History of Strand Theater

posted by Bruce Calvert on September 4, 2008 at 7:55 am

AKRON, OH — Yesterday’s Akron Beacon-Journal has a long article on the history of the Strand Theatre. The theatre started out as a silent-film theatre in 1915. It lasted until the 1960’s before it was closed.

It re-opened for a short time as a repretory theater, and then as an X-rated theater. Local protests over pornography soon closed the theater. It was demolished in 1990.

The Strand advertised itself as ‘'the finest motion picture theater in Ohio’‘ when it opened Sept. 2, 1915, at 131 S. Main St. Located between Mill and Bowery streets, the downtown theater cost $225,000 to build — about $4.6 million today.

Its operator was Maurice C. Winter, 36, ‘'The Movie King of Akron,’‘ who sold the Bank Theater near Main and Market streets to open the larger Strand.

‘'I don’t know where you can find an equal to this house,’‘ Winter said. ’‘I’ve planned it for years. And in these plans, I always kept foremost the convenience and comfort of patrons and the utilization of every possible inch of space.’'

The entire story is at the Akron Beacon-Journal.

Theaters in this post

• Cascade Cinema