Plymouth Theater

E. Main Street and Portner Street,
Plymouth, OH 44865

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Additional Info

Architects: Frank B. Hursh

Previous Names: Deisler Theater

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Plymouth Theater

The Deisler Theater opened in 1916. It gained notoriety because the owner and manager, Reuben Deisler was totally blind and his disability never interfered with his business sense. It was later renamed Plymouth Theater. It was closed in early-1954 and became a laundromatte.

Contributed by elmorovivo

Recent comments (view all 2 comments)

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on June 10, 2017 at 6:28 pm

The Deisler Theatre’s building, though somewhat altered, is still standing at the northeast corner of E. Main and Portner Streets. Mr. Deisler was still operating his theater in 1927, when the following item appeared in the January 7 issue of Motion Picture News:

“What is believed to be the most unusual method of theatre operation in Ohio, if not in the entire country, has been found at Plymouth, Ohio, where Reuben Deisler operates a small, but up-to-date house which bears his name. Deisler, a man in middle life, is sightless, having been blinded in a railroad accident some years ago. Although he has lost his sight, he has not lost his vision, as evidenced by the fact that, despite his handicap, he acts as cashier, seldom, if ever, making an error in giving out tickets or making change. He likewise personally attends to all bookings, billing, advertising, and the general business of the theatre. His wife is projectionist and a good one, at that.”
A notice about Mr. Deisler’s theater project appeared in the January 9, 1915, issue of The American Contractor:
“Picture Theater (seating 250): 1 sty. 25x70. $60M. Plymouth, O. Archt. Frank B. Hursh, 43 Glenwood blvd., Mansfield. Owner Reuben Deisler, Plymouth, taking bids. Postponed until spring.”
Mr Deisler died in 1928, and the theater was taken over by Ed Ramsey. An article in the August 11, 1963, issue of the Mansfield News-Journal said that Ramsey operated the house for many years as the Plymouth Theatre. By 1963 the building was being used as a laundromat, but Ramsey was still in the theater business as owner and operator of the Plymouth Drive-In.

Architect Frank B. Hursh began practicing in Mansfield in the 1890s. I’ve found references to a number of churches and private houses of his design, including one house listed on the NRHP, but so far no other theaters of his design have come to light.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on May 18, 2019 at 7:26 pm

The Plymouth may have closed in early 1954. From the Feb. 20, 1954 Motion Picture Herald:

The Plymouth theatre, the only house in Plymouth, Ohio, has closed permanently “because of television competition, high taxes and other similar factors,” according to the owner, Ed Ramsey, who also operates a drive-in in the vicinity, which will remain in operation.

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