Rock Theater
139 W. Liberty Street,
Medina,
OH
44256
139 W. Liberty Street,
Medina,
OH
44256
2 people
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Medina’s historic theater is now history. It was demolished earlier in 2016, along with the Masonic Temple, and the narrow strip of frontage at 139 Liberty Street that formed the memorable lengthy internal ramp to the actual theater inside the Masonic Temple is now a patch of grass. Liberty Street minus the theater and the once handsome Baptist Church demolished a few decades ago now offers excellent off street parking! To my dismay, Medina, which earned praise beginning in the late 1960’s when restoration of buildings on Public Square began, today has little or no interst in historic preservation. Any historic building lacking a useful purpose for more than 5 minutes is enthusiastically demolished. And that was exactly the viewpoint of Medina’s otherwise admirable Mayor Dennis Hannwell.
“(it’s) great to see all the forward momentum.” Medina Mayor Dennis Hanwell agreed.“This demo will permit the redevelopment of the parcel, as will the demo of the old (Greater Medina Chamber of Commerce) location,” he said. “We are hopeful that these two projects then will spur further development opportunities in our historic downtown area.”
History is demolished to enhance the historic district. I’m tempted to say, only in Ohio, which continues to be disinterested and often hostile to historic preservation.
http://www.medina-gazette.com/News/2016/08/29/Razing-of-old-Medina-Theater-Masonic-Temple-draws-visitors.html
DavidGill: I don’t recall the source for the 1972 twinning. It wasn’t on the Medina Masonic Temple Company web site (which is now gone, but I checked the Wayback Machine for it.) The source might also be gone from the Internet, as I can’t find it. However, as you went to the theater in 1981 and say it was still a single screen then, I’ll take your word for it. (It’s entirely possible that my source said 1982 and I made a typo and failed to notice it.)
Anyway, I’m glad to see that the theater is open again, even if it’s only showing movies part time.
This house reopened in 2012 as the Medina Community Theatre (official web site.) However, the house has only been showing movies occasionally. Religious services are also sometimes held in the auditorium. Renovations are ongoing, mostly with volunteer help.
I don’t think it was “twined” in 1972. I went there as a high school student through 1981 or so and it was still in it’s original full configuration.
Plans are in the works to renovate this. http://www.cleveland.com/medina/index.ssf/2011/09/preservation_firms_study_says.html
Ridley & Glazier were the architects of the original 1925 Masonic Temple building, but according to the Medina Masonic Temple Company web site, the theater project of 1937 was the work of architect George Howard Burrows.
More than half the theater’s footprint is in this annex, including the stage house, but the rear portion of the theater is in the original 1925 building. The entrance is in a structure also added onto the south side of the Temple as part of the 1937 project.
The modifications converting the house to a two-screen theater were done in 1972.
The Rock Theater website is now defunct.
This theater was called the Medina Twin theater. It was originally one screen and the length of the theater was divided in half to create two screens. The Rose Theater has since closed andit became he Rock Theater, hosting rock band concerts. That has since closed and the theater is now vacant. I was in it last week. One theater is still all original including projectors, an the other theater is gutted and painted all black featuring a stage for bands.