Sheass Buffalo, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built by theatre entrepreneur Michael Shea as a movie palace and vaudeville stage with over 3,200 seats.

The molded plasterwork of the walls and vaulted ceiling were patterned after the great opera houses in Europe. Antique furnishings were designed by Marshall Field (Chicago) and Tiffany Studios (NYC). A giant Wurlitzer organ was also installed. Traveling vaudeville shows would often debut in New York City and subsequently stop and perform in Buffalo before continuing to Chicago.

Loew's operated the structure as a movie house between the late-1940s and the mid-1970s. By the mid-1970s, however, the building had fallen into a state of disrepair, and the City of Buffalo foreclosed on the property to prevent Loew's from selling the antique furniture and fixtures. Friends of Buffalo Theatre, successful in obtaining National Register status for the structure, re-opened the theatre as a performing arts center.

However, mounting debts forced the closure of the theatre again in 1979. Shea's Preservation Guild took over management in 1981 and the theatre remained open with aid from the City of Buffalo. It has served as a performing arts center since then.

In 1999, a $30 million stagehouse expansion and theatre renovation began, with the final work to be completed within the next few years. The expansion allows the theatre to accommodate large Broadway productions while serving as the anchor to the emerging Theatre District in downtown Buffalo.

Sheas Buffalo is the sole survivor of six opulent movie palaces once located in Downtown.

That's the last stop... we hope you enjoyed your tour!