Southern Theatre
1165 Grant Street,
Akron,
OH
44304
1165 Grant Street,
Akron,
OH
44304
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Located at Grant Street and Coles Avenue. The Southern Theatre was operating prior to 1941, and continued until at least 1950.
Contributed by
Mark Gregg
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
Cinema Treasures currently says that the Southern Theatre has been demolished, but I wonder if the building is still standing? A May, 2011, obituary for Mr. Raymond L. Spayne says that he was the owner and operator of the Southern Theater and Southern Tap Room in Akron.
The Southern Tap Room is located at 1169 Grant Street. Here’s a photo. The door to the upstairs of the building has the address 1165. There is an adjacent storefront, with no address on display, that might have been the theater entrance at one time. The building looks a bit too small for the listed seating capacity of 550, though.
If the theater was not in the same building as the bar, then it must have been on what is now a parking lot next door. The driveway apron there looks very old and worn, so if the theater was on that lot it must have been demolished ages ago.
The Southern was almost certainly located on the vacant lot.I would go past it in the late 1980s and it was a country music venue at that time.If my memory serves, the logo on the Southern Tap Room was very similar to the logo on the marque.I have not been by there in many years but am suprized it is gone.
The Southern Theatre was located on the vacant lot. The Southern closed in 1963. The theater became The Southern Jamboree-country music. In the late 1970’s it was demolished. The Southern Tap Room closed in 2008. Nice to know people still remember the Southern.
Oh those are some sweet memories. My dad, Tennessee Slim and his band played there. All four of us siblings performed with him. My brother was on the rhythm guitar and we three sisters sang! I met my husband there, I just didn’t know it at the time! :–)
Does anyone have pictures of the old theater inside or outside?