Astor Theatre
281 S. Main Street,
Akron,
OH
44308
281 S. Main Street,
Akron,
OH
44308
1 person
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The Allen Theater closed May 18, 1950 for the summer at the end of a 30-year lease. That summer was a long one lasting through 1950, 1951, 1952 and 1953. The Allen reopened on August of 1953 now equipped with widescreen projection equipment and likely on a 5-year sublease. It closed in 1958. Dr. Robert H. Merz salvaged the 40-year old venue and spent $200,000 on purchasing and refreshing the theater. It reopened as the Astor Theatre in 1960. Dropping burlesque it became the all new Astor Adult Cinema in 1978.
Correction from above. The Astor closed permanently on October 26, 1978 with a double feature of Linda Wong in “The Final Sin” and Jean Dalton in “Peach Fuzz.” The local police shut down the building due to safety concerns. The venue moved two blocks away resuming as the “all new” Astor Adult Cinema. It closed with a double feature of Veronica Hart in “Touch Me In the Morning” and Kitty Shayne in “Three Ripening Cherries” on August 30, 1981. Meanwhile, the original Allen/Astor and Hotel Marne/Millner building was sold at a sheriff’s auction in 1982 bringing just $20,500. It was demolished beginning in March of 1982.
Opened on 8//9/1920 with “Under northern lights”.
Circa 1942 and 1929 photos as Allen Theatre courtesy Vince Nicklin.
According to the American Architect and Architecture Journal, 9/13/1922, Braverman and Havermaet had just announced they were going into partnership. Perhaps they were both working for Moreland and decided to become official partners in 22. Did find another tidbit. In the Industrial Arts Index, Vol. 10, 1921, the theatre is listed with the name I. T. Frary. Frary worked in interior design as well as doing other types of artwork. Not sure what his involvement was, but interesting. Thanks for all the information!
Reopened as an adult cinema called Astor in November 1961.
September 8th, 1920 grand opening ad as Allen can be found in the photo section. It was owned by Allen T. Simmons and not by the Canadian chain, Allen Theatres.
Did it had the same owners as the Allen theatre in Cleveland, Toronto and Montreal?
If the Allen was indeed the theater that was the subject of the 1920 Engineering News-Record item quoted in my previous comment, then it is likely that the Akron firm of Frank, Wagner & Mitchell acted only as supervising architects for the project. The NRHP nomination form for the Moreland Theatre in Cleveland lists the Allen/Astor Theatre in Akron as one of five theaters designed by the Moreland’s architects, Sigmund Braverman and Kurt Havermaet. The firm of Braverman & Havermaet had its offices in Cleveland.
On page 127 of the book Akron, by David W. Francis and Diane DeMali Francis, there’s a 1920s photo of the Allen Theatre, and it appears to fit the description of a house then ready for construction according to the following item from the June 10, 1920, issue of Engineering News-Record:
Partner G. Evans Mitchell withdrew from the firm later that year, and the successor firm Frank & Wagner were local associates of the New York firm George G. Post & Sons. They designed a theater that was to have been built at Ravenna, Ohio, in 1921, but I’ve been unable to discover if that project was carried out.Does anyone have a memory of the sign falling off the Astor Theater bulding sometime in the late 1960’s? Finding a date for that would help me locate a picture in the Beacon Journal of interest to my family. Thanks.