Valiant efforts to preserve the Warner Theater, which once stood at the site of Hotel Warner in West Chester, ultimately fell short, writes Malcolm Johnstone for the West Chester Business Improvement District.

The memories of one of the grandest theaters of its time are captured in a short film, Time for the Warner.

“Watching it brought back many fond memories,” said Eric Lorgus, the community leader at the forefront of the fight to preserve the theater.

Efforts were ignited in the mid-1980s, when then-owner Henry Greenburg explored ways to keep the theater going.

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“Greenburg applied for a demolition permit when I was on borough council, and we were able to find reasons to deny it several times,” said Lorgus.

While the next council also denied the permit, its members forgot to give a legitimate reason for doing so. Thus, the permit was issued to avoid a lawsuit.

Read more about the Warner Theater from the West Chester Business Improvement District here.