Postcards of the original Regent Theater

A Colorful History
In the 1950’s, the East Liberty area of Pittsburgh was the third-largest business district in the state of Pennsylvania . Jewelers, clothiers, restaurants, and seven thriving first-run theaters surrounded the town square, dominated by the Gothic spires of East Liberty Presbyterian Church. Virtually every important bus route passed through the enclave, bringing shoppers, music-lovers, and bon-vivants of all races and cultures to the neighborhood’s doorstep. Excitement and a sense of well-being filled the air. But by the late 1980’s the neighborhood had fallen victim to crime, poverty, and a stupendously misguided urban renewal plan. East Liberty was a community with a dashed psyche and broken heart.

As the decade of the 1990’s began, there arose a determined belief that a multi-cultural performing arts venue could be a powerful catalyst for community harmony and an economic renaissance. The attention of community leaders fell on the beloved Regent Theater on Penn Avenue , the only one of the seven original cinemas left standing.

It was the building itself that captured the imagination. Standing like a cultural sentinel, channeling the happy memories of bygone days, the Regent was a beacon of community pride in a minefield of urban decay. To ponder the revered structure brought instantly to mind the glory days of former decades, when East Liberty truly deserved the honorific “ Pittsburgh ’s second downtown.”

In a burst of civic enthusiasm, foundation generosity, and community support, the Regent was fitted-out, buffed-up, re-opened and celebrated. Unfortunately, issues of financial sustainability forced a retreat, and the marquee went dark once again.

The Need for an Affordable Performing Arts Venue
But the dream of a viable performing arts center for the East End persisted. Community leaders realized that the revitalization of the East End communities might effectively be coupled with the needs of Pittsburgh ’s rich array of small-budget arts organizations, which had effectively been shut out of the city’s Cultural District due to the formidable costs of performing in the downtown venues. The intention was to fuse the energy and focus of the artists with the resolve of proud community determined to rebuild itself. Feasibility studies were undertaken to ascertain the level of interest among the arts groups, and the results were encouraging.

In 1999, the non-profit Community Theater Project Corporation was formed to spearhead a complete renovation of the Regent. In a sweeping gesture of faith (still mindful of the previous failed attempt), area foundations, corporations, civic groups, and individuals once again contributed, this time to the tune of $1.385 million, to provide for the refurbishment of the Regent and its re-dedication to the benefit of the community. This time, three years of operating costs were built into the plan. The theater was sufficiently finished to open for performances in May of 2001, and the full job was completed – and fully paid for – by the end of August 2002. Read more about the renovation in an article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The Namesakes
The reborn venue was named in honor of Hollywood movie legend Gene Kelly , who began his career as a student in the East End , and for jazz composer Billy Strayhorn, who frequented the area as a teen-ager before his musical coming-of-age as the great Duke Ellington’s right-hand-man. The estate executors and surviving relatives of these two cultural icons enthusiastically gave permission to use the names in perpetuity.

Patricia Ward Kelly wrote a charming article for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette entitled “Why I Said Yes to East Liberty”, in which she explored the tantalizing thought that perhaps Gene and Billy, who both resided in the East End at roughly the same time and had many of the same interests, had actually met and interacted with one another. Mrs. Kelly referred to Gene’s upbringing in East Liberty as “a vital element in what he was to become, both as a creative influence and as a man.” She drew a number of parallels between the lives of the two young men – they both harbored a wide-ranging intellectual curiosity, both were indefatigable readers, were influenced by Gershwin’s music – and each had a tremendous passion to make his mark on the world. She concluded that joining their names on the new marquee was entirely appropriate, and indeed “bordered on the magical.”