Ohio Theatre

Saw on a local NJ newscast about riots in Minnesota, and a photo of this theatre was on. Lots of broken glass doors and the old boxoffice has a lot of damage.

Interesting interview with Anne Dornin who designed the interior decor for the Ohio and many other theaters as an associate of Thomas Lamb. It’s from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in 1931.

http://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/59888680/

SAVING THE OHIO THEATER in 1969. from the Vintage Columbus Facebook Page. Across the nation downtown theaters were closing in the 1960’s. On February 24, 1969 after 40 years as a movie palace, the Loew’s Ohio theater closed and the theater was sold to a local development group called the 55 East State Company with intent to build an office tower. But there were many people who loved the theater and a committee was organized, The Temporary Committee for Continued Use of the Ohio Theater led by the Columbus chapter of the American Theater Organ Society. This group was able to get delays from Loew’s Theaters in stripping the theater and a stay of demolition from the 55 East State owners. . A demonstration of the acoustical qualities of the Ohio Theater through a free concert by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra on March 28, 1969 proved the theater’s potential as a performing arts center and the response from critics and the public was ecstatic. The Temporary Committee attempted to raise $30,000 to keep the building open but despite the concert success, it fell well short of it’s goal. By May 16, 1969, 55 East State Company was no longer willing to wait any longer for a theater savior. Jean Whallon, wife of Evan Whallon( who was conductor of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra) called John W Galbreath, a renown community leader, in a last ditch effort to save the Ohio. Mr Galbreath was able to get another delay and a plan was developed that successful in saving the Ohio Theater under ownership of Columbus Association of Performing Arts(CAPA) One woman of modest means, who has chosen to remain anonymous, gave her life’s savings to pay half the option to secure the Ohio Theater for an extra period of time. Without that donation, which gave CAPA the time to form and create a plan to save the Ohio Theater, the theater would have been demolished. The Ohio Theater was saved, painstakingly restored and has been under CAPA ownership longer than it’s original tour of duty as a movie palace. Based on material presented in a book called The Ohio Theater printed in 1978 and conceived by Clive David.

10TV video about the history of the Ohio with lots of photos. View link

My great grandfather John Delfino helped paint the theater before it opened.

1930s postcard
View link

Is the excavation to build the State House Annex?

Very Nice.

Click here for a photograph of Loew’s United Artists Theatre taken in 1931 by George Mann of the comedy dance team, Barto & Mann.

establish/renew link

(continuing with the above; I hit the wrong key) It is titled “Dennis James at the RTOS Wulitzer: Theatre Organ Selections”. I have also recorded it into a lossless wave file. Again, no date as to when it was recorded.

Here is a February 1969 article from the Columbus Evening Dispatch:

A group of Central Ohioans interested in saving the Loew’s Ohio Theater, 43 E. State St, from destruction have organized the Committee for a Columbus Cultural Arts Center. More than 100 theater fans met Saturday to tour the theater and decided to form an organization to raise funds to lease or purchase the building. The building is in the process of being sold to 55 E. State St. Corp.
Corporation officials say the theater will be razed. State officials have been looking at the location, across the street from the Statehouse, for a state office building.

Committee spokesman Mrs. Howard A. Bloom said that her group will ask the public to write the mayor, the Columbus City Council and Governor Rhodes for a 90 day stay in destruction of the theater. No destruction date has been made public, and the sale of the building has not been completed. The committee has proposed that the theater be used as a performing arts center.

Mrs. Bloom said that architects told the group the theater is structurally sound and “there would be little difficulty” in using the present theater as a base and building an office building on top of it. An entrance to the office section would be on the ground level.

Patsy, Many of the architectural details of our Cincinnati, Ohio E.F.Albee Th. (1927-1976)were purchased and moved to Columbus when the Albee Th. was demolished in 1977. The front brass lobby doors and even an interior drinking fountain reside at the glorious Ohio Th.