Crandell Theatre to Reopen After $4.2M Renovation Ahead of FilmColumbia

On October 15, Chatham’s Crandell Theatre will roll back the curtain on its next act. Nearly a century after Walter S. Crandell built the Spanish Renaissance-style cinema on his grandfather’s Main Street lot, the “jewel of Chatham’s Main Street” reopens following a $4.2 million restoration and renovation that stripped the old house to its bones and dressed it anew.

It’s not the first crisis the Crandell has weathered. This single-screen survivor—one of just 54 left in the country—made it through the Depression, the rise of television, the reign of multiplexes, a pandemic shutdown, and the Netflix era. Through it all, the theater has remained a cultural anchor, staging everything from first-run films and kid matinees to live performances and literary events. The new Crandell keeps faith with that legacy: the marquee has gone digital, but the light fixtures have been restored to their 1926 sparkle. Plush new seating—449 of them, with a pocket of restored wooden originals in the balcony—faces a state-of-the-art screen and sound system. There’s a new café in the lobby, expanded restrooms, an elevator, and ADA-compliant seating.

The timing of the reopening is no accident. After ribbon-cutting, tours, and an open house on October 15, the theater will resume public screenings on October 17, just in time for FilmColumbia’s 25th anniversary. The festival has long been the Crandell’s calling card, an autumn ritual that has brought Oscar contenders and indie darlings to Chatham, and in turn attracted actors, directors, and cinephiles from around the world.

The Crandell’s reboot comes with a fresh face at the helm. Executive Director Mirissa Neff, a filmmaker and former PBS journalist, is charged with honoring the past while charting new directions. “The Crandell has long been the beloved cultural heart of Chatham and its environs,” Neff says. “But our ambitious capital campaign, and the technological and aesthetic advances it has enabled, will allow us to do so much more. I look forward to mounting an inspiring programming slate that will enlighten and enliven our upstate community, and motivate my neighbors and friends to revel in the singular experience that a night at the Crandell can provide.”

And Chatham, improbably, is now rich in such spaces. Alongside the Crandell are PS21’s contemporary performance center, the under-construction Shaker Museum, and the Art Omi Pavilions. There’s also the much-anticipated opening next spring of Four Corners, Michelin-starred chef David Israelow’s new restaurant in the former Blue Plate space. For a village of 4,000 without a college campus, the concentration is staggering. Demographic shifts—weekenders settling full-time, artists trading city leases for rural porches—have fueled a renaissance. The reborn Crandell stands at the center of it, a luminous marquee for a town fast becoming an arts destination.