A two-year transformation to restore the Robins Theatre will be unveiled to the public on Thursday for the entertainment venue's opening night.

"I'm super excited to show it off in all honesty," Mark Marvin said, president of the Downtown Development Group.

"We did it so the public could come in and be proud of Warren, Ohio, and proud of this theatre again."

Wall and ceiling molding designs had to be replaced in some places, all of the 1,400 seats were refurbished, and new brass railings replaced to bring the facility back to its original form when it opened in 1923.

The overall project cost about $6 million, coming in under budget by $1.5 million.

Marvin says the shows are going to be a downtown economic driver.

"We've talked to the restaurants, and all the restaurants are booked solid through the weekend," Marvin said. "The hotel is booked solid, so I think that it proves true that if you build it, they will come."

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will be the first major act to take the stage Thursday night.

Three Warren acts will kick off the evening, which gets underway starting at 7:30 p.m. in front of what's expected to be a full house.

"I really think this is the key, the linchpin to downtown Warren coming back, I really do," Ken Haidaris said, president of Sunrise Entertainment LLC.