University City Cinema
480 Ackerman Road,
Columbus,
OH
43202
480 Ackerman Road,
Columbus,
OH
43202
1 person
favorited this theater
Built as a single-screen by GCC in 1966, it was located near the OSU campus.
Contributed by
dave-bronx
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
General Cinema had many theatres designed like this in Columbus now gone: the Town & Country and the Great Western for example. All were free-standing single screens later twinned. And all are now gone.
If I recall correctly, what finally doomed the University City was not just GC’s pullout, but a large flood of water (pipe burst?) that so damaged the interior that anyone who wanted to perhaps take on the property was scared off by the repair bills.
This was a generic, blue shadowbox GCC house. It was twinned in the ‘'80’s. It was one of the first theatres in the area with Dolby Stereo. Did play at least 2 of the Sensurround films (Earthquake and Rollercoaster.) Local GCC office may have been located here.
Now an Applebees.
The address was 480 Ackerman Road.
Opened in 1969 and was twinned in 1980, closed in 1990.
Here is a January 1969 ad from the Columbus Dispatch:
http://tinyurl.com/yttv34
It had to have been still open in 1991, as I saw Terminator 2 there. The theater still had a very 1960s lobby decor (big white ball lights, chrome and walnut veneer concession stand?) and the seats were upholstered in red, white and blue vinyl. As with many twinned theaters, projection was from an original porthole near a rear corner of the split auditorium, making for a suboptimal presentation.
Columbus Dispatch archives show this theatre closing in late 1991.
I saw Madonna: Truth or Dare there. That would mean the theater was still open in May 1991.
Theater interior and exterior were functional and unremarkable, as previous commenters have observed.
The Applebee’s that currently occupies the site has a framed snapshot of the old theater hanging on the wall just inside the entrance.
Opened in 1966, not 1969.