There is an interior photo of the Hip auditorium in the 2nd quarter issue of Marquee (Vol. 32 #2) published by the Theater Historical Society of America. Not a good picture, but the only one I’ve seen. There is an exterior shot and story in Vol. 25 No.4
The Hip did have 2 balconies although I never saw the 2nd one open. The projection room was at the back of the first balcony.
The reverse design is not as rare as one might think. Along with those listed above, I know of the Guild theatre in Portalnd Oregon and the now closed Unicorn theatre in San Diego.
The screen in the #1 auditorium was designed for Demension 150 and was quite impressive. The was an apartment located above the lobby next to the projection room which was intended for used by the theatre manager. The free living quarters were part of his salary.
The Almira was located a block off Loraine Ave, the main street of Cleveland’s west side. Many theaters were located on Lorain. I was never in the building, however as a child in the 50’s I remember seeing it as I would ride by on the bus to downtown. It closed in the early 1950’s, maybe 53 or 54. It was converted into a church. When I returned to Cleveland in 2003, I drove past the building and found that the front end had been completely rebuilt and there is no longer on outward evidents of the theatre. It is still being used as a church.
After the Broadway was demolished, a new structure was built on the block. There was parking on several levels and a office tower above that. The Broadway 4 theatre was built in the basement level of the structure and was/is one of the most uncomfortable theaters I’ve ever been in.
At that time (1972) I was working at the Paramount. Several concerts played there around that time including the BeeGees, Captain Beefhart and the touring company of Jesus Christ Superstar among others. The theater was still primarily a film venue with a concert about once or twice a month. The last major film to play there was the 70mm run of Ryan’s Daughter. After that there was a string of horror and black explotation flicks which lasted a few more months.
The theater was still operating as the Hillard as of Sept 1959 when I moved from the area. I attended Saturday matinees there from time to time. I remember it had a nice wide Cinemascope screen and the auditorium walls had some kind of paintings that were lit with black light.
The Standard shared Prospect Ave with the Hippodrome’s secondary box office. The two theaters were on the same side of the street a block apart. When I walked by the theater in the mid to late fifties it had already closed. Some time in 1958 or 59 it reopened as a German Language theatre. I moved from Cleveland in so don’t know how long that lasted.
The “Paramount” did if fact open as the Portland Publix. The name change to Paramount came only a few months later as Paramount studios started to rename their theatre to Paramont. This happened all over the country, not just in Portland.
It should be mentioned that 70mm equiment was install for the roadshow of Cleopatra and many of the films you listed above were sold on a hard ticket basis including My Fair Lady, Funny Girl, Paint Your Wagaon, Dr Zhavago and I believe Camolet.
To Neighborhoodtheaters: Sorry I forgot to include an address in the previous post. Anyone with photos of west side theatres can contact me at
I don’t have any photos to share, but I do have many memories to talk about.
To Neighborhoodtheaters: I too would like to see some of you pictures. I lived in Cleveland in the 1950s moving to Oregon in 1959. The theaters I went to as a kid were on the West side and included the Riversid, Variety, Lyric. All these were on Loraine. I also remember seeing other Loraine theatres as we would ride the bus to downtown. I’d love to see pictures of the Stork, Loraine, Loraine-Fullton. And there was one just a block off Loraine called the Alhambra. That one and the Stork closed in the early 50s, but the others were still operating. Any scans would be greatly appreciated. It would be great if a Cleveland Theatre web site good be opened to preserve the history of these great neighborhood theatres.
Yes, the rail line runs behind the theatre building. I don’t remember hearing any trains, but I sure it was possible. By the way, the bulid as built held maybe 300 seats. Sometime in the late forties or very early fifties, the rear of the building was extended and the seating capacity increase to 507. If you look at the side of the building you can see where the extention starts. My family left Ohio in 1959 and I did not return to visit until 2003. I visited with Earl and was impressed by his determination to do the restoration as accurately as possible. In 1959 Vermillion was a town of commercial fishing and summer cottages. I was surprised at how little of the original appearance had in the passing years. I plan to go back again after the theater is completely restored and relive a few childhood memories.
I remember the Hipp in the 1950’s. I was in my early teens at the time. As a big Pat Boone fan at the time I was determined to be the first person in Clealand to buy a ticket for “Bernardine”, his first film. I arrived about 4 hours before the box office opened and did in fact get the 1st ticket sold. In the fifties the Hipp was the first run house for Fox films and it was the Hippodrome that housed the first CinemaScope screen in Cleveland.
I attended many many movies at the Liberty in the mid 1950’s. During the summer months it was open 7 days a week with a Sunday-Monday program, a Tues-Thurs program and a Friday-Saturday program. Alway a single feature with shorts and cartoon. That was 3 films per week. During the winter the Tuesday-Thursday program was droped and the theatre remained open only 4 days a week. I am beyond thrilled that this theatre will again open and bring joy to a whole new generation.
There is an interior photo of the Hip auditorium in the 2nd quarter issue of Marquee (Vol. 32 #2) published by the Theater Historical Society of America. Not a good picture, but the only one I’ve seen. There is an exterior shot and story in Vol. 25 No.4
The Hip did have 2 balconies although I never saw the 2nd one open. The projection room was at the back of the first balcony.
The reverse design is not as rare as one might think. Along with those listed above, I know of the Guild theatre in Portalnd Oregon and the now closed Unicorn theatre in San Diego.
Everything I know about the theater I stated above. I too would like to have photos of this or anyother Loraine Ave theaters.
The screen in the #1 auditorium was designed for Demension 150 and was quite impressive. The was an apartment located above the lobby next to the projection room which was intended for used by the theatre manager. The free living quarters were part of his salary.
The Almira was located a block off Loraine Ave, the main street of Cleveland’s west side. Many theaters were located on Lorain. I was never in the building, however as a child in the 50’s I remember seeing it as I would ride by on the bus to downtown. It closed in the early 1950’s, maybe 53 or 54. It was converted into a church. When I returned to Cleveland in 2003, I drove past the building and found that the front end had been completely rebuilt and there is no longer on outward evidents of the theatre. It is still being used as a church.
After the Broadway was demolished, a new structure was built on the block. There was parking on several levels and a office tower above that. The Broadway 4 theatre was built in the basement level of the structure and was/is one of the most uncomfortable theaters I’ve ever been in.
At that time (1972) I was working at the Paramount. Several concerts played there around that time including the BeeGees, Captain Beefhart and the touring company of Jesus Christ Superstar among others. The theater was still primarily a film venue with a concert about once or twice a month. The last major film to play there was the 70mm run of Ryan’s Daughter. After that there was a string of horror and black explotation flicks which lasted a few more months.
The theater was still operating as the Hillard as of Sept 1959 when I moved from the area. I attended Saturday matinees there from time to time. I remember it had a nice wide Cinemascope screen and the auditorium walls had some kind of paintings that were lit with black light.
The Standard shared Prospect Ave with the Hippodrome’s secondary box office. The two theaters were on the same side of the street a block apart. When I walked by the theater in the mid to late fifties it had already closed. Some time in 1958 or 59 it reopened as a German Language theatre. I moved from Cleveland in so don’t know how long that lasted.
The “Paramount” did if fact open as the Portland Publix. The name change to Paramount came only a few months later as Paramount studios started to rename their theatre to Paramont. This happened all over the country, not just in Portland.
It should be mentioned that 70mm equiment was install for the roadshow of Cleopatra and many of the films you listed above were sold on a hard ticket basis including My Fair Lady, Funny Girl, Paint Your Wagaon, Dr Zhavago and I believe Camolet.
To Neighborhoodtheaters: Sorry I forgot to include an address in the previous post. Anyone with photos of west side theatres can contact me at
I don’t have any photos to share, but I do have many memories to talk about.
To Neighborhoodtheaters: I too would like to see some of you pictures. I lived in Cleveland in the 1950s moving to Oregon in 1959. The theaters I went to as a kid were on the West side and included the Riversid, Variety, Lyric. All these were on Loraine. I also remember seeing other Loraine theatres as we would ride the bus to downtown. I’d love to see pictures of the Stork, Loraine, Loraine-Fullton. And there was one just a block off Loraine called the Alhambra. That one and the Stork closed in the early 50s, but the others were still operating. Any scans would be greatly appreciated. It would be great if a Cleveland Theatre web site good be opened to preserve the history of these great neighborhood theatres.
Yes, the rail line runs behind the theatre building. I don’t remember hearing any trains, but I sure it was possible. By the way, the bulid as built held maybe 300 seats. Sometime in the late forties or very early fifties, the rear of the building was extended and the seating capacity increase to 507. If you look at the side of the building you can see where the extention starts. My family left Ohio in 1959 and I did not return to visit until 2003. I visited with Earl and was impressed by his determination to do the restoration as accurately as possible. In 1959 Vermillion was a town of commercial fishing and summer cottages. I was surprised at how little of the original appearance had in the passing years. I plan to go back again after the theater is completely restored and relive a few childhood memories.
I remember the Hipp in the 1950’s. I was in my early teens at the time. As a big Pat Boone fan at the time I was determined to be the first person in Clealand to buy a ticket for “Bernardine”, his first film. I arrived about 4 hours before the box office opened and did in fact get the 1st ticket sold. In the fifties the Hipp was the first run house for Fox films and it was the Hippodrome that housed the first CinemaScope screen in Cleveland.
I attended many many movies at the Liberty in the mid 1950’s. During the summer months it was open 7 days a week with a Sunday-Monday program, a Tues-Thurs program and a Friday-Saturday program. Alway a single feature with shorts and cartoon. That was 3 films per week. During the winter the Tuesday-Thursday program was droped and the theatre remained open only 4 days a week. I am beyond thrilled that this theatre will again open and bring joy to a whole new generation.