Allen Theatre
1407 Euclid Avenue,
Cleveland,
OH
44115
1407 Euclid Avenue,
Cleveland,
OH
44115
9 people
favorited this theater
The Allen Theatre opened in 1921, designed by C. Howard Crane, and could seat around 3,000, making it Cleveland’s largest movie theater at that time. For several decades, the Allen Theatre served as one of the grandest places in the city to see a motion picture, before falling into decline in the 1950’s and 1960’s. It was finally shuttered in 1968, and was only spared at the last minute from being bulldozed for a parking lot. Workers had already begun dismantling the interior when the word came to halt demolition.
In an effort to bring the Allen’s plight for preservation to the forefront of Clevelanders, the Playhouse Square Association (which was formed in 1970) reopened the Allen Theatre in 1971 for a concert by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. For a year, a series of concerts and appearances by celebrities like Richard Harris and Lily Tomlin, were presented at the Allen Theatre.
Today, fully restored to its 1920’s splendor and one of the prime components of Cleveland’s famed Playhouse Square, the Allen Theatre is primarily used as a venue for touring Broadway shows and other live acts requiring a large stage.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 70 comments)
Thanks for the postcard veiw Don, a great find as always.
A unique feature of the Allen Theatre in its early years was a soda fountain called the Tea Room, located on the main floor and open to the auditorium. The facility was for the exclusive use of theater patrons, and was without a separate entrance from the street.
The July, 1922, issue of a trade journal called The Soda Fountain featured this article about the operation. There is one photo. The article says that the idea for the Tea Room came from the theater’s architect, C. Howard Crane.
Thanks Joe,another real find.
The Grateful Dead played here on 10/29/71.
From the late 1940s a postcard view of the Allen Theatre along with the Hanna and Lowe’s State Theatres.
The Loews Ohio is also in this photo,its marquee was just in front of the Loews State.This theatre did not have a vertical sign.
Grand opening ad from March 27th, 1927 for the Allen theatre is at
View link
I cant believe they are going to carve up this beautiful theater after spending so much money to restore it. Have they started this desecration yet? Horrible!
This webpage includes a photo (click upon it to enlarge it) which shows how the Allen’s auditorium has been remodeled (I would indeed say desecrated) to meet the needs of the Cleveland Playhouse:
http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/euclid-shuffle/Content?oid=2724702
Holy shit. That really is desecration.