Jackson Theater
4019 Eastern Avenue,
Cincinnati,
OH
45226
4019 Eastern Avenue,
Cincinnati,
OH
45226
2 people
favorited this theater
Built as the Carrel Theater in the early-1900’s. The theater was renamed Jackson Theater for and owned by Jerome Jackson, formerly an early nickelodeon partner of Isaac McMahan and they both started a film distribution business for nickel houses in the Cincinnati region. Mr. Jackson later became the manager of the Taft Theater on East Fifth Street in 1932.
Jackson and other investors owned the Lyric Theater on Vine Street which had been built by Hubert Heuck in 1905, a legitimate playhouse until the 1920’s when it became a movie theater. The Jackson Theater was always a movie house.
The Jackson Theater auditorium has now been demolished, but the front of the building has been retained and converted into apartments. Original terrazzo floors are being retained.
Contributed by
hanksykes
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Recent comments (view all 10 comments)
The Jackson Theater building and apartment house still retains in raised letters the name Jackson Building on the upper moulding of its facade.
Later in the 1940’s the Jackson was leased by Louis Wiethe as part of his ever expanding local chain of movie houses.
it must have been an impressive building in its time, but it certainly looks shabby now, especially covered with graffiti.
If you look at the Google photo….it is sad loking.
If you drive to see it, it’s more than just sad looking. It’s doomed.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyum/3862654029/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyum/3862655279/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyum/3863434348/
i grew up in the jackson building in the 1980’s,it was a little run down back then,but it holds alot of memories for me. I would love to know what the plans are for this historic building!!!
In response to kencmcintyre*s remark about graffiti. I am very near in favor of the return of the stocks and pillory as punishment for vandalism and graffiti. I think it would be especially effective if those involved were allowed to miss a couple of meals and bathroom breaks. Tagging and graffiti remind me of tomcats and he-dogs marking everything as their territory.
When I look at the satellite view of this theater, I wonder if the auditorium of the Jackson Theatre has not been demolished? The footprint of the existing apartment building looks much too small to have accommodated a theater of almost 800 seats, but there is plenty of vacant land behind it where there could once have been an auditorium. The land looks torn up, too, as though something had been removed from it.
My guess would be that the upper floors of the apartment house are just about as they have always been, and that the entrance to the theater passed all the way through the building to the auditorium behind it, most likely via the arch at left.
Jerome Jackson took over this house around the beginning of 1918, as noted in the January 5 issue of The Moving Picture World that year:
The Shober Brothers had already enlarged the Carrell Theatre at least once, as reported in The Moving Picture World of September 4, 1915, which said that the house would have 570 seats once the project was completed.Joe,you are correct the auditorium has been removed, but the front entrance was were the 2 checkerboard piles of brick are attached to this structure. Looks like a marquee was formerly attached to the area directly above.
We purchased the Jackson Theater on 6/20/12 and immediately began renovation on the remaining space. The auditorium was demolished many years ago but the lobby and upper two floors remain. We will convert the upper two floors into apartments. The terrazzo floors are in excellent condition as are the interior brick walls. will supply updates.
tedhardman