RBTL West Herr Auditorium Theatre

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The West Herr Auditorium Theatre gives a Rochester performance a setting with its own architectural story. Inside the larger West Herr Performing Arts Center, Art Deco fixtures, ornamental plaster and a decorated auditorium dome belong to a building dedicated in 1930. The venue's present identity also reflects later ownership, renovation and renaming. A visit organized around an actual performance can leave time to notice how those different periods remain part of the same theatre experience.

Construction began with a cornerstone laid in 1928. Original light fixtures and molded plasterwork preserve aspects of the design period in the lobbies and auditorium. These details make the interior more than a container for a stage. Looking at the relationship between lighting, wall decoration and the larger ceiling form provides a way to appreciate the building without needing every decorative element to tell the same story.

The dome has a particularly unusual detail:64 squirrels worked into its ornamental symmetry. Squirrel and acorn motifs also appear elsewhere in the building, alongside birds and grapevines in some rooms. According to the venue's history, the plasterer introduced these whimsical elements during construction. Their presence gives the formal interior a smaller-scale subject that can be easy to miss when attention is directed entirely toward the stage.

The Rochester Broadway Theatre League formed in 1957 to bring touring productions to the city. It purchased the theatre portion of the building in 2004 and undertook a major renovation, replacing seating and carpeting and improving restroom facilities. Those changes connect the earlier architectural setting with the practical needs of a modern performance venue. The theatre's continuity has involved adaptation as well as the survival of decorative details.

In 2023, RBTL acquired the remaining Auditorium Center portion and partnered with West Herr to rename the larger complex and theatre. The distinction between the performing arts center and the auditorium remains useful when reading event information. A named performance takes place within a particular part of the complex, and current booking details provide the relevant arrangement for attending it. The building's wider history does not make every interior space part of an ordinary theatre visit.

A Wurlitzer theatre organ adds another layer. The instrument has 1,619 pipes and a console that rises from the orchestra pit. It was rescued from Rochester's former RKO Palace Theater and brought into this setting, rather than being an original fixture installed here when the building opened. The Rochester Theater Organ Society formed to rescue the instrument before the Palace Theater was demolished in the mid-1960s. Theatre organs historically accompanied silent films, so its presence connects the auditorium with another strand of performance history beyond today's touring productions.

Check the current program and house instructions for the event intended. If photography is permitted, consider the architectural details without interrupting the performance or other visitors. The strongest local story joins several concrete elements: a 1930 building, original Art Deco finishes, an unexpectedly playful dome, a relocated Wurlitzer and decades of theatre use. Appreciating those layers can make the surroundings an engaging part of the visit, alongside the particular work being presented on stage.

Fun facts

1. The building’s cornerstone was laid in 1928 and it was dedicated in 1930.
2. The ornamental auditorium dome incorporates 64 squirrels.
3. RBTL formed in 1957 and purchased the theatre portion in 2004.
4. The Wurlitzer has 1,619 pipes and was relocated from the former RKO Palace Theater.

Read the official sources →

Capture

1. Where photography is permitted, look at relationships between the dome, lighting and decorative forms.
2. Avoid photographing a performance or other visitors contrary to house guidance.
3. Illustrations should use generic Art Deco geometry rather than copy the theatre’s exact ceiling or commissioned stage production.

Social

RBTL’s West Herr Auditorium Theatre has a distinctive architectural setting in Rochester. #Cre8Travel

The building’s cornerstone dates to 1928 and its dedication to 1930.

Original lighting and ornamental plaster reflect the Art Deco period.

The auditorium dome includes 64 squirrels within its decorative symmetry.

RBTL formed in 1957 and purchased the theatre in 2004.

A major renovation adapted the theatre for modern audiences.

The relocated Wurlitzer brings 1,619 pipes and a separate strand of performance history.

Attend a current event and notice the setting around it, from the large dome to the smaller ornamental details.

Hashtags

1. #Cre8Travel
2. #NewYork
3. #PerformingArts
4. #HistoricTheatre

Sources & visitor information

• Source — RBTL West Herr Auditorium Theatre
• Source — RBTL West Herr Auditorium Theatre
• Source — RBTL West Herr Auditorium Theatre