestic has hosted a variety of public performances there in addition to films and (recent) live performances by professional artists in the intimate cinemas.
Gabel — who dubbed the Majestic “the grandest small-town theater in America” — retired after 20 years of dedicated service in January 2024 after programming upwards of 300 concerts, raising more than $21.7 million in community support, and establishing a $5.9 million endowment. He has said that one of his most important accomplishments was producing the widely popular “Who Are We? A Festival Celebrating the Films of Ken Burns” festival that showed all nine episodes of the “Civil War” film series in 2023. Burns participated in the three-day festival in various discussions and question-and-answer sessions with students and other guests, and the film festival has continued annually.
The theater’s current Executive Director Brett W. Messenger came on board a little more than a year ago in time to curate an exciting landmark Centennial Celebration. In the “Majestic 100: 2025-2026 Centennial Season” program, he promises many more once-in-a-lifetime experiences to come.
On Thursday Sept. 18, the theater began its celebration with a viewing of Charlie Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush,” accompanied by the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra.
On the first weekend in October, the Majestic will present two performances of “Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground” — a one-man play set at Eisenhower’s Gettysburg farm in 1962. Tony award-winner John Rubenstein (known for his title role in the Broadway musical, “Pippin”) portrays then former President Eisenhower reflecting on his life and pondering the definition of greatness.
Adapted from Eisenhower’s memoirs and written by Richard Hellesen, the play opened off-Broadway in 2023 in Los Angeles and has been performed in New York, Maryland, and Alaska. On the heels of September’s World War II Weekend at the Eisenhower Farm, the play will be performed in Gettysburg, where it is set — in the theater that the Eisenhowers frequented — for the first time. Tickets are also available for an Opening Night pre-show dinner, and there will be a post-show discussion on Saturday.
One hundred years from the day the Majestic opened its doors on Nov. 14 in 1925, the daring Orpheus Chamber Orchestra will perform with Celtic music superstar Natalie MacMaster. A Grammy award-winning ensemble independent of a conductor, the OCO has been described as an experiment in musical democracy (the musicians interpret the score).
MacMaster — a Canadian-born artist who’s built an extensive career as a fiddler and step dancer — has multiple Canadian music awards, albums, singles and music videos under her belt. Gala ticket packages (in addition to tickets to the collaborative performance) are available.
On Tuesday, Feb. 3, the Centennial Celebration will culminate in a performance of iconic works by the Martha Graham Dance Company — the oldest dance company in the United States, and anticipating its Centennial in 2026 — to honor Gabel’s legacy of presenting premiere dance artists in Gettysburg.
Founder Martha Graham (1894-1991) was named “Dancer of the Century” by TIME Magazine in 1998, and the program features some of her renowned works as well as the work of dynamic choreographers today. In a special appearance, John Rubinstein will return to narrate Graham’s 1944 ballet “Appalachian Spring” and perform Leonard Bernstein’s “Simple Song.”
Visit https://www.gettysburgmajestic.org for more information about the Centennial Celebration and other performances and film screenings during the Majestic’s 100th season. Tickets are available for purchase online or at the Majestic Theater Box Office, 25 Carlisle Street, (717) 337-8200.
