Euclid Theatre

E. Ninth Street and Euclid Avenue,
Cleveland, OH 44115

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Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on October 13, 2021 at 3:33 am

An item about the new Hayden-Shaw Theatre, published in Exhibitors Herald and Motography of May 17, 1919, said that the architects and engineers of the new house, the W. S. Ferguson Co., had also designed the Euclid Theatre.

rivest266
rivest266 on January 19, 2014 at 2:42 pm

Grand opening ad from April 20th, 1919 is now in the photo section.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on May 3, 2013 at 10:39 pm

This house re-opened as Loew’s Euclid in 1919. It had already been in operation as the Euclid Theatre for several years. Here is an item from a late 1913 issue of Variety:

“CLEVELAND’S NEXT BIG ONE.

“Cleveland, Dec. 26.

“The next big theatre to open here will be the Euclid. It will seat over 2,000 people. The date for English Grand Opera to start the house off is set for March 1.

“Max Faetkenhauer will manage the Euclid, built by Jas. Holcomb who has of late purchased considerable of the property on Euclid avenue near where the new theatre is located.

“Mr. Faetkenhauer promoted and built the Cleveland Hippodrome, now playing Keith vaudeville.

“Nothing is known of the future policy of the Euclid beyond that it will open with opera.”

It looks like the opening year of 1914 we originally gave was correct.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on February 24, 2012 at 2:01 pm

It occurs to me that this theater might well have opened in 1914, but under a different name. Perhaps the grand opening ad from 1919 was just a re-opening under the new name Euclid Theatre. If so, there might be listings for this theater with a 9th Street address and a different name in city directories from 1915 to 1918.

Cleveland also had a house called the Euclid Theatre earlier than 1914. The August 8, 1908, issue of The Billboard mentions a Mr. J.H. Eschman, then operating an amusement park in Minneapolis, saying that “…he started in with the old Euclid Theatre of Cleveland, Ohio….”

CSWalczak
CSWalczak on February 24, 2012 at 1:51 pm

So it did have a short life: it opens in 1919, and is gone by mid-1922 at the latest – and this in an era when theaters were not just made of cement block and sheetrock.

I did find a picture of the the Lennox Building, but it doesn’t show what is left or right of the building.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on February 24, 2012 at 1:06 pm

A trade journal called Buildings and Building Management published an article about the Union Trust Building in its issue of August 21, 1922. Here is the section that mentions the Euclid Theatre:

“Money and Commerce reports that ground has already been broken for the new twenty-story bank and office building of the Union Trust Company, Cleveland. This building is to be erected at the northeast corner of Euclid avenue and East Ninth street.

“The old Lennox building, which now stands at the northeast corner, the Euclid Theatre building on the corner of Ninth and Chester, a frame house, a power house and large packing ground now occupying the Chester avenue frontage are being removed to make way for the new banking structure.”

I notice that the grand opening ad in Mike Rivest’s album gives the theater’s location as “East 9th Street at Euclid Avenue (Next to Lennox Building)” so the entrance must have been on 9th Street, despite the theater’s name.

CSWalczak
CSWalczak on February 23, 2012 at 11:38 pm

Now that I can more clearly see a 1921 ad posted on Mike Rivest’s Picasa photo site that lists all of the Cleveland theaters operated by Loew’s in that year for this theater, it is apparent that some information posted by a number of us, including myself, is most likely inaccurate.

This grand opening adindicates that the theater probably opened in 1919 rather than 1914, as “Eyes of the Soul,” according to the IMdB, opened in April of that year. The 1921 Loew’s ad indicates that the Loew’s Euclid was at 9th and Euclid so this has to be the same theater, unless there were two theaters named Euclid at 9th and Euclid. Therefore, the theater was operated by a major chain at least for some portion of its life.

What is not clear to me is when this theater closed. If it disappears by 1930 from the city directory, as indicated by one of the previous comments, and the other Euclid Theater in East Cleveland was open by then, then the closing occured sometime in the 1920’s.

