RKO Albee Theatre
12 E. 5th Street,
Cincinnati,
OH
45202
12 E. 5th Street,
Cincinnati,
OH
45202
5 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 51 comments
How sad they couldnt save this theater. I bought the Singer book and enjoyed leafing through it, but wished there had been more pics of the Albee interior. Cleveland and Columbus saved many of their downtown theaters, why couldnt Cinci save just one?
The Albee was located at 13 East Fifth Street, not 12 as stated above. It was on the south side of Fifth Street, and 12 would have put it on the north side. The north side was demolished in the mid-1960s for the reconstruction of Fountain Square. Keith’s Theatre was around the corner on Walnut Street and was part of that demolition. The Albee closed on September 17, 1974. It was briefly reopened about 2 years later in the fall of 1976 for a pre-demolition contents sale, and was demolished in 1977. The facade on the convention center is not a duplicate – it is the original marble from the Albee. After doing everything it could to get rid of the theatre, the city carefully dismantled, numbered, and saved all of the marble pieces from the facade for eventual reuse. Contrary to rgwalther’s comment, it wasn’t really “decaying,” and still looked splendid when it closed in 1974. Of course, it needed cleaning and restoration, but it was not in bad condition and was not a decaying hulk. The city and local newspapers tried to depict it that way whenever possible, in order to dampen public sentiment for saving it, but it simply wasn’t true. RKO had never modified it, so it was all original from the backstage wall to the top of the balcony. The proscenium was wide enough to accommodate a wide screen, so it never suffered the wide screen scaffolding, demolition of boxes, and fiberglass draping that were done to many old theatres. In his new book, “Stepping Out in Cincinnati,” Allen Singer missed the opening by a year. The Albee opened on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1927. Cincinnati will forever be poorer for not having saved it.
I spent a lot of time at the Albee as a little girl. My brother was an assistant manager there and he sometimes took me to work with him. It was a wonderful theatre with lots of places the general public didn’t get to see. I am trying to put an album together for him as he is retiring after 60 years of theatre management. I am looking for more pics of the Albee and other RKO theatres in Cinci from 1940s 1960’s. Also looking for pics of theatres owned by MidStates in 1960s -1980s. That would also include the Hollywood in College Hill. Would be interested in info and pics. Thanks for help. Am very excited about the info on “Stepping Out…” book. Thats a great piece of info.
Rosie02
The Albee was truly a masterpiece but the the 60’s it was decaying. I spent many Saturdays afternoons memsmerized by all day 50 cent sessions of James Bond. James Stewart and more
Thanks! It looks great.
One can buy it from Amazon.com via the link below. Actually, four can buy it, since they say they have four copies now and more on the way.
View link
Where can one buy it?
The book “Stepping Out In Cincinnati: Queen City Entertainment 1900-1960” has 8 great photos of the Albee Theatre as well as photos of Keith’s, the Shubert and many many others. It is a really wonderful book and I would strongly recommend it to anyone interested in early 20th century Cincinnati history.
Thank you for the photo, and for the information. I’m glad to find out there are still people out there who have the same fond memories (and wonder) that I have for the Albee, and all the RKO theaters in Cincinnati. For anyone who was never in it, all I can say is that its interior lived up to the facade, and then some. And when a movie ran at the Albee, you knew you were seeing something special: for example, when The Great Escape premiered there, the motorcycle used in the famous “jump scene” was roped off on display in the lobby. When they showed Away All Boats, the lobby held a huge scale model of the ship in the movie, the USS Randall (renamed USS Belinda in the movie). Years later, when just back from Vietnam, I saw The Godfather there, and remember thinking it was amazing they didn’t have some dummies in the lobby arranged to look like they’d just been gunned down (heh).
I loved the place. Since then, I’ve been to the Hall Of Mirrors in Versailles – yawn – hell, I’d already been to the Albee!
I will add it with the details that I have.
KenRoe, I’m afraid I dont. I saw a postcard picture of it once, but I dont even know what street it was located on. It must’ve closed before the early 70’s as I never saw ads for it when I was in college and read the Cinci. paper.
Interesting that Cincinnati had both a Keith’s and an Albee, separate theatres. Did any other city?
TJ;
The B.F.Keith Theatre, Cincinnati is not listed on this site at the moment. Do you know anything about it so that you can list it? or shall I post it as a new listing with just the basic details that I have? Is it still there?
Does anyone know how the Keiths is listed here? Does it have a listing? I cant find it.
Yes, Columbus did a much better job. None of the 3 are movie theaters anymore, but all are doing well as performing arts venues and beautifully restored. The Ohio film series leaves much to be desired though. Small screen and poor sound. I stopped going years ago for that reason. The theater itself is gorgeous. I think they have the theater doors from the Albee.
Sounds like Columbus did a much better job than Cincy of keeping its old downtown theatres. The CAPA organization there saved and restored the Ohio (formerly Loew’s Ohio), the Palace (formerly RKO Palace) and the Southern. All three are now live stages, but the Ohio has a classic film series.
wheelieman – though they aren’t movie houses anymore, there are RKO Palaces in both Columbus and Cleveland, OH, and both are still operating.
Another view of the Albee: View link
Are there any RKO theatres left anywhere in Ohio?
Still no classic theaters.
Don’t forget-we also have the Danbarrys!!!
All they have now in Cincy is Showcase Cinemas theaters!!!!!!
Does that stink or WHAT?!
The Bryan Krefft photo above is EXCELLENT!!!
That is a good photo of the Albee. I have an old black & white photo if you want it. E-mail me at and I’ll reply with it. Have no idea of the date, though, but you may figure it out by what’s on the marquee. I, too, grew up in Cincinnati. My grandfather was an usher at the Times Towne Cinema at 6th & Walnut in the ‘50s and early '60s. The Albee was one of the finest theatres in the world. They had live shows as well. So glad to see others who appreciate this type of thing. I miss all of the old theatres.
I was brought up in Cincinnati and I remember the downtown theatres with passionate affection. The Albee was the most beautiful, right across from the fountain on the square. Just walking into the theatre after buying a ticket was a journey; the place was immense. You had to walk through the huge lobby, then take a left down a long corridor, and all this was on plush red carpet. Portraits hung all over the place. Even the men’s restroom downstairs (with the largest urinals I ever saw) had its own adjoining lounge with dark wood furniture.
In the fifties and early sixties downtown Cincinnati had six big movie palaces. My parents told me a few were once old vaudeville houses (The Albee, The Keith’s, The RKO Palace, The Grand, and The Capitol were the major ones), and the city also had a great legitimate live theatre, The Schubert. Remembering the times I saw movies in those places is such a pleasure. The Albee was the first theatre in that area to widen its screen to Cinamascope in 1953; my father took me then to see “The Robe.”
By 1975 Cincinnati had razed every major downtown theatre. All those treasures were destroyed.
I have searched for photographs of the Albee and other Cincinnati theatres everywhere but can’t find anything except this.
Thank you for at least this photo.