Ohio Theatre (Cleveland, Ohio)
The theatre's marquee
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| Address | 1511 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio  United States
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| Owner | Playhouse Square Center |
| Capacity | 1,000 |
| Current use | Performing arts center |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1921 |
| Rebuilt | 1982 |
| Architect | Thomas W. Lamb |
| Website | |
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Ohio Theatre
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| Built | 1920 |
| Part of | Playhouse Square (#78002041) |
| Added to NRHP | October 5, 1978 |
The Ohio Theatre is a theater on Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, part of Playhouse Square. The theater was built by Marcus Loew's Loew's Ohio Theatres company. It was designed by Thomas W. Lamb in the Italian Renaissance style, and was intended to present legitimate plays. The theater opened on February 14, 1921, with 1,338 seats. The foyer featured three murals depicting the story of Venus, and the balcony contained paintings of Arcadia. Throughout the 1920s, the Ohio had a and hosted traveling Broadway plays.
In 1935, the theater was redecorated in an Art Deco style and transformed into a supper club called the Mayfair Casino. The owners hoped to turn the establishment into an actual casino, but since gambling was not allowed in Ohio, the Mayfair closed in 1936. The Loew's Theatres chain reopened the Ohio in 1943 as a first-run movie theater. A 1964 lobby fire also damaged the auditorium interior. The theater was reopened again after the lobby was rebuilt along modern lines. The auditorium was painted red to hide smoke damage. Decreasing patronage caused the theater to close in early February 1969, along with the rest of the Playhouse Square theaters. Twice the Ohio and State Theatres were threatened with razing in order to build a parking lot; in 1972, when the buildings were saved by public outcry, and again in 1977. The Playhouse Square Foundation responded by obtaining a long-term lease for the theaters, and the Loew's Building was purchased by Cuyahoga County. In 1978, the Ohio was added to the National Register of Historic Places, along with the rest of the Playhouse Square group.
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