The Ohio Theatre, located on Capitol Square in Downtown Columbus, Ohio, is a performing arts center and former movie palace. The 1928 structure, known as the “Official Theatre of the State of Ohio,” was saved from demolition in 1969 and later completely restored. In 1977, the theater was designated a National Historic Landmark as one of the country’s finest surviving grand theaters.
The Ohio Theatre is owned and operated by CAPA (The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts), a non-profit arts management organization founded in 1969 to save the theater.
Loew’s Ohio
The Ohio Theatre was designed by noted theater architect Thomas W. Lamb and is located in Downtown Columbus on the site of the old Columbus City Hall. He considered Ohio to be one of his most successful theater designs. He hoped to separate patrons from their daily lives by creating a luxurious fantasy atmosphere inside. Anne Dornin, a New York designer, decorated and furnished it. Each room had a different theme. Dornin’s favorite area was the “Africa Corner,” which she furnished with authentic items from her travels. The theater also had opulent men’s and women’s lounge areas and separate smoking and phone rooms.
The 2,779 (originally 3,096) seat Spanish Baroque movie palace was built by Loew’s theater chain in collaboration with United Artists and opened on March 17, 1928. The Divine Woman, a silent film starring Greta Garbo, was shown first. Ohio showcased its orchestra and the Robert-Morton theater organ (still used today). Aside from movies, the stage featured deluxe variety shows with performers such as Fred Waring, Milton Berle, Ray Bolger, Buddy Ebsen, Ginger Rogers, Conrad Nagel, and Jack Benny.
In August 1928, Loew’s Ohio introduced sound films. The popularity of “talking pictures” reduced the need for theater chains to provide costly live entertainment in addition to films. The orchestra was disbanded in 1933, and regular stage shows were discontinued. However, organist Roger Garrett continued to perform daily at the “Mighty Morton,” The stage occasionally featured live appearances by stars such as Judy Garland and Jean Harlow. The theater was the premier area showcase for MGM and other studios’ films, and double features became the norm in the late 1930s. Except for massive hits like Gone with the Wind, which lasted three weeks, programs aired for one week. Bed Bug Exterminator Columbus
Movie theaters were busier than ever during WWII, and Ohio was no exception, adding late-night showings for war plant shift workers. Furthermore, war bonds were heavily promoted and sold in the theater lobby. When Roger Garrett was drafted into the army in 1944, live organ music was discontinued.
Address: 39 E State St, Columbus, OH
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