Paramount Theatre

Theater is now slated to be razed…

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I don’t know who is handling the Uptown now, but would suggest that you contact one of the commerical real estate companies in Youngstown and work with them. They have better contacts than I would have.

By the way, the Uptown has a balcony as well as the main floor, but as to seating, I could find no information, but it is the largest neighborhood theater in Youngstown, and is located on Market Street close to Boardman.

I know when Easy Street Productions was using it, they drew large crowds.

As I said this would be a perfect venue for shows that would cater to the young adults who are hungry for such a theater. This is a university town and most of the venues that catered to them are small as compared to a full fledge theater.

When there were plans to restore the Paramount one of the plans was for such a venue, but the costs of this project were so high as to make it impossable because they would have to completely gut the building and build a whole new theater.

As to the State Theater, it is slated for demolition, but as with the Paramount, it is in very bad shape, and like the Paramount would cost huge sums of money.

The main floor of the auditorium was leveled to accomidate tables and turned into a nite club in the 1980’s.

In viewing photos, the plaster is in an advance state of deterioration, the roof like the Paramount is shot and would need to be completely replaced even if there was any hope of saving it, and the plumbing, heating, air conditioning and electric is also beyond all hope. That is why the city is going to tear it down.

I remember the uptown showing occasional silent films, like the original King of Kings. I was only in the uptown twice after it was remodeled. It was a neat little theatre.

Victoria, maybe you should look at the Uptown if you’re seriously interested doing something theatrical in the Youngstown area.

Alas, Wolfgirl is probably dead on target. When I was living in the area, I frequently visited all the downtown theatres. While the Paramount had a first class manager, Jack Heinz, the theatre itself was indeed in a different class than the other first-run houses in downtown Y-town. When the State was remodeled and made into a 70mm roadshow venue, the Paramount slipped into a fourth position behind the State, Warner and Palace. The interior of the paramount auditorium always seemed to me to look like an attempted modernization ala late 30;s or 40’s while still keeping a bit of the fancy work, lighting fixtures, etc. from it’s pre-remodeling days as the Liberty.

There was an interesting news piece on Dayton TV a few nights back comparing Dayton and Youngstown. It included shots of Powers Auditorium and other brief shots of W. Federal Street. The commentator suggested that Dayton had “turned a corner” in revitalization of the core area, and Y-town was on the edge of finding new life.

Dayton also had a Palace Theatre (Originally Loews Downtown Theatre) that was very ornate. While the bloom was definitely off the rose, it still had a majestic feel. The nearby Victoria was not nearly as architecturally interesting. In a conversation with a city council person who was on the downtown planning committee, I pled the case for preserving the Palace. He commented that it was “their” opinion that downtown entertainment centers and movies were a thing of the past, never to be seen again. He further advised that the Palace site could produce much more revenue as a parking lot than a theatre of any type. The Palace was demolished; however, eventually some saner minds prevailed and the Victoria was refurbished and saved as a successful arts center, the multi-million dollar Schuster Performing Art Center was built, and even a repertory cinema, the Neon Movies was opened and apparently does a sufficient business to stay open.

I guess my point is that we should be thankful for what DOES get saved, and perhaps the municipal leaders are recognizing the value and beauty of core theatrical projects. In my experience, to really pull off a successful restoration there are several elements required. These elements include a central volunteer steering committee headed by a person who is knowledgeable about a diverse amount of architectural, theatrical and management skills. It also requires a cooperative city government and multiple sources for funding since no one source will ever fund the entire project. Politics and personal egos will kill a restoration project quicker than anything.

While I am saddened when the battle is lost on one project, I am always overjoyed when one really works.

Farewell to the Paramount, I guess, in the end, it was too little, too late.

I didn’t mean to come off so grumpy in the above post, but given all the posts on this subject, you’d think that by now folks would realize that there is no hope for the Paramount. Goodness, there is even a link to some photos of the interior to prove the point.

Yougstown is rich in vinues for the performing arts, but we are not rich in cash, and what cash we have for the arts goes to those venues that I already listed along with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra.

Several art gallerys have sprung up to compliment the Butler Institute of America Art, itself a national treasure.

As for the theater, we have at least three amateur groups and a semi-pro troop, all of which already have their own theater.

