Ohio Theatre
Spanish Baroque cinema palace of 1928, saved from demolition and now the state theatre of Ohio.
The Ohio Theatre opened in March 1928 as a Loew's cinema and vaudeville house, designed by the New York theatre architect Thomas W. Lamb in an exuberant Spanish Baroque manner. The interiors were furnished by Anne Dornan, one of the first women to graduate in architecture from Columbia University, who bought fittings and works of art from several countries; a chandelier some 21 feet across hangs in the auditorium, which now seats about 2,790 people.
By the late 1960s the building was due to be demolished for an office block. A public campaign in 1969 raised enough money for the newly formed Columbus Association for the Performing Arts to buy and restore it, and the theatre was later named the official theatre of the State of Ohio. It is the main home of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, BalletMet and the Broadway in Columbus touring series, and also shows classic films with its restored Robert Morton organ.
Highlights
- Spanish Baroque auditorium of 1928 by Thomas W. Lamb
- Chandelier around 21 feet across in the main ceiling
- Saved by a public campaign in 1969 and restored by CAPA
- Home of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and BalletMet
