Donor Center

More than just a beautiful historic theatre.

The Landmark Theatre is the largest proscenium theatre in Central New York, with over 2,700 seats in our auditorium. Each year, we host everything from touring Broadway shows to concerts to comedians and more. These events attract over 100,000 guests per year, with over 50% of these patrons traveling from outside of Onondaga County. As the anchor of the historic Salina Street district, we’re a significant driver of economic activity in Downtown Syracuse.

For over three generations, the Landmark Theatre has been a center of arts and entertainment for Central New York. But 90+ years of service to the community has taken its toll. To ensure this historic gem is preserved for future generations, critical infrastructure projects had to be completed before we could tackle interior restoration. We have restored our HVAC systems to full operation to ensure interior air quality and completed exterior envelope repairs to weathertight integrity.  With these foundation steps completed we can begin the restoration of our beautiful auditorium to its original glory.

Watch video

What we are going to do:

Now that the exterior of the building is weather tight we hope to begin the restoration of the Walnut Room and the interior of the auditorium.

The Walnut Room:

To bring  the Walnut Room back to its timeless elegance we will have to perform significant work. First the non-original center bar will be removed followed by the carpet and subfloor. A new subfloor will then be poured and epoxy coated to ensure a level and waterproof surface. Last a replica of the 1928 carpet will be laid down. Finally the room will be painted in its original colors and the walnut marquetry restored. We will also be installing a dedicated HVAC system for the Walnut Room as it currently depends on the auditorium’s system for air quality. This will make the Walnut Room available (and affordable) for meetings, receptions, weddings and other intimate gatherings.

Auditorium Restoration

The Auditorium’s restoration, after nearly 100 years of use, is the project we have been working towards with all the other system upgrades and building restorations. We had to make sure that auditorium restoration work would not be at risk from water penetration, adverse air quality or damage from other reconstruction activities.

The restoration process will be challenging: to get access to the all the ceiling areas, the Proscenium Arch and side walls of the Balcony, the restorers must fill the space with scaffolding. The scaffolding gives them safe access to clean and repair the plaster finishes throughout the auditorium. Each phase (there will be three phases) must be completed in a 10-week “dark” period during our Summer closures. This difficult timetable will require that the restorers work a 24×7 schedule.

Phase 1: Restoration of the Proscenium Arch & Ceiling and the Balcony Rail. Target Date: Summer 2025

Phase 2: Restoration of the Loge and Balcony Side Walls and Ceiling. Target Date: Summer 2026

Phase 3: Restoration of the Under Balcony Ceiling and the Orchestra Side Walls. Target Date Summer 2026

How you can help:

The Syracuse community (and beyond!) has always rallied behind us, and we’ve been incredibly fortunate to receive support from local foundations, businesses, and individual donors. We’re asking you to consider making a gift that will help us achieve our goal.

Your generous financial donations help us achieve very specific goals; these are detailed on the donations page. We have tried to make it as clear as possible where your valuable money goes in the ongoing restoration of this beautiful and historic theatre.

This is your historic treasure to maintain and preserve for future generations.

This is your home for arts and entertainment.

This is your Landmark.