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The nonprofit County Theater is expanding.

A new chapter.

The nonprofit County Theater purchased the neighboring “Poor Richards” property in 2016 and our historic theater is expanding with a new addition.

The new space will include a new auditorium, a new lobby with expanded concession stand, and a complete set of first-floor bathrooms. The existing historic theater will stay the same, but will receive new seats and other upgrades.

What the expansion means:

A large third auditorium with expanded programming.

Adding 180 seats in a beautiful, new stadium-style auditorium will allow for more main attractions, more foreign and classic films, and more special events like theater and opera. There will also be a small stage for discussions and presentations.

A new, larger lobby with first-floor bathrooms.

The new lobby will provide more space to mingle and talk about movies. Plus, we’ll have a new concession stand. A complete new suite of accessible first-floor bathrooms will be added. (This was the number one request in response to our survey.)

Upgrades to our historic theater.

The existing historic theater will be renovated with larger, more comfortable seats and other improvements. A new box office will get you out of bad weather and serve you with multiple ticket sellers (although we'll still retain the old box office). And, you will continue to enter the County through the original theater doors.

Updates.

View The Latest section to see our ongoing work.

The cost & our team.

The total cost.

$3,000,000 Total Fundraising. (See FUNDRAISING for details.)
$1,500,000 Long-term mortgage.
$4,500,000 Construction budget.

Our construction team.

We are fortunate to have an excellent team to lead us through this exciting expansion project.

Our lead architect is John Cluver of Voith and Mactavish Architects, Philadelphia.  John designed the historic theater expansion at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute and was involved in the Mercer Museum’s revamped entrance project here in Doylestown.   As director of his firm’s preservation studio, John is attuned to historic buildings. He has worked as a preservation consultant on a wide range of projects and serves on various preservation boards.  He is assisted by associate architect Rob Douglass.

Our general contractor is Adams Bickel Associates, Royersford, a distinguished leader in construction management and general contracting in PA, NJ and DE.  Their CEO, Gus Perea has helped guide the County Theater through the complicated process of this project.  Adams Bickel has been responsible for major projects in Doylestown, including at the Mercer and Michener Museums. Gus is a long-time resident of Doylestown and is actively involved in borough life, serving on the Doylestown Borough Planning Commission, Building Code Committee, and Energy Advisory Committee. As if that isn’t enough, in high school Gus was an usher at the County Theater!  He is assisted by project manager John Danowski.

The Board’s representative on this project is John Toner, the County Theater’s Founding Director. John grew up in Doylestown and has recently returned to live in the borough. He led the efforts to save the County in 1993 and is responsible for its conversion to a nonprofit “art house.” He saw his first movies at County Saturday kids matinees. John also admits that he is a recovering attorney. He is helped on this project by the theater’s Executive Director, Chris Collier, and by its Operations Director, Jesse Crooks.

A project in harmony with Doylestown.

The journey so far.

The County Theater opened in 1938 and then re-opened as a nonprofit in 1993. Our nonprofit organization purchased the theater in 1996 and then purchased the adjacent property in 2016.

For four years, the County Theater’s board and staff planned and prepared the theater's expansion. We held 20 meetings with our members, friends, borough staff, and neighbors. We received over 900 responses to our public survey.

We listened carefully to your input and suggestions.

The board hired a renowned architectural firm, which prepared plans and budgets. Those plans are the direct result of all of your feedback.

The design process.

It is critical that the County Theater’s new addition blend in with Doylestown’s traditional architecture. It also needs to harmonize with our distinctive, art deco theater.

The design of the County’s new addition was a long and exhaustive process.  It was done after extensive consultation and feedback from members, neighbors, friends, borough staff and local committees. We listened to everyone.

We then worked extensively with our architects, who incorporated all of your suggestions.  Many options were explored and 4 design principles were developed:
1) the historic County Theater must remain unchanged;
2) the addition must be secondary to the historic theater;
3) the addition must be in harmony with the historic theater; and
4) the addition must be in harmony with Doylestown.

A new balance.

The new addition achieves those 4 design principles. The historic County Theater remains unchanged and the new interior layout flows from the existing theater’s lobby. The addition’s upper facade echoes the panels and grid of the County, while playing a supporting role to our classic, art deco theater. The lower facade of the addition is typical of Doylestown’s storefronts and is bracketed by traditional brick.

The expansion design is simple, elegant, and at home in Doylestown. Thank you to the many members and friends of the theater who helped us reach this satisfying result.

The nonprofit County Theater makes our community a better place to live.

It’s all about community.

It’s wonderful to come together at the historic County Theater to watch a movie on the big screen. The theater comes alive with shared laughter, suspense, and romance.

Then, after the movie, you can linger with friends and strike up a conversation with neighbors. That’s what our community is all about.

Revitalizing Doylestown.

Local film-lovers saved the County in 1993 as a community-owned nonprofit.

We soon realized that the new theater had a major impact on downtown Doylestown. The borough was revitalized with new restaurants opening, stores keeping evening hours, and a bustling new nightlife.

The County welcomes over 75,000 patrons each year. Doylestown has become “town” for the entire area – to meet, walk, and dine – as part of a movie-going experience.

"I can almost always count on the County to have movies I am interested in seeing. These movies matter to me. Doylestown is a lucky town." – Nancy B.

"A real treasure, there are so few places like this left anywhere. The movie choice is eclectic and the nonprofit vibe is warm." – Ed P.

From our Campaign Co-Chairs.

Your neighbors.

The nonprofit County Theater

County Theater, Inc., is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization. The official registration and financial information of County Theater, Inc. may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. EIN 23-2230422. The County Theater has received a Gold Star rating from Guidestar.