Shaker Square Cinemas

The Shaker Square Cinemas was originally the Colony Theatre.

Info and pics: http://www.mesbursmith.com/restor4.htm

When I visited the Colony in the 60s it was still single screen and a very pretty house. They had 2 Super Simplex projectors and RCA photophone sound. I believe the lamps were Ashcraft.

Later, they replaced the Supers with Norelco/Philips 35mm/70mm machines.

This should really be listed as the Colony theater, which was its name when it was a single theater for many years. In its prime, it was a roadshow theater. I know My Fair Lady played there, along with many other reserved ticket movies. I was there once to see Goodbye, Mr. Chips in the late 60's. One of the last reserved seat engagements it had. I dont remember much about the theater, but it was nice. I'd hate to think what it looks like now all divided up! Does anything of its former glory days remain? Anyone know the original seating capacity? I dont remember it having a balcony.

Before "roadshows" the Colony just played sub-run movies, but it was always a "class house." When it was first "cut-up" the job was terrible. After a fire, a lot of the work was redone. Even so, it is nothing like it was. (what is?)
Yes, there WAS a balcony and it was converted into two of the "screens." They preserved the full size of the main screen by paritioning off the first third of the main floor. The back half of the main floor was cut in two. That makes 5 screens.
Set on picturesque Shaker Square, the Colony was a work of art.
It remained dark for quite a while as a single screen house. It was only through financial incentives that it reopened at all.
Unfortunately, the neighborhood has deteriorated quite a bit.

Thanks for refreshing my memory. I couldnt remember the balcony for some reason (obviously, I didnt sit in it!) That's too bad about the neighborhood deteriorating, it was such a nice place. I cant imagine five screens in that place, it wasnt a big theater to begin with. Progress. :(

I have never been in the Colony since it was "cut up." Don't want to. The only thing positive I can say is that it was dark as a single screen theatre and probably would have never opened again. This is the only way. Shaker Square is right on the border between Cleveland and Shaker Hts. A block away is a pretty seedy neighborhood in one direction and a not bad neighborhood in the other.
Yes, the theatres have to be pretty small. I'm not sure it can last, even it its present state. The Shaker Square Association wants it, of course, so they are very accommodating to the owners. I doubt if they are paying any rent (or very little).

Such a shame this theatre couldn't have stayed a single screen Eberson theatre! When they 'cut them up' it sure changes the charm and ambience!

It is impossible to make a buck with a single screen these days. Couple that with the decline of the neighborhood and you have this result. It is probably still better than the alternative which is a dark theatre or a wrecking ball. This has happened in thousands of instances around the country. Another nice single screen in Shaker Heights (Cleveland) was the Vogue at Van Aken & Warrensville Rds.

Yes, I certainly agree....."still better than the alternative which is a dark theatre or a wrecking ball". So there WAS another nice single screen theatre in Shaker Heights? Too bad at least one of them couldn't have survived as a single screen since it is Shaker Heights, afterall! Believe one of the current American Idol contestants is from Shaker Heights....Scott Savol!

The Vogue was only about 2 miles from the Colony and in a better section of Shaker Hts. Shaker Square, the location of the Colony, is officially Cleveland. Right on the border. The Vogue, however, was not as nice as the Colony. The Colony had real class.
Alas, even Shaker Hts. is not what it used to be. There are some streets of the super-rich, but more and more Shaker is becoming upper middle class.
There was probably not a finer house than the Colony outside of downtown.

The Colony and the Vogue were both Stanley-Warner houses. I saw the original "Exorcist" here back in the early seventies. For that film, all the ushers were equipped with smelling salts, and in case someone tossed their cookies, there was a mop and wringer-bucket near the back of the auditorium. Today, "The Exorcist" seems fairly tame, but back then it was considered over the top.

In the early 70s, Shaker Square was an upscale shopping area, with a Halle Bros. store and a Stouffer's restaurant. The nearby English Tudor style Moreland Court apartments on Shaker Boulevard were filled with "old money" people.

