Marion Theatre
170 W. Center Street,
Marion,
OH
43302
170 W. Center Street,
Marion,
OH
43302
No one has favorited this theater yet
The Marion Theatre was considered the top cinema in town until being overshadowed by the larger and grander Palace Theatre.
But the Marion Theatre retained its first-run status and was handsomely modernized in 1938. More information is needed about its history and the current status of the site.
Contributed by
Warren G. Harris
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
No, just go to “search inside the book” and enter theater.
I entered “theater” in the search box below “inside this book”. The results were page 17 and page 20. I clicked on page 17 and received the following:
Sign In
What is your e-mail address?
My e-mail address is
Do you have an Amazon.com password?
No, I am a new customer.
Yes, I have a password:
Forgot your password? Click here
Has your e-mail address changed since your last order?
Was it a nice photo? :(
Here are two views of the auditorium, the first showing the original decor, and the second the 1938 modernization. Apparently, only the beams across the ceiling were retained:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/marionbefore.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/marionafter.jpg
I think I know what the problem is. I signed up with Amazon years ago to buy some Xmas presents. It may have automatically logged me in. Sorry about that. And yes, it was a nice photo.
The caption to the book photo shows the original entrance, and says that the Marion Theatre first opened in 1915 and closed in 1953. The caption also describes it as “a vaudeville house,” but I suspect that the Marion also presented movies from its start.
P.S. The Marion was listed in the 1957 FDYB, so perhaps that 1953 closing date is incorrect. Also, the 1957 FDYB does not list the Palace Theatre, so that might have closed before the Marion did.
A Kimball theater organ was installed in the Marion Theater in 1928.
Here are new links to “before and after” views described above on 11/10/07 at 3:33pm:
View link
View link
Status: The Marion Theatre has been closed for at least 30 or 40 years. The building stood as was for many years until Carrols Jewelery (located in the same building)remodeled the front lobby into part of their store. The theatre was located behind the store fronts across the back of the building. Sometime in the late 70’s or early 80’s the auditorium was torn down and used for off street parking. Sometime in the 2000’s the Uhlers building next door had a fire on one of the floor above the theatre and burnt the entire building where the theatre and Carrols Jewelers were located to the ground.
The Marion Theatre has been demolished, per obie’s comment above.