The West Bend Theater is significant as a good example of a theater property type, constructed in 1929 and designed as a hybrid facility for both vaudeville and movies. This theater is somewhat unique in that 1929 was a turning point away from vaudeville, and toward movies, so it straddles both eras. The West Bend Theater has a notable design history, designed by the architectural firm of Graven and Mayger of Chicago, known nationally for movie palace designs and most recognized for their highly ornamental interior painting and artistic designs. The theater's architectural style is Art Deco, and its expressive exterior detailing and form represented a new direction for architecture in a small town context. The West Bend Theater is small in comparison to their other theater commissions, but that doesn't mean the architects curtailed their design. The building has a full stage, back of house support spaces, and performers dressing rooms for live theater, and the most current technology of the time was installed for the projection and screening of movies. The theater's prominent site near the center of downtown indicates it's importance in the community and the recent project to rehabilitate the theater points to its continued role in a vibrant downtown.