The marquee at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts electronically displays upcoming events. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

Think of live theater and the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts may come to mind.

But the Reg Lenna is more than just live theater.

It’s home to movie screenings, concerts, ballet productions, as well as being a part of downtown festivals.

“It’s it’s unique because it’s a multipurpose entertainment and arts venue,” said Len Barry, director of marketing. “In Jamestown, in Western New York, there’s not a lot of those (venues), we count ourselves among few that are delivering that live audience experience.”

He said bringing people together is an experience that not a lot of venues can do.

The Reg Lenna, located at 116 E. Third St., was named winner in the live theater category in the 2022 Chautauqua County Best of the Best contest sponsored by The Post-Journal and the Dunkirk OBSERVER.

On Feb. 5 The Reg, as it is known throughout the area, began a yearlong celebration of the Palace Theater’s 100th anniversary.

Barry said the variety of programming is a throwback to what the theater offered when it first opened.

“We have our live event schedule. We have our movies every week, and we have a lot of community partners that do their annual either film festival screenings or live performances here as part of larger festivals for the area,” Barry said.

The Palace Theater opened on Feb. 5, 1923 with a program featuring live music, public officials and a screening of the Lionel Barrymore film, A Face in the Fog. The theater initially operated as a vaudeville house, with Nikitas Dipson purchasing it in 1926, adding more movie showings. It showcased films and live events through 1956. That year saw Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz return to Jamestown to premiere their film Forever Darling at the theater.

After 25 years of showing films exclusively, the Palace had fallen into disrepair. After a noted solo concert by Harry Chapin in 1981, community members began the process of raising funds to restore the theater. The Palace Civic Center presented live performances for nearly a decade, reopening fully after it was restored in 1990. It was renamed the Reg Lenna Civic Center, honoring Reginald and Elizabeth Lenna – who provided a generous financial gift to complete the renovations. The theater continues to be the focus of programming at Reg Lenna Center for The Arts with over 60 films and 30 live events presented annually.

The Reg is considered the eastern anchor of the down entertainment corridor. The western anchor is the National Comedy Center. Both venues work in tandem during the annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival.