The Liberty was originally called The Hippodrome. I’m not sure when it was renamed. but it remained The Liberty until the mid 1950’s. Around 1955, the third floor was removed and the building was converted into a Sears store.
The Liberty was a narrow theatre with support columns at the back center of the auditorium. I’ve been told that you had to sit in a specific place to avoid the columns blocking your site lines. The Liberty was home to second and third run films, but most notably it was the place to see “B” westerns and serials.
There is virtually no trace of the Liberty left. If you look at the building, the entrance was beneath the three far right windows.
To the best of my knowledge, the Lyric was opened in 1913 at 141 W. Main St. The building still sits in the center of the block, but has been converted into a non descript bank. The original front portion of the building was demolished in the late 1930’s and rebuilt in the art deco style. The only thing that indicates that the building was used as a theatre is a black and white painted sign on the rear exterior wall of the former stage loft.
I spent a great deal of time in the Lyric. By 1961 the Liberty, the Broad and the Palace theatres had disappeared from downtown Lancaster. The Lyric was the last indoor venue. Before the Foote’s took over the theatre it was managed by a man named Tom Alfred and the lady in the box office was the no-nonsense, Eva Kneller. She was fabulous! Nothing nor nobody got past the shifty eyes of Eva Kneller.
I’ve never seen a photo of the 1913 Lyric, but the “streamlined” 1930’s remodel was very slick. The facade above the marquee was a combination of tile and rear lit glass block. The box office was black and green flanked by two sets of deco maple colored doors. The lobby was divided into two sections. The front section left wall had two, three sheet poster showcases and the right wall contained the concession counter. The second lobby was “lounge-like”. Women’s room to the left – men’s room to the right. Above the drinking fountain on the left side was a fantastic art deco glass panel of flamingoes drinking from a pool.
The original auditorium, until the late 1950’s, had a proscenium stage with exits flanking either side. I’ve been told that there was also a small orchestra pit and during the silent days, there was a 2 manual Wurlitzer organ. The decoration around the proscenium was a subtle Greek key design. In the 1950’s the stage was covered over by a wide screen and the exits were moved farther back. The stage behind the wide screen had a 4 story fly space. Until the Foote’s converted it into a health club, the original silver screen and a black shimmer curtain hung there – weighted down by the original sand bags. The light board was controlled by jack knife switches. Below the stage were several dressing rooms with sets of lighted mirrors. During the health club years this area became a swimming pool.
The best feature of the auditorium (while I was growing up) were the giant art deco murals on either side. They were fantastic. Each pictured a satyr-like creature pointing a bow and arrow toward an exotic bird in a tree. They were underlit with a soft light that made the artwork look very mysterious. I remember staring endlessly at those murals before the film started – and when the film ended – they were the first things to re-light. But the one item that still haunts me is the neon clock at the upper rear of the auditorium by the projection booth. I can’t explain the glow in proper detail, but I remember glancing back at it whenever a movie seemed too long or when I didn’t want the movie to end. Although it was a normal size, it was like that giant pair of glasses in The Great Gatsby – always looking down on you.
The end of the Lyric was sad. It had been twinned (as a theatre), turned into a health club, lost it’s marquee, had it’s stage converted into a swimming pool and then, worst of all, had it’s deco front blasted away and turned into a bland bank. It’s a tragedy that no one had the vision to turn the Lyric into some sort of community center. The structure was sound and some of the deco details were still in place. The future generations of Lancaster Ohio will never a know a great, all-American downtown with brightly lit store windows, graceful awnings, the smell of Kenny’s Restaurant and the comforting glow of the Lyric Theatre in the center of it all.
My Uncle George Boyd was the electrician/lighting man for the Stanley from the mid 1930’s until it stopped showing films. He had great backstage stories.
My favorite story about the Stanley was during the flood of 1936. The main floor of the auditorium filled with water almost to the balcony. The pipe organ was raised as far as it would go, but it was still lost. My Uncle and father stood on the edge of the balcony and fished floating furniture from the water.
I can’t believe they ripped the Plaza down. The theatre had so much potential for a proper renovation. I used to love sitting in the balcony and staring at the giant, faded deco clamshell motifs on the ceiling.
I rememember when the STUDIO 35 was still the INDIANOLA, but my favorite memories are from the mid 70’s when the STUDIO 35 and THE WORLD were the best places to see classic and cult films. Thanks to the STUDIO 35 I saw all the Marx Brothers films on the big screen. My best friend, Chris and I would camp out all Sunday at the STUDIO 35 watching films and then head to German Village to Schmidts Sausage Haus for dinner. (Challenging the clueless accordion player to play TICO TICO!) Ahhhhhhh!
The RKO Grand was our destination for holiday films – thanks to CINERAMA. I saw THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM, MAD MAD MAD WORLD, HOW THE WEST WAS WON, 2001, KRAKATOA EAST OF JAVA, etc. at various holidays. The interior was streamline deco, but greatly altered by CINERAMA. I remember exploring the theatre during the public sale prior to the demolition. With all the lights on it appeared very tired and much smaller than my memories.
Hunt’s Cinestage was originally known as THE HIGH ST.THEATRE, THE LYCEUM and then THE UPTOWN. It was not a large house (around 500),but hosted “road shows” like Around the World in 80 Days, Spartacus, Sweet Charity, etc. I remember the interior had a lot of blue. It was located next door to the Chittedan Hotel.
The Esquire was located on East Broad St. It was part of the same chain that ran The Markham, The Clinton, The State, The Beechwold and The College (just to name a few). Sometime in the 70’s the Esquire was given a facelift and renamed The Carousel East. Most of the deco trappings were taken away, but it was still a nice neighborhood theatre. I’m not sure if the building is still standing, but the theatre is no longer in business.
