Lerner Theater

History

The Lerner Theatre, 410 S. Main St. in downtown Elkhart, was built for businessman Harry E. Lerner and opened Nov. 27, 1924 as a 2,000-seat vaudeville and movie palace designed by Chicago architect K. V. Vitchum. Warner Bros. briefly ran it as the Warner; a 1934 contest renamed it the Elco. The city bought it in 1990, it was added to the National Register in 1980, and an $18 million renovation finished in 2011 restored the Lerner name. Bert Kreischer (Nov. 8, 2026) and the Bored Teachers comedy tour (Nov. 12, 2026) are booked there.