I am wondering if the theater was demolished when the huge building now known as the Huntington Bank Building (formerly the Union Commerce Bank) was constructed, as the opening ad for this Euclid Theater indicates that it was next to the Lennox Building which was demolished for the construction of the bank building. However, construction of the bank building began in 1921, which would mean that this Euclid theater would have had a very short life. But that might have been the case if one considers Lost Memory’s comment about the installation of a Robert-Morton theater organ being installed in a Euclid Theater in 1925. My guess is that this organ went into the East Cleveland Euclid Theater, and that this Euclid Theater had closed by then. If this theater was not demolished to build the bank building, could the building that currently is to the immediate right of the Euclid Avenue frontage of the bank building once have been this Euclid Theater?

CSWalczak
CSWalczak on March 13, 2011 at 6:47 pm

Mike: Perhaps another of the movie ads that you have on your Picasa Gallery page of Cleveland theater ads could solve the problem. There is one there that Loew’s placed in the Plain Dealer essentially for the opening of the Loew’s State that has “1917” and “1921” as part of a banner across the top of the ad; the ad also includes a listing of all of the Loew’s theaters operating in Cleveland in 1921. But I cannot enlarge the image enough to read the addresses if they are included, although they appear to me that they are. If you can enlarge the ad or if you have the original, I would be curious to know what the address is for Loew’s Euclid. If would turn out that it is Ninth and Euclid, then the information for the Doan here on CT is wrong, and that this Euclid was, in fact, operated at some point by Loew’s and that the Doan was never Loew’s Euclid. This would make sense, because as I noted on the page for the Doan, calling that theater Loew’s Euclid does not make sense, given its location on St. Clair Ave.

CSWalczak
CSWalczak on March 13, 2011 at 6:24 pm

Thanks for the ad, Mike; it answers a question that dave-bronx and I have wondered about, specifically, on which of the corners at Ninth and Euclid was this rather short-lived Euclid actually located? The ad indicates that the theater was next to the Lenox Building. The Lenox Building (spelled in some old sources as Lennox) was torn down to build the building that I remember as the Union Commerce Bank Building, now the Huntington Bank. That means that the theater was on the northeast corner or very near to it on Euclid. I would guess then that this Euclid Theater was also torn down to clear space for the bank, unless it was located where there are now some lower rise office buildings next to the Huntington Bank just east of it on Euclid.

But now a new question appears: If this Euclid Theater opened with the feature “Eyes of the Soul,” then it most likely if not definitely opened in in 1919. However, Loew’s Euclid (at 105th St. and St. Clair Ave. – later known as the Doan) is also said to have opened in 1919 – see separate entry for this theater). It’s hard to believe that there would have been two Euclid theaters operating at the same time.

rivest266
rivest266 on March 13, 2011 at 4:17 pm

Grand opening for the Euclid is at View link
You are right, CWalczak, It was never a Loew’s

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on March 6, 2011 at 1:42 am

Thanks Mike,looking foward to seeing it.

rivest266
rivest266 on March 1, 2011 at 11:22 am

Loew’s Euclid opened on April 20th, 1919. ad to come

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on December 18, 2009 at 1:07 am

I am looking for any information on the Enjoy Theater in Cleveland, address unknown. It appears to have been built in 1911. Thanks.
http://tinyurl.com/yexnp4f

CSWalczak
CSWalczak on July 22, 2009 at 9:13 pm

I think is possible, if not likely, that the Robert-Morton organ that you noted (above, on October 30, 2007) was actually installed in the East Cleveland Euclid. If so that might shed light on the opening date of of the East Cleveland Euclid. You have an entry on the Doan page that indicates an Austin organ went into that theater in 1919.

CSWalczak
CSWalczak on July 22, 2009 at 8:16 pm

It would then appear that this Euclid Theater had a rather short life, if it opened in 1914 and the Loew’s Euclid was operating as of 1920. It would also now appear that there were actually three theaters in the Greater Cleveland area that were named Euclid. I would guess that the one in East Cleveland probably opened in the late 1920s or early 30s, after Loew’s Euclid became the Doan.

