Robins Theatre
166 E. Market Street,
Warren,
OH
44481
166 E. Market Street,
Warren,
OH
44481
5 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 40 comments
google photos has some great shots of the interior. Robins
On August 19th I and about 1200 patrons attended a concert in this newly and lovely restored theatre. The performance of the talented group, The Doo-wop Project and the ambience of the Robins Theatre resulted in an awesome evening. The multi million renovation created a fabulous showplace for the city of Warren. All the original seats were removed, reupholstered, refurbished and reinstalled so the original seating capacity of nearly 1500 has been retained. Unfortunately, since it’s now a concert venue rather than a movie theatre it made sense to install a digital marquee rather than the prettier neon and milk glass marquee. Large vertical signage is also absent.
I’ll be attending a concert there in August of 2022. I’ll update any information I find out about the renovations and programming
The website posted does say “film screenings”, under Facility Information, if you click Tech Specs. However they would have to be contacted I assume, as when you click to download the technical specs, it says it is password protected.
Website: http://robinstheatre.com/ It appears from the website that only live performances will be occurring at the theatre.
Status should be opened. The theater reopened on January 9, 2020.
It didn’t have an organ when it originally opened, and doesn’t have any organ chambers. They probably didn’t want to spend the extra money to work that out.
I’m sorry to report that the Robins Theatre WILL NOT have a Theatre Pipe Organ installed. I offered to donate an original pipe organ to the theatre and the Development group informed me that they were not interested. If anyone knows of a theatre that wants a pipe organ, I have at least one to donate. You can contact me at 330-792-1321. Thom.
http://www.vindy.com/news/2018/feb/07/robins-theatre-renovators-tout-potential/
Theater has been sold to Downtown Development Group LLC; they plan to renovate and present concerts, comedy shows and movies. Tribune Chronicle story here.
Facebook link to a 1854 photo.
https://www.facebook.com/businessmediaarchives/photos/a.1666016470351470.1073741828.1665444937075290/1732831247003325/?type=3&theater
Students from New York’s New School of Design were in to see about restoring this theater according to WKBN-TV News.
The picture from kencmcintyre from 3/19/10 is likely from 1952 or 1953, judging from release dates of movies shown on the marquee.
Here is another view circa 1950s:
http://tinyurl.com/y9c5j7m
I am 72 years old and can remember many grand times at the Robins or one of the other 4 theaters in Warren during my youth. It’s a shame Warren can come up with money for a Riverwalk (which i would be afraid to be on after dark), an Ampitheather which has been a total bust, and a Packard Auto Musuem which replace a swimming pool that the city could not longer aford to maintain but can maintain the musuem which is a year round situation. The glory that was once Warren is long gone and will never be replaced. I am glad I am as old as I am because I would not want to live and see what is going to happen to Warren in years to come. Zofko
I wish there was enough funds for packard music hall and the robins theater. packard is great for large venues as well as the new amphitheater on mahoning avenue, but wouldn’t it be great to see that robins theater marquee up in lights again on east market!!
This is a C. Howard Crane, Architect building….Crane was an understudy of the great architect Albert Kahn…..he is credited with the Allen THeater in Cleveland and the recently purchased Liberty/Paramount THeater in Youngstown
Rob: We’ll let you know if a trip to Youngstown this summer with friends takes place as I really hope to see the Robins and that it’s future is bright. Warren is known for being the home of the Packard family thus the W.D. Packard Music Hall and Packard Museum so it should definitely have its restored Robins Theatre!
No, I don’t know Nathaniel A. Riggle. Google doesn’t find him, either.
Rob: Do you know this Nathaniel A. Riggle who contributed the Robins link?
Rob: Do you know this Nathaniel A. Riggle who contributed the Robins link?
Rob: Thanks for your informative CT post on the Robins. And btw, thanks for the email.
Let me correct some of the family relationships mentioned in the first posting. It was Ben Robins who married Anna Warner. Ben died in 1937. I have home movies from 1939 showing Anna Warner Robins (dressed in black) along with many of the Goldston and Robins family.
For the past several years, I have been quietly promoting the concept of an interactive digital performance center in University Circle, Cleveland. One aspect of this would be a very-high-speed fiber optic link to a (renovated) Robins Theater in Warren. Performances from the very many cultural centers in Cleveland could be linked to Warren, which then might become a regional outreach venue for the arts. It might also be possible to utilize the array of offices/studios around the 2nd floor of the Robins for interactive lessons linked from Cleveland, where there are very many artists-in-training who teach. Indeed, a performing arts company in Warren might even participate in a joint performance with another Northeastern Ohio company.
A bold, regional concept like this will be a SLOW sell. Northeastern Ohio is not as accepting of innovaton as is, say, Silicon Valley. It might take a decade or more to obtain funding, but
tearing down the Robins now would provide no benefit to Downtown Warren. There are acres of empty space in Downtown should someone want to build a new theater. It would make as much sense to tear down the magnificent Court House because of the city block of land around it!
I’m not sure what, if any, the connection is between the Robins and the Packard names? Hopefully someone can post that information here. Thanks.
What can someone tell us about the W.D. Packard Music Hall? Glad to know that the hall exists, but the Robins needs to be restored!