Ohio Theatre (Toledo, Ohio) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Ohio Theatre
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 3114 Lagrange St, Toledo, Ohio |
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| Built | 1921 |
| Architect | Stophlet and Stophlet, Anthony Kocherowski, et al. |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 06000198 |
| Added to NRHP | March 29, 2006 |
The Ohio Theatre is a historic building in Toledo, Ohio. It is located at 3112 Lagrange Street. This theatre was built in 1921. It is the last neighborhood theatre still open in Toledo.
The building has three stories and is made of brick and stone. It is about 8,000 square feet in size. Inside, it has stadium seating, old movie projectors, and a special pipe organ. This organ, called the Marr and Colton pipe organ, came from another theatre. The Ohio Theatre also has a large stage for performances. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.
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Location and Importance
The Ohio Theatre is in an area of Toledo called the Polish International Village. This street, Lagrange Street, has been home to many people of Polish heritage for over 130 years. The theatre is a very important part of this neighborhood. It is a historical treasure.
For many years, the Ohio Theatre has provided entertainment for people in Toledo. It showed vaudeville shows and silent films. Later, it showed movies and weekly serials. Today, it is still used for performing arts.
History of the Ohio Theatre
The Ohio Theatre first opened its doors on February 28, 1921. The first movie shown was The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks. Back then, an adult ticket cost 25 cents, and a child's ticket was 15 cents. This included a special "War Tax." When it first opened, it was the biggest neighborhood theatre in the entire country.
The theatre is best known for showing movies. It is the only historic neighborhood movie theatre still operating in Toledo. In 1929, Toledo had 41 indoor movie theatres. During the Great Depression, movies at places like the Ohio Theatre were a great way to find affordable fun.
The Ohio Theatre still looks much like it did in 1921. It has its original red brick front with Greek columns. It also has its first wooden seats and aisle lights. The original lights on the side walls are still there. Even the projection booth, where movies were shown, is original.
Who Owned the Theatre?
The company that built the theatre closed in 1923. The theatre was then sold to Rosa Bialorucki. Her family owned it until 1974. After that, the Catholic Diocese of Toledo bought it.
In 2004, a non-profit group called Ohio Theatre, Inc. took over. Then, in 2009, United North, another non-profit group, bought it. United North closed in 2019. In November 2020, the Children's Theatre Workshop (CTW) bought the Ohio Theatre. CTW now performs all their plays and musicals there. They also rent the space for other events like dance and music shows. CTW recently received a large grant to improve the theatre's front and other parts of the building.
Memorable Events
The Ohio Theatre has seen many exciting moments over the years:
- In 1928, a movie called Louise and the Haunted House was so popular that people waited in line for hours on New Year's Day.
- In 1950, famous cowboy star Roy Rogers, his wife Dale Evans, and his horse Trigger visited the theatre.
- The movies The Long, Long Trailer and Cheaper by the Dozen were shown together in 1953. This was the biggest movie event in the theatre's history.
- In 1960, the Democratic Party used the Ohio Theatre for John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign.
- Since 1977, the Toledo Area Theatre Organ Society has been based at the Ohio Theatre. They have featured the Marr and Colton pipe organ there since 1985.
- In the 1990s, the theatre brought in professional children's theatre groups. These groups helped local kids perform in plays.
- The Ohio Theatre has hosted many famous groups and actors. These include the Moscow Boys Choir and the Warsaw Wind Quartet. Actors like Jamie Farr and William Christopher performed in The Odd Couple. Mickey Rooney and his wife Jan Chamberlin also appeared there.
- In 2008, lightning struck the theatre. The marquee (the sign outside) fell off, and the front of the building was damaged.
