I remember the Uptown in the ‘60s. I remember the vertical “Uptown” sign over the marquee. That’s about all I remember about it until it closed and it became a church of sorts. This is another one in which I can not find a photo of any kind. Anyone have one???
The Royal was already showing soft porn the first time I saw it as a kid but it had that butterfly and the neighborhood was actually clean. Now it is a parking lot and part of the 7th St. Garage sits on the property. Wow, things surely change.
I believe this theater was on the corner of Warsaw Ave. & Wells and is now being used as a body shop or something. I’ll check on this. The Price Hill Historical Society should have something in their archives about this and some other old venues in Price Hill.
I have been trying for 5 years or so to find just one photo of this old theater when it was in business. I gather there are none anywhere. At least the building is still there and is being used for something.
Expect this building to be razed in the near future along with many others in the vicinity. Back in the 1920s thru the 1950s, this was actually a vibrant neighborhood. Now it is just the ‘hood. I wish there were more pics available when it was in better shape. It’s a shame to see old movie houses look like the 2008 photo. I see it quite often, as I occasionally pass by that area on business. I can confirm that is how it looks now.
I was born and raised in Cincinnati and have NEVER heard of this theater. This part of town is known as the “west end.” Anyone have a pic of it or anything? Or know any publication that may? I’m sure it was before the “talkies.”
That’s interesting. I never knew the Cox Theater was named after Boss Cox. Learn something new every day. I have a picture of the Cox Theater. Just e-mail me at and I’ll reply with it if you want it.
Stubaby, that is the understatement of the year. It’s downright HORRIBLE in that area. I don’t know where you are from, but our city is on pace to break the all time record for murders and this area is the main one. And, the old Imperial Theater is the backdrop.
Can’t find too many pix of the Times. Yeah, it DID look kind of gaudy when it became the “Times Towne Cinema.” Looks like how Elvis would have decorated it. (No slam on Elvis, because I’m a big fan).
Thanks, Chuck and Lost Memory. I have another pic of the Imperial but without all of the junk in front of it. If by some chance you want it, e-mail me at and I’ll reply with it. That neighborhood is now a hardcore ghetto and as I write this, our city is on pace to break the annual record of murders, most of them are in that area. That’s what the drug trade will get you.
It was the Place, not the Palace. Speaking of the Skywalk, it is still a haven for crime since all the great theatres and restaurants closed down. The thugs “own” the skywalk and most of the downtown blocks. People stay away from downtown Cincinnati in droves due to the crime.
I have a good photo of the Royal before its soft core porn days. Just e-mail me at and I’ll reply with it. Tried to put it on “Add A Photo” but after months and months, it still says “Add A Photo will return.” Yeah, right.
I am 47 years old. The ONLY thing I even remember about Cinema X is that was where “Midnight Cowboy” played when it opened in Cincinnati. I know there was a Cinema X somewhere in downtown Cincinnati. Lots of help, huh?
I have several photos of the Keith (lots of interior shots as well). It was quite a theater. If you e-mail me at I will reply with them if you like. Wish we could just post pics on the website but it always says “add a photo will return.”
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Pettus-Brown freed from jail
By Dan Horn and Gregory Korte
Enquirer staff writers
A federal judge freed LaShawn Pettus-Brown from jail today, throwing out his conviction for spending taxpayers' money on himself instead of Cincinnati’s Empire Theater project.
The ruling stunned federal authorities and was a blow to city officials who blame Pettus-Brown for derailing a project that cost the city more than $180,000.
“I am absolutely flabbergasted,” said Mayor Charlie Luken. “I’m sure everyone at the city is.”
In her 13-page decision, U.S. District Judge Sandra Beckwith agreed that prosecutors proved Pettus-Brown defrauded the city when he took money intended for the theater renovation project and spent it on meals, shoes, limousines and rap concerts. The renovation of the vacant 88-year-old landmark into a nightclub was touted by city officials as a key step in turning around Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine.
Beckwith said prosecutors failed to show that the fraud violated federal laws against wire fraud and money laundering.
She reversed a jury verdict that found Pettus-Brown guilty of those charges in November. She ordered his immediate release from a Kentucky jail, where he has been held for nearly a year.
“The court is not excusing the defendant’s conduct,” Beckwith wrote in her decision. “It is readily apparent that the defendant perpetrated a calculated and sophisticated fraud on the city of Cincinnati.”
She said her decision to dismiss the charges rests on a “technical and narrow, but nonetheless important, legal point.”
Federal prosecutors, who said they may appeal the judge’s ruling, had argued during the trial that Pettus-Brown committed wire fraud when he electronically transferred money from the city to accounts in New Jersey, Australia and Japan.
They said the money Pettus-Brown sent to those accounts came from fraudulent vouchers he submitted to the city as the developer of the theater project. But Pettus-Brown’s lawyer, Kelly Johnson, said the wire transfers occurred after his client obtained the city’s money and were never part of the alleged fraud.
The distinction is important because federal law requires prosecutors to prove the transfers were part of the fraud – not just a means to spend the profits of that fraud.
And that, Beckwith said, is where federal prosecutors failed.
“The evidence at trial showed only that these wire transfers were the mechanism through which the defendant spent or disbursed the money he stole,” the judge wrote.
Since the money laundering charges involved “the proceeds of wire fraud,” the judge also dismissed those charges.
“Obviously, I’m very pleased with the judge’s opinion,” Johnson said. “This is the position we took from the beginning.”
Pettus-Brown could not be reached late today, but Johnson said he expected his client to be released soon.
The Guild was formally called “The Guild Fine Arts Cinema.” Peebles Corner, like many other formerly vibrant neighborhoods in Cincinnati, has become a ghetto to the nth degree. Unless you are a little older, you would never know the Guild existed. As for Charles Keating, his self-righteous ass got his comeuppance. He cost many good people their life savings, but I digress.
They actually have very popular acts appear at Bogart’s to this day. Great place for an intimate-style concert.
I remember the Uptown in the ‘60s. I remember the vertical “Uptown” sign over the marquee. That’s about all I remember about it until it closed and it became a church of sorts. This is another one in which I can not find a photo of any kind. Anyone have one???
The Royal was already showing soft porn the first time I saw it as a kid but it had that butterfly and the neighborhood was actually clean. Now it is a parking lot and part of the 7th St. Garage sits on the property. Wow, things surely change.
I believe this theater was on the corner of Warsaw Ave. & Wells and is now being used as a body shop or something. I’ll check on this. The Price Hill Historical Society should have something in their archives about this and some other old venues in Price Hill.
I have been trying for 5 years or so to find just one photo of this old theater when it was in business. I gather there are none anywhere. At least the building is still there and is being used for something.
Expect this building to be razed in the near future along with many others in the vicinity. Back in the 1920s thru the 1950s, this was actually a vibrant neighborhood. Now it is just the ‘hood. I wish there were more pics available when it was in better shape. It’s a shame to see old movie houses look like the 2008 photo. I see it quite often, as I occasionally pass by that area on business. I can confirm that is how it looks now.
Say it with chocolate…
Thanks, Hank. Boy, you worked a long time on this. That was a good web site, also.
I was born and raised in Cincinnati and have NEVER heard of this theater. This part of town is known as the “west end.” Anyone have a pic of it or anything? Or know any publication that may? I’m sure it was before the “talkies.”
That’s interesting. I never knew the Cox Theater was named after Boss Cox. Learn something new every day. I have a picture of the Cox Theater. Just e-mail me at and I’ll reply with it if you want it.
Stubaby, that is the understatement of the year. It’s downright HORRIBLE in that area. I don’t know where you are from, but our city is on pace to break the all time record for murders and this area is the main one. And, the old Imperial Theater is the backdrop.
Now THAT is a great old photo. Good job, tinyurl. Where did you find that one?
I have a pic of how the Victor looks today. Maybe it would jar someone’s memory. Or not. E-mail me at and I’ll reply with it.
Can’t find too many pix of the Times. Yeah, it DID look kind of gaudy when it became the “Times Towne Cinema.” Looks like how Elvis would have decorated it. (No slam on Elvis, because I’m a big fan).
Great photo, tinyurl. Never saw that one before. Looks like the mid-30s by the cars on the street.
I have one fairly decent photo of the Palace. Email me at and I will attach it to a reply.
