Residents wanted houses with yards and more open space with less noise than in Allentown's busy center city.

[2] The theater, located at 527 North 19th Street in Allentown, was developed by Rubin Mainker and Alex Minker and opened on September 17, 1928.

The outside of the building was bright yellow with fanciful decorations of birds, flowers, butterflies and elephants," The Allentown Morning Call reported.

The nonprofit volunteer group began to enlarge the stage and quickly bowed to community requests in late 1957 that the Moller organ be retained.

Fundraising efforts and a grant from the Trexler Trust was secured to finance the repair, which was carried out by the Alvin Butz Inc. construction company.

Civic uses the facility as one of its screens for its well-regarded independent and international film series, as well as to produce and present additional theatrical programming.

[3] Lehigh Valley-area alumni who have appeared at the Civic Theatre of Allentown include Michaela Conlin (Fox's Bones),[4] Dane DeHaan (In Treatment),[5] Michael McDonald (Broadway revival of Hair),[6] Daniel Roebuck (The Late Shift),[7] actress Amanda Seyfried (Mama Mia),[8] and actress Christine Taylor (The Wedding Singer).

[9] Civic Theatre entered the digital motion picture era when it replaced its traditional 35mm projectors with state-of-the art DCI compliant units.

Civic Theatre's live production arm has produced adaptations of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

The production is being marked with special events, including a retrospective exhibition at Allentown's Liberty Bell Museum.

[10] The Civic Theatre began a two-phase renovation project that will restore the auditorium, upgrade the stage equipment and improve the backstage and front-of-house amenities.