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The 2000's

The 2000's

Curtain up! Light the lights!

As part of our on-going historic restoration of the Shea's Buffalo Theatre, lost monuments of the original theater from 1926 has been replaced by identical replicas: in 1995, we welcomed back the Main Street marquee, and in 2004, the iconic 65-foot-tall and 11,000-pound blade sign returned after a fifty-four year absence from Main Street.

Molly Ringwald in Sweet Charity

February 6 - 11, 2007

Chris Rock

March 19, 2004 / June 4, 2022

Patti LuPone & Mandy Patinkin

May 2, 2009

David Bowie

May 25, 2004
Originally, the walls of Shea's Buffalo Theatre lobbies were covered in a velvety wallpaper. Restoration Consultant Doris Collins got permission from the National Register of Historic Places to instead recreate the effect over nearly 7,000-square-feet through hand-drawn stencils, all done by volunteers. "The fabric was quoted as costing $200,000; I haven't spent $2,000 yet to do the same coverage." Doris Collins said.

Photo Credit: November 11, 2005

Originally, the walls of Shea's Buffalo Theatre lobbies were covered in a velvety wallpaper. Restoration Consultant Doris Collins got permission from the National Register of Historic Places to instead recreate the effect over nearly 7,000-square-feet through hand-drawn stencils, all done by volunteers. "The fabric was quoted as costing $200,000; I haven't spent $2,000 yet to do the same coverage." Doris Collins said.

The interior of Shea's Buffalo Theatre is made of a fine plaster and silk threads called "scagliola" intentionally meant to imitate marble. An easy way to tell the difference is that marble is cold to the touch and scagliola makes a hollow sound when knocked on!

The interior of Shea's Buffalo Theatre is made of a fine plaster and silk threads called "scagliola" intentionally meant to imitate marble. An easy way to tell the difference is that marble is cold to the touch and scagliola makes a hollow sound when knocked on!

"Buffalo has a spirit of volunteerism you don't get in many, many cities. This will probably be my swan song, but I'll come back as a volunteer and haunt everybody."

- Doris Collins, Restoration Consultant
Shea's Buffalo Theatre has five unique carpet designs according to our 1926 photographs from opening day. But being from 1926, we weren't sure what colors they had used - until we found original carpet samples stowed away in a dusty closet! Our historically-accurate carpeting was custom-milled by a factory in Northern Ireland in 2009.

Shea's Buffalo Theatre has five unique carpet designs according to our 1926 photographs from opening day. But being from 1926, we weren't sure what colors they had used - until we found original carpet samples stowed away in a dusty closet! Our historically-accurate carpeting was custom-milled by a factory in Northern Ireland in 2009.

"It was pretty emotional to see it go up. I think it's something many of us always dreamed would happen but thought never would," said Anthony C. Conte, Shea's president and chief operating officer. "If you look at the front of the building, it looks as it did in 1926."

Photo Credit: August 11, 2004

"It was pretty emotional to see it go up. I think it's something many of us always dreamed would happen but thought never would," said Anthony C. Conte, Shea's president and chief operating officer. "If you look at the front of the building, it looks as it did in 1926."

Photo Credit: August 10, 2004

Photo Credit: September 14, 2009