The Shaker Sq Cinema is not 6 screens and is own by Ckleveland Cinemas. From what I have read the lobby was refurbished in it original style. All the houses have stereo now. Whfen it was a five screen theatre the owner was Atlas cinemas.
Before it was a roadshow house, it showed mostly art movies from overseas and speicalty film.
When it reopen it ran mostly 2nd run films in 70mm. That was before other theatres in Cleveland would. Then the new owners of the Sq wanted it to be made into a 5 screen house and now to its present 6 screen
This wass my favoie movie house in the 70'. Last reserve seat movie was Fiddler on the Roof

I was just a boy in the 50's and 60's but not too young to appreciate how wonderfully luxurious the Colony was. The lobby was palatial with it’s marble floor and columns—there seemed to be brass trim, chandeliers, lush carpet and velvet ropes all the way up to the balcony. The restrooms and waiting lobby were down a glorious flight of wide, red, carpeted stairs which also merged onto marble floors. Beautiful paintings, gold-leafed sconces and lavish mirrors adorned the walls. The huge 70mm Cinemascope screen was one of the first in Cleveland. The stereo sound was spectacular using Voice Of The Theatre boxes. The most memorable of the movies that I saw there were: The Big Fisherman, The Ten Commandments, The King and I, The Blob and The West Side Story. Uniformed ushers, equipped with flashlights were available to take you to a seat on crowded showings.

My friends and I loved to stroll around the square, window shopping while meeting other kids. We would spend our allowance money on shakes and treats at Miller or Marshals drug store while day-dreaming about what was going on in the theater. Shaker Square was truly magnificent up till the time when my parents moved us away to Austin, Texas. I never forgot the Colony Theater or my wonderful memories of the spectacular City of Cleveland. . . . My, I could write a book about it!
Vince Mariani

The Colony was where my family went to see all the big big box office pictures and movie spectaculars. Dinner at Stouffers and then the movie. As a kid, we always drove through Shaker Square to go downtown and I seem to remember commenting that movies such as the Sound of Music, King and I and My Fair Lady played there for months if not for years. The last time I was there was a family get together over winter holidays in the mid 70's for the screening of the restored silent classic "Napolean".

The Sound of Music actually played at the Ohio theater downtown. My Fair Lady did play at the Colony along with Dr. Zhivago and many other roadshow engagements. Shaker Sq. was such and upscale area when I was younger. I'd hate to see what it looks like now. Such a shame.......

The Colony did not play "sub runs" before the reserved seat runs of MY FAIR LADY, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, GOODBYE MR. CHIPS, FINIAN'S RAINBOW, THE BIG FISHERMAN etc. The Colony was the classy premiere showcase for the best foriegn films in Cleveland.It had a several month premiere run of LA DOLCE VITA as well as Antonioni's LA NOTTE, PURPLE NOON and many others. It was then called the Colony Art for a few years. i remember seeing DOCTOR ZHIVAGO there dressed in a suit with my date home from college for Christmas, and then going to the super cool Stouffer's Shaker square for dinner, worrying if i had enough money to cover our dinner.

I vaguely remember it being called the Colony Art for a time......

Here is a 1984 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/c7tg54

The Colony theater had about 1500 seats on the main floor and the balcony. On Saturday afternoons in the 1940's, 50's and early 60's they had kids matinees with a feature, usually a western, a serial, five cartoons and a Three Stooges, Leon Erroll, Laurel and Hardy or Vera Vague comedy. There were two shows at 2 and at 4 pm. After six o'clock there was a single adult feature showing three times with the last showing about 11pm. News real, cartoon and trailers were also shown. The theater was operated by Warner Bros, then Stanley-Warner Theaters

1983 photo oc the Colony Theatre. This is a very impressive theatre.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c35%2c3%2c-1&catpagesize=25&ProductID=29487

1983 night photo of the Colony Theater.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c35%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=13&catpagesize=25&ProductID=31771
Amother 1983 photo of the Colony Theatre.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c35%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=13&catpagesize=25&ProductID=31773
another 1984 night photo of the Colony Theater.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c35%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=13&catpagesize=25&ProductID=31777

1981 Photo

It was indeed the Colony Art Theater for while: Here's an ad for the showing of "La Dolce Vita:"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/modestospeed/974697156/in/set-72157594571697814/

Wish this cinema would never have been made into 6. Was a great theater in its day has the colony. Cleveland Cinemas should have kept the Colony name

Here's a recent exterior picture showing that the entrance has changed very little since the theater was known as the Colony:
http://www.shad.org/cms/images/uploads/Cinemas-630.jpg