Official Site of The State of New Jersey

The Darress Theatre is a key contributing resource to the National Register eligible Boonton Main Street Historic District. The Theatre’s period of significance begins in 1920 and ends in the 1960s. The Darress Theatre was designed by local architect and inventor Clair Darress to be fireproof and to feature a unique reverse entry plan. Instead of entering at the back of the theatre, the audience enters the auditorium from underneath the stage/screen. This building remains one of the very few theatres with this plan still intact. In the early years, the Darress Theatre was a 900-seat vaudeville and motion picture theatre. The theatre thrived from the 1930s to the 1950s but closed in the 1970s. The building sat dormant for 10 years until it was purchased by a private owner to host movies, children’s theatre, and magic shows. The Town of Boonton later purchased the Theatre in 2020 with the intent to restore it to an active theatre and regional performing arts center.   

The 2024 grant will help fund the development of schematic design documents.