1931 Reid Brothers art-deco landmark with the iconic 100-foot tower
301 W Main Street, Merced, CA 95340
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Ticket prices vary by performance; the building hosts the Art Kamangar Center performing-arts programming and special events.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Historic theater seating
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1931 · Reid Brothers architecture · 1931 world premiere of Local Boy Makes Good · First air conditioning in Merced County · National Register of Historic Places (2009) · Iconic 100-foot neon tower
The Merced Theatre opened on October 31, 1931 with the world premiere of Local Boy Makes Good, starring Joe E. Brown. The theater was constructed over nine months at a cost of $380,000 and was designed by the Reid Brothers, prestigious San Francisco architects, for the Golden State Theatre Corporation.
The 1,645-seat venue boasted the first air conditioning system in Merced County and is topped by an iconic 100-foot tower over the main entrance and marquee. The Merced Theatre is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as of May 2009, and the building now operates as the Art Kamangar Center, presenting live performances and community programming.
The theater is sometimes locally called the Tower Theater after its signature 100-foot tower; the Shadowlands entry uses that informal name.
Sources
Local Merced tradition holds that the theater is haunted by a young woman who is said to have died after her fiancé was killed in war, with some retellings placing the loss in World War I and others in World War II. The apparition is reported to ask staff and patrons if they have seen 'Johnny,' the fiancé's name in the tradition.
An employee at the theater has publicly stated they are skeptical of the legend's chronology, since the theater did not open until October 1931, more than a decade after the end of World War I and roughly a decade before the United States entered World War II. The account is presented in regional California paranormal writing as folklore rather than documented history. Visitors should treat the story with clinical restraint and respect the active performing-arts use of the building.
Attend a performance at the 1931 Merced Theatre, now home to the Art Kamangar Center. The 1,645-seat venue was designed by the Reid Brothers of San Francisco and features a prominent 100-foot tower over the main entrance.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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