Esquire Theatre
209 N. Superior Street,
Toledo,
OH
43604
209 N. Superior Street,
Toledo,
OH
43604
1 person
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This theater became a Burlesque theater featuring both live striptease and adult motion pictures. I just added newspaper ads to the pictures section. Looks like it operated this way mid 60’s through mid 70’s. A newspaper article on the internet mentions it being a Burlesque house and this was in ‘77.
January 30th, 1941 October 25th, 1961 grand opening ads uploaded in the photo section.
I grew up outside Toledo. Just before the Esquire Theater was torn down I saved one of the two yellow neon “NOW PLAYING” signs from the top of the marquee and have saved it all these years. It now lives with me in Brooklyn, NY as a memory of a part of Toledo’s theater history.
The reason is that somebody has to write a good historical overview of the theaters so it can be put on CT. I have been working the Ohio/Toledo drive-in theaters myself. That is the great thing about CT, anybody can write, submit overviews and pictures of theaters.
Just added a picture I had. I also have some movie ads to upload next week.
Here is another view of the Esquire http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbernero/6913045218/in/pool-1609870@N23
Thank you wcjfrisk for your insight into the Esquire Theater. I always wondered about those arches on the side. I was always under the assumption that the Esquire was a newly built theater from the ground up. Of all the downtown theaters I never saw a movie at the Esquire, Paramount, Loop or Royal. We always went to the Rivoli, Palace, Pantheon, Valentine or Princess…all on the same street.
The Esquire and several storefronts were constructed in the shell of a six storey building which was demolished down to the second storey. The building had been built for Lasalles Department store and predates their newer building from 1917 which is now the Lasalle Apartments. After Lasalles moved, the building housed a number of smaller businesses before the partial demolition and reconstruction. A series of arched windows filled in with brick were visible on the South side exterior wall of the Esquire, these had been filled in for the theatre conversion. Most of the interior structural work for the theatre was executed in poured concrete with very little steelwork.
The Esquire was demolished to make way for the new county arena.
There remains only one downtown theatre, open or closed, the Valentine, which has been redone as a performing arts center.
Here is an item from Boxoffice magazine, May 1950:
To exploit “Mrs. Mike” at the Esquire Theater, Toledo, manager Frank Manente had a touring ballyhoo appear on buses, downtown stores and hotel lobbies. An oversize book, made up by the art department with lettering on the front and back covers, was carried by a theater employee.
The Esquire was actually converted into a live music venue in the late 80’s called Club Bijou. Used to go there quite a bit from 2004 onwards and thought it was a great place, while pretty rundown it still had a nice atmosphere.
Exterior in 1983: View link
Interior in 2007 here: View link
Another interior from 2006: View link
Sadly, it was demolished last year to make way for the Lucas County Arena Project. You can see a webcam of the site today here: http://www.lucascountyarena.com/webcam2.asp
The new Bijou is on Byrne Street and is the most barren, devoid-of-character place I’ve visted in a long time!
The Esquire, like the Pantheon, Eastwood and Westwood, was a stadium style theatre. It was located on the same street as the Loop and Royal. It was the last theatre to be built in downtown Toledo. It is now a nightclub. It had a distinct chinese flair in the design of the lobby and was almost identical to the Pantheon.