State Theatre (Cleveland, Ohio) facts for kids
Main chandelier in the State Theatre
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| Address | 1519 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio  United States |
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| Owner | Playhouse Square Center |
| Capacity | 3,200 |
| Current use | Performing arts center |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1921 |
| Rebuilt | 1984 |
| Architect | Thomas W. Lamb |
The KeyBank State Theatre is a large theater in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. You can find it at 1519 Euclid Avenue. It is one of several theaters that make up Playhouse Square, a famous arts area. A well-known theater architect named Thomas W. Lamb designed it. It was built in 1921 by Marcus Loew to be a main theater for his company, Loew's Theatres.
Contents
The State Theatre's Early Days
The theater was first known as Loew's State Theatre. It was built in an Italian Renaissance style. This means it looked like grand buildings from old Italy. The theater was made to show both vaudeville acts and movies. Vaudeville was a popular type of show with many different performers.
Opening and Unique Features
The State Theatre opened its doors on February 5, 1921. It could seat 3,400 people back then. The theater's main sign, called a marquee, needed to be on Euclid Avenue. Because of this, the State Theatre was built at the back of its property. It shares this space with another theater, the Ohio Theatre.
To connect the theater to Euclid Avenue, a very long series of three lobbies was built. This lobby was about 320 feet (98 meters) long. It was the longest lobby in the world for a single theater! This long lobby also had four huge murals. These were large paintings by an artist named James Daugherty. The murals were called The Spirit of Pageantry—Africa, The Spirit of Drama—Europe, The Spirit of Cinema—America, and The Spirit of Fantasy—Asia.
Changes and Closure
In 1967, the theater was changed to show Cinerama movies. Cinerama was a special way of showing films on a very wide screen. However, the theater ran into money problems. In early February 1969, the State Theatre closed. Other theaters in Playhouse Square also closed around this time.
Saving the State Theatre
After the theater closed, its future was uncertain. The cover of Life magazine on February 27, 1970, showed one of the State Theatre's murals. This helped inspire people to save Playhouse Square.
Threats and Public Support
In 1972, and again in 1977, there were plans to tear down both the State and Ohio Theatres. The idea was to build a parking lot instead. But people in the community spoke up. They wanted to save these historic buildings. Their strong support helped protect the theaters from being destroyed.
New Beginnings
In 1973, a new group called the Playhouse Square Foundation was formed. This group worked to save the theaters. They got a long-term lease for the Palace, State, and Ohio Theatres. By 1977, Cuyahoga County bought the Loew's Building, which included the State Theatre.
Also in 1973, a musical show called Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris opened. It played right in the State Theatre's lobby! The show was supposed to run for only three weeks. But it became very popular and played for two years. This made it the longest-running show in Cleveland's history. In 1978, the State Theatre became part of the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is recognized as an important historical site.
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Restoration and Renaming
Work to restore the State Theatre began in 1979. This was a big project to bring the theater back to its original beauty. A new stage area, called a stagehouse, was added. This addition cost $7 million.
The restoration was finished in the summer of 1984. The State Theatre reopened on June 4 of that year. It became the new home for the Cleveland Ballet and Cleveland Opera. After the restoration, the theater's seating capacity was changed to 3,200 seats.
In 2017, the State Theatre was given a new name: KeyBank State Theatre. This was done to honor a large gift of $10 million. This money was given to the Playhouse Square Advancing the Legacy Campaign.