The Liberty was originally called The Hippodrome. I’m not sure when it was renamed. but it remained The Liberty until the mid 1950’s. Around 1955, the third floor was removed and the building was converted into a Sears store.
The Liberty was a narrow theatre with support columns at the back center of the auditorium. I’ve been told that you had to sit in a specific place to avoid the columns blocking your site lines. The Liberty was home to second and third run films, but most notably it was the place to see “B” westerns and serials.
There is virtually no trace of the Liberty left. If you look at the building, the entrance was beneath the three far right windows.
To the best of my knowledge, the Lyric was opened in 1913 at 141 W. Main St. The building still sits in the center of the block, but has been converted into a non descript bank. The original front portion of the building was demolished in the late 1930’s and rebuilt in the art deco style. The only thing that indicates that the building was used as a theatre is a black and white painted sign on the rear exterior wall of the former stage loft.
I spent a great deal of time in the Lyric. By 1961 the Liberty, the Broad and the Palace theatres had disappeared from downtown Lancaster. The Lyric was the last indoor venue. Before the Foote’s took over the theatre it was managed by a man named Tom Alfred and the lady in the box office was the no-nonsense, Eva Kneller. She was fabulous! Nothing nor nobody got past the shifty eyes of Eva Kneller.
I’ve never seen a photo of the 1913 Lyric, but the “streamlined” 1930’s remodel was very slick. The facade above the marquee was a combination of tile and rear lit glass block. The box office was black and green flanked by two sets of deco maple colored doors. The lobby was divided into two sections. The front section left wall had two, three sheet poster showcases and the right wall contained the concession counter. The second lobby was “lounge-like”. Women’s room to the left – men’s room to the right. Above the drinking fountain on the left side was a fantastic art deco glass panel of flamingoes drinking from a pool.
The original auditorium, until the late 1950’s, had a proscenium stage with exits flanking either side. I’ve been told that there was also a small orchestra pit and during the silent days, there was a 2 manual Wurlitzer organ. The decoration around the proscenium was a subtle Greek key design. In the 1950’s the stage was covered over by a wide screen and the exits were moved farther back. The stage behind the wide screen had a 4 story fly space. Until the Foote’s converted it into a health club, the original silver screen and a black shimmer curtain hung there – weighted down by the original sand bags. The light board was controlled by jack knife switches. Below the stage were several dressing rooms with sets of lighted mirrors. During the health club years this area became a swimming pool.
The best feature of the auditorium (while I was growing up) were the giant art deco murals on either side. They were fantastic. Each pictured a satyr-like creature pointing a bow and arrow toward an exotic bird in a tree. They were underlit with a soft light that made the artwork look very mysterious. I remember staring endlessly at those murals before the film started – and when the film ended – they were the first things to re-light. But the one item that still haunts me is the neon clock at the upper rear of the auditorium by the projection booth. I can’t explain the glow in proper detail, but I remember glancing back at it whenever a movie seemed too long or when I didn’t want the movie to end. Although it was a normal size, it was like that giant pair of glasses in The Great Gatsby – always looking down on you.
The end of the Lyric was sad. It had been twinned (as a theatre), turned into a health club, lost it’s marquee, had it’s stage converted into a swimming pool and then, worst of all, had it’s deco front blasted away and turned into a bland bank. It’s a tragedy that no one had the vision to turn the Lyric into some sort of community center. The structure was sound and some of the deco details were still in place. The future generations of Lancaster Ohio will never a know a great, all-American downtown with brightly lit store windows, graceful awnings, the smell of Kenny’s Restaurant and the comforting glow of the Lyric Theatre in the center of it all.
My Uncle George Boyd was the electrician/lighting man for the Stanley from the mid 1930’s until it stopped showing films. He had great backstage stories.
My favorite story about the Stanley was during the flood of 1936. The main floor of the auditorium filled with water almost to the balcony. The pipe organ was raised as far as it would go, but it was still lost. My Uncle and father stood on the edge of the balcony and fished floating furniture from the water.
I can’t believe they ripped the Plaza down. The theatre had so much potential for a proper renovation. I used to love sitting in the balcony and staring at the giant, faded deco clamshell motifs on the ceiling.
I rememember when the STUDIO 35 was still the INDIANOLA, but my favorite memories are from the mid 70’s when the STUDIO 35 and THE WORLD were the best places to see classic and cult films. Thanks to the STUDIO 35 I saw all the Marx Brothers films on the big screen. My best friend, Chris and I would camp out all Sunday at the STUDIO 35 watching films and then head to German Village to Schmidts Sausage Haus for dinner. (Challenging the clueless accordion player to play TICO TICO!) Ahhhhhhh!
The RKO Grand was our destination for holiday films – thanks to CINERAMA. I saw THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM, MAD MAD MAD WORLD, HOW THE WEST WAS WON, 2001, KRAKATOA EAST OF JAVA, etc. at various holidays. The interior was streamline deco, but greatly altered by CINERAMA. I remember exploring the theatre during the public sale prior to the demolition. With all the lights on it appeared very tired and much smaller than my memories.
Hunt’s Cinestage was originally known as THE HIGH ST.THEATRE, THE LYCEUM and then THE UPTOWN. It was not a large house (around 500),but hosted “road shows” like Around the World in 80 Days, Spartacus, Sweet Charity, etc. I remember the interior had a lot of blue. It was located next door to the Chittedan Hotel.
The Esquire was located on East Broad St. It was part of the same chain that ran The Markham, The Clinton, The State, The Beechwold and The College (just to name a few). Sometime in the 70’s the Esquire was given a facelift and renamed The Carousel East. Most of the deco trappings were taken away, but it was still a nice neighborhood theatre. I’m not sure if the building is still standing, but the theatre is no longer in business.