Loew's Broad Theatre

39 W. Broad Street,
Columbus, OH 43215

Unfavorite 3 people favorited this theater

Showing 12 comments

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on July 3, 2022 at 6:32 pm

Motion Picture News of August 26, 1927 ran this belated notice about the Broad Theatre and the Loews-United Artists partnership’s other new theater planned for Columbus:

“The first of the new Loew-United Artists houses will open in Columbus on August 21st. This is the Broad, a combination house seating 2,700. The other Columbus house, the Ohio, is not scheduled to open until December. It has 3,300 seats and the policy will be pictures and presentations.”

rivest266
rivest266 on November 10, 2021 at 5:00 pm

It was never the Rialto theatre. 1927 grand opening ad posted.

rivest266
rivest266 on November 10, 2021 at 3:08 pm

This opened as the James Theatre on March 29th, 1921. Grand opening ad posted.

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on May 29, 2012 at 6:47 pm

Nice 1927 ad posted on the photo page today.

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on December 29, 2010 at 4:34 pm

Interesting that vertical in the photo posted by ken mc on May 15,2006 reads Loews and United Artists.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on May 15, 2006 at 7:33 pm

Here is another photo:
http://tinyurl.com/g5ax7

Hibi
Hibi on August 18, 2005 at 5:59 am

Thanks for all the info!

Ron Newman
Ron Newman on May 9, 2005 at 7:47 am

And one last Loew’s Broad photo, from 1957. This one shows lots of school buses lined up, some double-parked, outside the theatre whose marquee displays “The Ten Commandments”.

Across the street is the RKO Palace marquee, advertising Alan Ladd in “Big Land”, and a second feature of “Wicked Wife”.

Ron Newman
Ron Newman on May 9, 2005 at 7:33 am

One more Loew’s Broad photo from the library collection:

Busloads of people flocked to Loew’s Broad Theatre in 1956 to see “The Ten Commandments”.

Click on the thumbnail to see a full-size photo.

Ron Newman
Ron Newman on May 9, 2005 at 7:08 am

The Columbus Metropolitan Library has an online historic photo collection with several photos of this and other theatres.

Broadway Theatre and James Theatre, side by side. The Broadway closed in 1929; the James became Loew’s Broad.

Loew’s Broad Theatre, 1960. The marquee advertises a live magic show, plus a double feature of Studs Lonigan and The Pusher.

Click on the thumbnails to see full-size photos.

Hibi
Hibi on January 7, 2005 at 1:03 pm

Would’ve liked to have seen what this theater looked like, but it was long gone before I came here. It sounds much bigger than the Palace across the street.

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on October 30, 2004 at 4:17 pm

The architects of The James Theater were C. Howard Crane and Kenneth Franzheim. A seating capacity of 2800 is given in 1941 when it was listed as Loew’s Broad.