Roosevelt Theatre
425 Central Avenue,
Cincinnati,
OH
45202
425 Central Avenue,
Cincinnati,
OH
45202
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That theater with the tragic roof collapse was the Knickerbocker Th. in Washington,D.C. in 1922 January 28th after a heavy snowstorm. 98 people were killed and over 100 were injured.
The Havlin Th. was also called the Star at some point in its lifespan. Our Lyceum was condemed after a city inspection, conducted soon after a famous theater roof collapsed in Washington,D.C. caused by a vast snow accumulation.
The footprint of the Roosevelt had quite a few transformations in earlier days,firstly as a Methodist Church pre 1840’s called Morris Chapel,then converted to Thoms Music Hall,later as The Havlin Th. in the l883’s for a negrow audience, again Edward Hart ran it in 1900 as The Lyceum,and finally designed as The Roosevelt by Henry N. Hooper and built by the Frank W. Folz Company
The Roosevelt Th. was built upon the footprint of an earlier legitimate theatre called,“ The Lyceum”, which was sited at(427) Central Avenue.Today of course this site is part of Interstate 75.
Joe ,Probably by 1949 Mr. Goldman had also taken over The Metropolitn Th. of 1915(which he renamed (The State). It was just two blocks from his Regal Th.(which was built as (The Casino in 1913)adding it to his monopoly of black theaters. His son and grandson continued in the film business and that grandson Gary is still active in Movie operations in the Cincinnati area even to this late date.
The Roosevelt was apparently still operating as late as 1957, when the August 10 issue of Boxoffice listed it as one of the theaters in the Cincinnati area playing “The Ten Commandments” in that movie’s first post-roadshow engagements.
The earliest mentions of the Roosevelt I can find are from various 1929 issues of Movie Age when it was among the theaters listed in a series of ads for Photophone sound equipment.
A January 17, 1953, Boxoffice roundup of the previous year’s events in Cincinnati reveals the likely opening year of the Roosevelt to have been 1922. It reports this among the events for March, 1952: “Improper nailing when the ceiling was installed thirty years ago was blamed for the collapse of the plaster-covered metal ceiling lath at the Roosevelt Theatre, which injured about 60 patrons, none seriously. Jack Goldman, owner, estimated damage at about $2,500.”
Jack Goldman is mentioned frequently in Boxoffice. He’s mentioned as the operator of the Roosevelt in 1937, at which time he took over the Lincoln Theatre. The June 29, 1940, issue refers to him as “…owner of the Lincoln, Roosevelt and Beecher, all colored houses in Cincinnati….” The October 27, 1945, issue says that Goldman’s son-in-law, Joseph Miller “…is handling the Jack Goldman chain of colored houses while Goldman is taking a rest following illness.”
The February 9, 1946, issue of Boxoffice has an item datelined Cincinnati which refers to Goldman as “…operator of four colored theatres here….” It doesn’t give the names of the theaters, but the July 9, 1949, issue says that “Jack Goldman, who operates the Roosevelt, Lincoln and Regal theatres here has taken over the Roxy at Lockland, Ohio.” Apparently by then he had closed or sold the Beecher.
A May 21, 1965, Boxoffice item names Goldman as the operator of the Regal Theatre in Cincinnati, and says that he had been in the theater business for 27 years. I’ve found no mentions of him after that.