The downtown Fitchburg Theater Block consists of a 2-story commercial building and a 1,751-seat performance/movie theater. The theater opened on February 7, 1929 as a movie house with live (often Vaudeville) performances and a Wurlitzer Style 190-pipe organ. The last time the theater was used was the early-1980’s, and it has seriously deteriorated since then. 

Thirty years later, the Fitchburg Theater Block was purchased by Fitchburg State University to create a 1,200-seat performing arts center. 

The first phase of work was a physical assessment of the entire block and the development of a phased renovation plan. Phase One of the renovation, completed in the fall of 2018, is the FSU Game Studio + ideaLab. The Game Design major is the first of its kind in a public institution in the Northeast. The flexible space has workstations for up to thirty students and includes a game-testing lounge, kitchenette, and two conference rooms. The studio features a student-designed 11’ x 118’ ceiling mural. The kitchenette and large conference room are shared with the ideaLab, a business incubator for the University and the Fitchburg community.

Phase Two is the theater renovation, with an expected opening date of 2023.