Ohio Theatre (Cleveland, Ohio) facts for kids
The theatre's marquee
|
|
| Address | 1511 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio  United States |
|---|---|
| Owner | Playhouse Square Center |
| Capacity | 1,000 |
| Current use | Performing arts center |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1921 |
| Rebuilt | 1982 |
| Architect | Thomas W. Lamb |
| Website | |
|
Mimi Ohio Theatre
|
|
|
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Built | 1920 |
| Part of | Playhouse Square (ID78002041) |
| Added to NRHP | October 5, 1978 |
The Mimi Ohio Theatre is a cool theater located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It's part of a bigger group of theaters called Playhouse Square. This theater was built by a company named Loew's Ohio Theatres.
Contents
The Ohio Theatre's Beginning
The Ohio Theatre first opened its doors on February 14, 1921. It was designed by Thomas W. Lamb, a famous architect. He designed it in the Italian Renaissance style. This means it looked like old Italian buildings.
Original Design and Shows
When it first opened, the theater had 1,338 seats. The main entrance area, called the foyer, had three amazing murals. These paintings showed parts of the story of Venus, a goddess from old myths. The balcony also had paintings of a peaceful place called Arcadia.
Throughout the 1920s, the Ohio Theatre was a busy place. It had its own group of actors who performed regularly. It also hosted many traveling Broadway plays. These were popular stage shows that came from New York City.
Changes Over the Years
The theater went through several changes after its early days. These changes helped it stay open and useful for many years.
From Supper Club to Movie House
In 1935, the Ohio Theatre got a new look. It was redecorated in the Art Deco style, which was very modern at the time. It even became a fancy supper club called the Mayfair Casino. The owners hoped it could be a real casino, but gambling wasn't allowed in Ohio. So, the Mayfair closed in 1936.
Later, in 1943, the Loew's Theatres chain reopened the Ohio. This time, it became a movie theater that showed new movies.
Fire and Reopening
In 1964, a fire in the lobby also damaged the inside of the theater. After the fire, the lobby was rebuilt with a more modern design. The main theater area was painted red to hide the smoke damage.
However, fewer people started coming to the theater. Because of this, the Ohio Theatre closed in early February 1969. Other theaters in Playhouse Square also closed around the same time.
Saving the Theaters
Twice, the Ohio Theatre and the State Theatre were almost torn down. This was to make space for a parking lot. The first time was in 1972, but people protested and saved the buildings. It happened again in 1977.
To protect the theaters, the Playhouse Square Foundation stepped in. They made an agreement to use the theaters for a long time. Cuyahoga County bought the Loew's Building, which included the Ohio Theatre. In 1978, the Ohio Theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historic building.
Restoration and Rebirth
Because the fire had damaged the Ohio Theatre so much, it was planned to be the last theater in the group to be fixed. But plans changed! They decided to fix it faster.
A New Home for Shakespeare
The reason for the faster repair was to make the Ohio Theatre the new home for the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival. This festival performs plays by William Shakespeare. The restoration cost $4 million and took less than nine months.
On July 9, 1982, the Ohio Theatre became the first Playhouse Square theater to reopen. It now had 1,000 seats. The first play performed was Shakespeare's As You Like It.
Recreating the Lobby
The 1964 fire had badly damaged the lobby. In 1982, there wasn't enough money or time to make it look fancy. So, it had a simple, modern design.
But in 2016, Playhouse Square decided to make the lobby look like it did in 1921! This was possible because of a generous donation. The lobby was then renamed "the George Gund Foundation Lobby" to honor this gift.
