 The theater was opened and dedicated on January 2 , 1917 . The first concert took place on July 30 , 1916 , and was by Ignacy Jan Paderewski . During his performance , the Black Tom explosion took place at a munitions works in New Jersey , more than 30 miles ( 48 km ) from Scarborough . Frank Vanderlip Jr . , ten years old at the time , later recalled that he saw the detonation shake the jammed theater building , and that Paderewski had played on as if nothing had happened . The automatic fire doors at the top of the theater had sprung open , and two men were sent aloft to sit on them until the end of the performance to prevent a cold draft from entering the room . 
