Akron Civic Theatre
182 S. Main Street,
Akron,
OH
44308
182 S. Main Street,
Akron,
OH
44308
21 people
favorited this theater
Showing 51 - 75 of 78 comments
This is a must-see Eberson atmospheric theatre for Patsy!
Agreed. I lived in Akron as a kid and it was most definitely not a college town. Columbus, where I lived later, has somewhat more of a claim on that label, but the real college towns in Ohio are places like Gambier (Kenyon), Athens (Ohio U), and Oxford (Miami U).
Regarding the article:
A college town is a small town dominated by it’s college population. The majority is traditional university student aged, and the community centers on making it’s business on those students.
Akron is not a college town. Akron is a city that flourished on it’s canal and industry in rubber, that happens to also have a university. It is now the county seat of Summit County and has a population of over 200,000.
I saw Tom Waits here this past summer, what an amazing theatre! Sad that I couldn’t take a camera inside…
Lost Memory: LOL! I’d say that perhaps DF was making a personal appearance that day, but just a guess as pictures don’t literally speak.
For a small narrow front facade it’s hard to believe that this theatre is listed as seating over 2,000!
I can’t figure out why the platform is there below the marquee, but did also notice that the theatre’s tile roof design is very similar to the roof design found on the Carolina Theatre in downtown Charlotte NC.
Lost Memory: Good question and so I shall take a closer look at that photo!
Lost Memory: Great vintage photo and the marquee is wonderful so hope it is still in place and intact!
I just went through the list of theatres that were or are still in Akron and it numbered 23! That is quite a remarkable number of theatres, on record, for one community!
The Loew’s Akron Theatre opened on April 20th, 1929.
The beautiful photographs seen on the Wilson Butler website noted above were taken by the fine architectural photographer Robert Benson. Please see the Robert Benson Photography website for a couple of additional shots of the theatre:
View link
A description of the Wilson Butler Lodge restoration project of the Akron Civic Theatre may be found at the Auditoria website:
View link
Anthony Vogel, designer/graphic artist/journalist, Arlington, MA
I had the great pleasure of spending many hours in this treasure in the process of documenting the existing theatre and helping to design its restoration at Wilson Butler Lodge Architects in Boston, MA. The firm, now Wilson Butler, is one of a handful of top-notch entertainment architecture firms in the US. See http://www.wilsonbutler.com/ for some beautiful photos of the restoration & the new additions â€"see “Arts/Entertainment†& then “Civic Theatre, Akron, Ohio.†I am very proud to have been a member of the team that contributed to restoring this palace so that it will continue to be a vital arts center for Ohio in the 21st century. Anthony Vogel, designer/graphic artist/journalist, Arlington, MA
I find several pages such as this, this, and this which say that the Loew’s became the (non-profit) Civic in 1965.
The last is a Google cache of a Beacon Journal article from Oct. 27, 2002, about the many acts that have graced the Civic’s stage over the years — starting with Milton Berle in 1929.
Here is an interesting link with a history of theaters in Akron:
View link
Yes, Ron, this theatre WAS renamed from Loew’s Akron to the Akron Civic. (The new name came with the restoration.)
The organist for many years was “Wild Oscar” at the Mighty Wurlitzer organ (which is still playing!) I recall seeing Patti Page, the singing rage (Tennessee Waltz, etc) on stage and “Oscar” performing prior to the movie starting. Loved seeing all of the MGM musicals on the “Huge” screen, too. The Civic (Akron Loews) is a tremendous asset to the City of Akron and a tribute to those responsible for preserving an old “Movie Palace” — MarqueeMan
When was this theatre renamed from Loew’s to Civic? When I saw that ballet somewhere between 1965 and 1968, the theatre was called the Civic. But Paul recalls it being called Loew’s in 1967.
LIke previous commentor from 2004, Mark Wagner, I too grew up in Akron and went to Lowes to see the BIG movies. Then in 1967 I saw Cream play in Lowes. Like Mark, I too ran back stage after to talk to Eric Clapton. He wasn’t thrilled with the lack of security and just growled at us and turned and went out to his Limo.
Paul Green
Recent color photos of this theatre can be found on the site: “America’s Stunning Theatres” by photographer and stagehand Noah Kern at: http://www.pbase.com/affablebeef/theatres Comments and information may be left there without registration; such can be public view or only to Mr. Kern. Scroll down the page to find the name, and then click on the sample image above it to be taken to the page of photos of it.
My neighbor is from Akron Ohio and told me that this theatre is a MUST-SEE when in Akron Ohio! And the above site that TC posted says that the first atmospheric was in Houston Texas!
Small old photo & biography on Marcus Loew: (note: this site’s hyperlinks don’t function):
http://www.neo.rr.com/Civic/html/marcus_loew_.html
Interior photo & great biography on Eberson:
http://www.neo.rr.com/Civic/html/john_eberson.html
I saw my first ballet, Coppelia, here as a young child in the mid-1960s.
Growing up in Akron, Ohio, I remember sitting in the first row of the Loew’s Theatre watching Godzilla movies with my cousin, and later in the 1960’s seeing touring rock bands like the Cream, and even going backstage to see Ginger Baker packing up his drums for the next gig (though I was secretly more interested in seeing the backstage area and dressing rooms.) My grandparents and my mother spent many hours at Loew’s theatre in the 1930’s and 1940’s, watching double features and listening to the organist between shows. That’s three generations influenced by the entertainment and events at this remarkable architectural gem.
But there were other fantastic theatres in downtown Akron that I never hear about. The Colonial Theatre in particular was a magnificent jewel box of a theatre with, if I remember correctly, three rather steep and shallow baconies. I saw movies at the Colonial in the late 1950’s, maybe as late as 1960, just before it closed. The balconies were always roped off with a “balcony closed” sign, which I ignored, sneaking up to get a look when the usher or ticket takers wern’t looking.
Any information, or photos, of the Colonial theatre in downtown Akron would be greatly appreciated.
Mark Wagner
Norwalk, CT