Cinema 1-2
69 Greene Street,
Xenia,
OH
45385
69 Greene Street,
Xenia,
OH
45385
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Chakeres Theaters Inc.
Previous Names: Bijou Theatre, Xenia Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Bijou Theatre was advertised locally as far back as 1914 when it was located at 10 Greene Street. A new Bijou Theatre was built in 1917 at 69 Greene Street. It was renamed Xenia Theatre in 1937 when it was remodeled and taken over by Chakeres Theaters Inc. It was damaged by a tornado on April 3, 1974. It was damaged by a fire in 1977 and reopened as a twin renamed Cinema 1-2. It was closed in 1987 and has been demolished.
Contributed by
Ken McIntyre
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
The October 4, 1937, issue of The Film Daily said that the Bijou Theatre in Xenia, Ohio, had been renamed the Xenia Theatre. The October 21 issue had this item:
One of the other two theaters then operating in Xenia was called the Ohio, but I haven’t yet found the name of the third house.This article from the Xenia Gazette of October 24, 2015, reveals that the Bijou/Xenia Theatre was on Greene Street. It was twinned following a fire in 1977 and closed in 1987. The building is now occupied by county offices.
Mr. Google says that the Greene County general offices are at 69 Greene Street. The extensively remodeled building looks like it has been expanded beyond its original footprint, but at least some parts of the walls of the original theater are likely still intact.
The article also says that the Bijou was built around 1917. The Bijou is listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, but at 10 Green [sic] Street, so it likely did move into a new building around that time.
Tornado damage photo added credit G. Carlton Hill, 4:50PM April 3, 1974. Courtesy Greene County Ohio Historical Society. Different marquee than the B&W pic, but Singer’s next door confirms it’s the same theatre.
Multiple other photos added, with one as Cinema 1-2 it’s name prior to closing.
I noticed that in the photo of the tornado damage the name of the house on the marquee is Cinema. I suspect that it was twinned while being repaired after the tornado, since that was 1974 and a lot of old theaters were being twinned around that time.