The Main Theater, built by the Stiefel brothers, held its grand opening the day after Christmas in 1938. The first film to show was "Just Around The Corner" starring Shirley Temple.

The theatre was one of kind for its time. The marquee was made by superior sign system of Elizabethtown, the ticket office was made with Belgium glass brick, with 596 sockets to "furnish illumination". The theatre was originally designed to seat 1,000 people. However, in interest of comfort, owners added six inches of space between rows to the design, so that only 808 seats were placed into the theatre. In 1970 a large modern concession stand was installed in the theatre lobby. This beautiful structure offered movies and live productions until it deteriorated into disrepair and was closed to the public.

In 1990, the Denver and Ephrata Telephone Company purchased the theater to restore the building and once again provide movies and live productions to the area. Many items from the original theater were preserved and incorporated into the reconstruction of a modern theater.

The theatre is located in the Brossman Business Center in downtown Ephrata. For a listing of current movies please visit The Main Theater's website or call 733-9098.