Westcott Theater
A 700-capacity, cinema-style multipurpose concert venue in Syracuse, New York.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Westcott Theater is a mid-sized live entertainment venue located at 524 Westcott Street in the Westcott neighborhood of Syracuse, New York. The building dates to 1919 and has served several entertainment purposes over its history. It was originally established as a cinema known as the Harvard Theater, later operating under the name The Studio. During its cinema years, the venue showed a broad range of films, including productions associated with vaudeville and more adult-oriented programming. In 1993, local film enthusiast Nat Tobin assumed control of the cinema's lease. Tobin, who also managed the Manlius Art Cinema, reopened the property as the Westcott Cinema. Under his management, the venue operated as a single-screen movie theater for approximately fourteen years, screening contemporary films for local audiences. The cinema closed in October 2007, creating an opportunity to repurpose the building. Local entrepreneurs Sam Levey and Dan Mastronardi subsequently proposed converting the former cinema into a concert venue. Working with building owner Ray Duplain, they renovated the property by removing the cinema's seating and screen and adding a small bar. The reconfigured venue was intended to serve the local Westcott neighborhood, sometimes referred to in promotional language as the Westcott Nation, while also attracting students and concertgoers from Syracuse University and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The repurposed venue reopened in October 2007, with concerts beginning in September 2008 and an official opening held in November of that year. Since then, the Westcott Theater has operated as a cinema-style concert space with a stated capacity of approximately 700 people. Its programming covers multiple musical genres. Although it books a variety of acts, the venue increased its presentation of electronic music beginning around 2011. It has also been described as one of Syracuse's most consistent midsize concert venues, presenting roughly 120 shows annually during the period discussed in published local coverage. The Westcott Theater's identity is therefore rooted in adaptive reuse: a historic neighborhood movie theater transformed into an intimate live-music room while retaining the architectural and spatial character of a cinema. Its principal role is regional rather than national, providing touring and local performers with a midsize stage and serving Syracuse's general concert audience, including nearby university communities. The venue has also hosted unusual or relocated events, including two performances by the jam-rock band moe. in July and August 2020 after the band's planned drive-in activities at Vernon Downs were unexpectedly canceled.
History
The building now occupied by the Westcott Theater was constructed in 1919 in Syracuse's Westcott neighborhood. Its earliest documented entertainment identity was the Harvard Theater. It later became known as The Studio. During this period it operated as a cinema and presented varied film programming, ranging from material associated with vaudeville films to more risqué adult films. In 1993, Nat Tobin, a local film enthusiast and manager of the Manlius Art Cinema, took control of the property's lease. He reopened it under the name Westcott Cinema and ran it as a single-screen movie theater. For the next fourteen years, the cinema primarily screened contemporary films for local audiences. The Westcott Cinema closed in October 2007. The closure led to a change in the building's purpose. Local entrepreneurs Sam Levey and Dan Mastronardi approached building owner Ray Duplain with a proposal to convert the former cinema into a concert venue. The renovation removed the original cinema seats and screen and added a small bar. The design preserved the building's cinema-like atmosphere while adapting it for live performances. The new venue was intended to serve residents of the Westcott neighborhood and attract concertgoing students from Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The converted venue reopened in October 2007. Concerts began in September 2008, and the formal opening took place in November 2008. The resulting Westcott Theater became a multipurpose venue with an approximate capacity of 700 people. It books performers from a range of genres and has increasingly featured electronic music acts since about 2011. Local reporting later characterized it as a dependable midsize Syracuse venue, with approximately 120 shows per year during the period covered. The theater's subsequent role has been that of a regional concert room rather than a conventional movie theater. Its programming combines touring artists, genre-specific events, and performances aimed at the wider Syracuse market and nearby college communities. In 2020, it hosted two moe. concerts on July 31 and August 1 when Vernon Downs unexpectedly canceled the band's planned drive-in events. This episode illustrates the venue's ability to function as an alternative location for live entertainment during an unusual period for concert programming.
- 2020
moe. performances relocated to the venue
[1]The Westcott Theater presented moe. on July 31 and August 1 after the band's planned Vernon Downs drive-in events were canceled.
- 2011
Electronic music programming expands
[1]The theater began steadily increasing the number of electronic music acts in its schedule.
- 2008
Concert operations and official opening
[1]The venue began presenting concerts in September and held its official opening in November.
- 2007
Westcott Cinema closes and conversion begins
[1]The cinema closed in October, after which Sam Levey and Dan Mastronardi pursued its conversion into a concert venue.
- 2007
Repurposed venue reopens
[1]Following renovations that removed the cinema seating and screen and added a bar, the property reopened under the Westcott Theater identity in October.
- 1993
Cinema reopens as Westcott Cinema
[1]Nat Tobin took control of the lease and reopened the property as the Westcott Cinema, continuing its operation as a single-screen movie theater.
- 1919
Original theater building constructed
[1]The building that later became the Westcott Theater was constructed in Syracuse's Westcott neighborhood.
Products and positioning
A historic, intimate midsize live-music venue serving Syracuse and nearby university audiences through multigenre concert programming.
Concert programming · 2008
Live concerts
The Westcott Theater's principal offering is live music in an approximately 700-person, cinema-style room. Its booking covers multiple genres and supports both touring and regional performers. The venue is positioned as a midsize alternative to larger Syracuse halls, offering audiences a more intimate setting.
Electronic music · 2011
Electronic music events
Beginning around 2011, the venue increased its presentation of electronic music acts. These events form a notable part of its evolving programming identity alongside its broader multigenre concert schedule.
Special events
Special and relocated live events
The venue can accommodate special live-entertainment bookings when outdoor or alternative plans change. A documented example is its hosting of two moe. performances in 2020 after planned events at Vernon Downs were canceled.
Brand decisions
2011
Increase in electronic music bookingsStrategyBackground
After establishing itself as a multigenre concert venue, the theater adjusted its programming mix in response to the regional live-music market.
Action taken
The venue steadily increased the number of electronic music acts appearing on its schedule.
Aftermath
Electronic music became a more visible component of the theater's identity while the venue continued to book acts from other genres.
2007
Conversion from movie theater to concert venueStrategyBackground
The single-screen Westcott Cinema closed in October 2007 after operating as a contemporary-film theater for roughly fourteen years. Local entrepreneurs identified the vacant property as a potential live-entertainment room.
Action taken
Sam Levey and Dan Mastronardi worked with building owner Ray Duplain to remove the cinema seating and screen, add a small bar, and reopen the property as the Westcott Theater.
Aftermath
The repurposed venue began concerts in September 2008 and officially opened in November 2008 as a roughly 700-capacity midsize concert space.
Recent events
- 2020
Westcott Theater hosts relocated moe. performances[1]
Other
The venue hosted moe. on July 31 and August 1 after Vernon Downs unexpectedly canceled the band's planned drive-in activities.
- 2011
Westcott Theater expands electronic music programming[1]
Other
The venue began steadily increasing the share of electronic music acts in its event schedule.
- 2008
Westcott Theater officially opens as a concert venue[1]
Other
Concert activity began in September 2008, followed by the venue's formal opening in November.
- 2007
Westcott Theater begins transition from cinema to concert venue[1]
Other
After the former Westcott Cinema closed, local entrepreneurs began renovating the property for use as a midsize live-entertainment venue.
Sources1 sources
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