Also, I uploaded many of my theater photos on http://flickr.com/ if you can find them. Under Joethemusicguy511. If you want to see them.
Thanks, Chuck and Lost Memory. I have another pic of the Imperial but without all of the junk in front of it. If by some chance you want it, e-mail me at and I’ll reply with it. That neighborhood is now a hardcore ghetto and as I write this, our city is on pace to break the annual record of murders, most of them are in that area. That’s what the drug trade will get you.
It was the Place, not the Palace. Speaking of the Skywalk, it is still a haven for crime since all the great theatres and restaurants closed down. The thugs “own” the skywalk and most of the downtown blocks. People stay away from downtown Cincinnati in droves due to the crime.
I have a couple of interior and exterior shots of the Schubert if you want them. Just e-mail me at and I’ll reply with them.
I have a good photo of the Royal before its soft core porn days. Just e-mail me at and I’ll reply with it. Tried to put it on “Add A Photo” but after months and months, it still says “Add A Photo will return.” Yeah, right.
I am 47 years old. The ONLY thing I even remember about Cinema X is that was where “Midnight Cowboy” played when it opened in Cincinnati. I know there was a Cinema X somewhere in downtown Cincinnati. Lots of help, huh?
I have several photos of the Keith (lots of interior shots as well). It was quite a theater. If you e-mail me at I will reply with them if you like. Wish we could just post pics on the website but it always says “add a photo will return.”
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Pettus-Brown freed from jail
By Dan Horn and Gregory Korte
Enquirer staff writers
A federal judge freed LaShawn Pettus-Brown from jail today, throwing out his conviction for spending taxpayers' money on himself instead of Cincinnati’s Empire Theater project.
The ruling stunned federal authorities and was a blow to city officials who blame Pettus-Brown for derailing a project that cost the city more than $180,000.
“I am absolutely flabbergasted,” said Mayor Charlie Luken. “I’m sure everyone at the city is.”
In her 13-page decision, U.S. District Judge Sandra Beckwith agreed that prosecutors proved Pettus-Brown defrauded the city when he took money intended for the theater renovation project and spent it on meals, shoes, limousines and rap concerts. The renovation of the vacant 88-year-old landmark into a nightclub was touted by city officials as a key step in turning around Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine.
Beckwith said prosecutors failed to show that the fraud violated federal laws against wire fraud and money laundering.
She reversed a jury verdict that found Pettus-Brown guilty of those charges in November. She ordered his immediate release from a Kentucky jail, where he has been held for nearly a year.
“The court is not excusing the defendant’s conduct,” Beckwith wrote in her decision. “It is readily apparent that the defendant perpetrated a calculated and sophisticated fraud on the city of Cincinnati.”
She said her decision to dismiss the charges rests on a “technical and narrow, but nonetheless important, legal point.”
Federal prosecutors, who said they may appeal the judge’s ruling, had argued during the trial that Pettus-Brown committed wire fraud when he electronically transferred money from the city to accounts in New Jersey, Australia and Japan.
They said the money Pettus-Brown sent to those accounts came from fraudulent vouchers he submitted to the city as the developer of the theater project. But Pettus-Brown’s lawyer, Kelly Johnson, said the wire transfers occurred after his client obtained the city’s money and were never part of the alleged fraud.
The distinction is important because federal law requires prosecutors to prove the transfers were part of the fraud – not just a means to spend the profits of that fraud.
And that, Beckwith said, is where federal prosecutors failed.
“The evidence at trial showed only that these wire transfers were the mechanism through which the defendant spent or disbursed the money he stole,” the judge wrote.
Since the money laundering charges involved “the proceeds of wire fraud,” the judge also dismissed those charges.
“Obviously, I’m very pleased with the judge’s opinion,” Johnson said. “This is the position we took from the beginning.”
Pettus-Brown could not be reached late today, but Johnson said he expected his client to be released soon.
The Guild was formally called “The Guild Fine Arts Cinema.” Peebles Corner, like many other formerly vibrant neighborhoods in Cincinnati, has become a ghetto to the nth degree. Unless you are a little older, you would never know the Guild existed. As for Charles Keating, his self-righteous ass got his comeuppance. He cost many good people their life savings, but I digress.