Cinema 1
69 Public Square,
Lima,
OH
45801
69 Public Square,
Lima,
OH
45801
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Sigma theatre opening
Some history:
Sigma Theatre history 01 Mar 1949, Tue The Lima News (Lima, Ohio) Newspapers.com
Padlocked November 30th, 1972 for showing adult movies https://www.newspapers.com/clip/64530579/cinema-one-padlocked/
Cinema One padlocked Fri, Dec 1, 1972 – 1 · The Lima News (Lima, Ohio) · Newspapers.com
The Empire launched as a motion picture theatre on March 18, 1911 in the existing Collins Building which had recently housed a plumbing and heating store. It closed and was gutted for a refresh on May 15, 1919. It relaunched as the Sigma in 1920.
This house opened in 1911 as the Empire Theatre. The April issue of Motography ran this notice:
This 2011 article from limaohio.com (with two photos) says that the theater was enlarged and renamed the Sigma in late 1919-early 1920. It had another remodeling in 1931, and was was closed for a full year after the 1949 fire, reopening on March 1, 1950. The article doesn’t mention the theater closing in the 1960s, but only that it “fell on harder times” during that decade and operated as a second-run house. In its last years as the Cinema 1, adult films were shown. The conversion to office space took place in 1981.It says “Newly Remodeled and Embellished”. They must have done some work on the theater at that time. Here is an April 1967 ad from the Lima News:
http://tinyurl.com/6mfmca
Here is an ad from the Lima News dated 4/13/50:
http://tinyurl.com/2syoxf