If you were really interested in helping the performing arts here in Youngstown, there is another theater that you should consider … the Uptown Theatre. It is equipped for live performances, it’s on a main street and it is available. At one time it was home to Easy Street Productions, a local semi-pro theater group.

The Liberty/Paramount Theatre should be saved. I am associated with some very talented people, a non-profit corporation, in western Ohio who could be interested in developing some program to restore the Liberty/Paramount into a film/performing arts center.
With the renewed interest in the rebirth of W. Federal Street in Youngstown, perhaps the time has come to re-awaken this sleeping princess. The venue we envision would be a similar model to the newly restored State Theatre in State College, PA.
We think it would also be nice to showcase the other great theatres that used to glisten in and around downtown Youngstown.
Any help, direction, or those that may be interested in joining this project will be welcomed.

The Stars Will Shine Again!
Ms. Victoria L. Herdman

OK Paul: I have been on the Board of Trustees of a 501©(3) for many years. So I have experience with matters like this. You have been involved with this place for what, a year? And you haven’t been able to raise a pitiful $44,000 for a new roof? I’ve seen development guys who were only OK at their job make that happen. So my question is: if you are an expert on historic tax credits, fundraising and grants, why can’t you?

Thank you, “State Theatre” for your kind words. We can be civil here. Gossip is always fun to read. Here is the truth. For the record, no one from Grande Venues or USA Parking or affiliated companies, including Paul Warshauer, Jon Tharnstrom, Lou Frangos, David Vosburgh, Allison DeVito or anyone else has agreed to “button up the theatre.” We did recently have problems with vandals and some pesky tresspassers who left a mess, cut locks, and pried open doors. We got nasty notes from the city but no offer to assist us. We are still evaluating the probability of success with feasibility studies. A movie theatre in the balcony, and a live theatre on the first floor with bar and restaurant in the basement looks promising. If you LIKE the idea, call the Mayor’s office, and anyone else and TELL them you wan the theate restored. We need a roof ($44,000) and temporary electric and plumbing ($15,000) right away if the theatre is to be saved. The public really has not stepped forward to help us. We tried to get the Youngstown Arts Council to “stay alive” but they voted to disband instead! Now we need a NEW 501c3 to form to help us. Any takers? Contact local officials!

<crickets chirping>

Trish & Ballerina & Others: We own the theatre and appreciate the public’s input however there is a great deal of misinformation. That will change this year as we assist some folks in the creation of a not-for-profit group and improve the website: www.lptheatre.com I am not sure why the owners of Cinema Treasures refuse to list our website as we are the legal owners of the property and have every intention of rehabilitating and operating the theatre. It will take years! Perhaps you can ask Cinema treasures why they refuse to list our site, as well. We have gone into the building with architects, (Ron Faniro of Youngstown & Gary Martinez from Washington DC) engineers, roofing specialists, city officials, historians and some volunteers. IT IS DANGEROUS AND NO ONE SHOULD ENTER; IT IS TRESPASSING AND COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY! I hope that Trish was authorized by someone to go in; (maybe the YSU class?) We have invested a great deal of time creating the business plan and model for operation. We have the complete support of city officials, historians, bankers and the folks at Youngstown State University. We had two press conferences and a BIG public forum coming in the next month or two for the public to ask questions and to finally get involved. The major issue is how to get a roof on the building to stop the damage and some electric to proviode lighting. A temporary roof will cost $40-50K and temporary electric service will cost $5K. Ideas?

The picture at the top of the page is the Liberty:
http://tinyurl.com/y5utj4

Hi! I am taking a class at YSU. We are working with the architect of the Paramount restoration to document it. I will be able to get inside it and take photos, however, the photos are the property of YSU, and I probably won’t be allowed to post them here (sorry). But I will try to post here and let you know what’s happening in the building itself. I don’t have any “insider” information on what the building will be used for after the restoration, but just my opinion here, I’d like to see it used as a theater again. It could be used for either movies or live productions. This would keep it in its historic context, and would also help the Youngstown economy, as people (and money) would be brought into Youngstown once this is reopened. Anyway, just my thoughts, and I look forward to getting back to you with more info as I have it.