ART & ART DECO CLEVELAND 2006
September 13-17, 2006

Playhouse Square Center

Euclid Avenue between East 14th and East 17th Streets.

• Allen Theater (1922) C. Howard Crane, architect.
• Ohio Theater (1921) Thomas Lamb, architect.
• State Theater (1921) Thomas Lamb, architect.
• Palace Theater (1922) Rapp & Rapp, architects.
• Hanna Theater (1921) Charles Platt, architect.

The largest theater restoration project in the world has made Playhouse Square Center the second largest theater district in the country—only Lincoln Center in NYC is larger. Over 10,000 seats in five historic theaters attract over 1 million visitors a year, making it among the top destinations in the nation for live performances. All five theaters opened within 19 months of each other between 1921 and 1922 for legitimate theater, movies, and vaudeville. Ironically, four of the theaters closed within 14 months of each other in the late 1960s for lack of business. There were threats of demolition, of course—to be razed for parking! Fortunately, through the heroic efforts of a man named Ray Shepardson, a non-profit group known as the Playhouse Square Association was formed in 1970. The association launched a vigorous grass-roots campaign to save the theaters. Limited repairs and renovations allowed for sporadic productions as money was raised for complete restoration. The Ohio Theater was the first restored, completed in 1982. By the end of the 1980s the curtain had risen again in both the State and Palace. The Allen Theater restoration was completed in 1998. Playhouse Square is run by a non-profit foundation. They have a large and dedicated group of volunteers who assist with ushering, office work, and tours. A big thank you to Carol Lee Vella, Theater Operations Assistant at Playhouse Square, for arranging our special tour. She met our group when we arrived, and was visibly ecstatic that we had included the theaters as part of our ambitious itinerary.

The most opulent theater is the 2,800 seat Palace, still with its original chandeliers, marble walls, and a spectacular lobby with two grand staircases. The 3,200 seat State Theater has—at 320 feet—the longest theater lobby in the world. This enormous lobby is decorated with four very colorful, Art Deco murals by James Daugherty: The Spirit of Pageantry—Africa, The Spirit of Drama—Europe, The Spirit of Cinema—America, and The Spirit of Fantasy—Asia. The 4,000 seat Allen is Pompeian in style and was originally designed for movies. Before its restoration, the 1000 seat Ohio Theater had been badly damaged in a fire when it served as the Mayfair Casino. Volunteer guides provided a thorough and informative tour; later in the week some of us returned to the Ohio Theater to see a hilarious production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" by the Great Lakes Theater Festival. www.playhousesquare.org.

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