CSWalczak
CSWalczak on July 22, 2009 at 4:39 am

Actually, the answer was available here on CT all along – The Doan Theater in Cleveland was formerly Loew’s Euclid.

CSWalczak
CSWalczak on July 22, 2009 at 4:33 am

Good question; here’s another ad for the same film which, according to the Imdb was indeed a 1920 release. The Rivest listing for the East Cleveland Euclid indicates it may have opened in that year. If what dave-bronx says in the note above is accurate, then the East Cleveland Euclid may have been at one time a Loew’s operation, perhaps at or soon after its opening. Prior to the mid-1960’s, although Loew’s is most generally connected with its operation of the Ohio, Stillman, and State theaters downtown, the Park at 105th and Euclid, and the Granada on the west side, it may have operated a few other theaters in Cleveland at one time or another; it did operate the Allen for awhile early in that theater’s history.

William05
William05 on July 25, 2008 at 10:03 am

Appreciate the additional information guys on Jeans Funny House. I moved away and was never able to find when it closed down. Been trying to get a photo of it. Yeah, he also had a few arcade items. I still have to check local newspapers for photos, etc.of his place. A bit off the track from movie theaters, but thanks to all ~ They also ripped down the building that Snyder’s Magic Shop was in !

dave-bronx™
dave-bronx™ on July 25, 2008 at 3:39 am

I’m sure Jeans Funny House was across the street in the 50s as you remember. It was probably where they built that Investment Plaza office building in the late 60s – then they moved across the street, a few doors north of the Roxy. I used to go in there in 1970,71,72,73. Jeans bit the dust permanently in 1977, along with the Roxy, the Embassy, Stouffers, Bonds and the rest of the block to make way for the National City Center.

CSWalczak
CSWalczak on July 25, 2008 at 12:43 am

Your memory matches mine, WestlakeKid as far as it being opposite, not next to, the Roxy, perhaps just a little farther down 9th Street toward the lake. It was also very much a penny arcade in addition to the novelties it sold. I especially remember the steam shovel machines. I only went there once – when I was very young; I somehow lost track of my mother and remember crying on a step outside until she found me.

William05
William05 on July 25, 2008 at 12:12 am

In reference to the following:
Jeans Funny House was next door to the Roxy –
posted by dave-bronx on Jan 24, 2007 at 5:00pm

I was in Jeans many times with my dad. Jeans was a gag/joke shop with magic. I still have a few items purchased there in the 1950s.
The shop was located across the street from the Roxy. Not next door.
Minor detail, but historically accurate.

fmbeall
fmbeall on May 6, 2008 at 5:13 pm

I checked my 1929 Film Daily YB and it shows an Oriental at 9th and Superior with 1,500 seats. It well may be the theatre at corner of 9th and Chester – pretty close to Superior.

CSWalczak
CSWalczak on May 6, 2008 at 4:14 pm

Based on Dave-Bronx’s earlier comment (above) the first theater you refer to could well be the Oriental.

fmbeall
fmbeall on May 6, 2008 at 4:16 am

I have an old postcard with an aerial view looking north on 9th from Euclid. There is a theatre on the NE corner of Chester and 9th, which puts it right across from the Roxy. Afraid I cannot make out name on the marquee or roof signage. Period looks like mid 20’s. Apears to be a fair sized theatre of about 1,500 seats with a large stagehouse. Closer to Euclid on the present site of the present large bank there looks like another theatre. It would be on the east side of 9th between Euclid and Chester. Can only see the facade with a large window, and top of the marquee.

nonsportsnut
nonsportsnut on October 7, 2007 at 9:50 pm

I’m trying to find information on the Roxy Burlesque in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Joe DeRita, the “last” third stooge of the Three Stooges, was featured there, and married a dancer/chorus girl there, Bonnie Brooks. The Three Stooges Fan Club is trying to find out whatever happened to Bonnie Brooks
You can email me direct at:
Thanks,
Frank Reiighter