Drexel North Theatre
4250 N. High Street,
Columbus,
OH
43214
4250 N. High Street,
Columbus,
OH
43214
8 people
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Note that the Franks didn’t own any of the three “Drexel” theatre buildings (East, North, Grandview). They were all leased.
Anyone who frequented the Drexel North probably remembers the giant art deco poster case which sat in the back of the auditorium between the restroom entrances, advertising whatever movie was currently playing at the Drexel Bexley. I bought that case when the North was gutted, and for several years it graced my apartment in Los Angeles. Had to store it for a while when I moved to a place without room for it, but now it’s proudly back on display in my bigger living room. One of my most prized possessions, it brings back memories of the countless horror and sci-fi marathons my friends and I attended there.
Columbus Sports Connection is the current tenant. Multiple images added of previous conversion to Revco.
Jeff Frank was the theater owner.
There is a article about this theater in Scary Monsters Memories #4. Article titled “The Drexel North Closes: The End Of A Era”.
^^ Vintage Columbus is primarily Facebook-based and may be reached at VintageColumbus (at) yahoo (dot) com.
Jim, it would be a shame if the completed 4th volume remained unseen. Have you considered applying for a grant to get it published from the Ohio History Center (www.ohiohistory.org), or donating the materials to Vintage Columbus () or the Columbus Landmarks Foundation (columbuslandmarks.org)? Arcadia Publishing might be interested in the rights to the whole series. Alternatively, I could personally assist you in scanning it to PDF format if you would consider releasing it as an e-book.
Phil Sheridan is my father. I retain his entire archive of theatre history and photographs. I also have a stock of all three of his books available for sale. His fourth book was completed and ready for publication, unfortunately the funds were not available to proceed with publication.
The description of this theater is not true at all. It was not in bad shape when it closed.
The text accompanying the photos at Columbus Metropolitan Library (Ron Newman’s comment of May 8, 2005) says that the Beechwold Theatre was designed by the F&Y Building Service.
While the exterior of the theater was predominantly Streamline Moderne, and even displayed some early Midcentury Modern elements, the photos of the interior show that the auditorium was more ornate than the facade. There was still a lot of Art Deco in that interior design, especially in the wall sconces and the decorations above them.
This theater now has its own Facebook group: Remembering the Drexel North / Camelot North / Beechwold Theater.
I would really love to find some pre-1970 interior photos of the Beechwold Theater’s foyer and lobby. (I’m not so sure the interior photos linked to above are of the same theater.) I’ve been searching for years without any luck. I’m wondering if Columbus area theater historian Phil Sheridan might have found some though- he was working on a 4th volume of his book series Those Wonderful Old Downtown Theaters which was to focus more on neighborhood theaters, including the Beechwold. But sadly, Mr. Sheridan’s health declined and he passed away a few years ago before finishing it.
I really miss this one. My wife and I and our friends were frequent attendees in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
They had great film festivals, marathons, and midnight movies. They showed indies, art films, documentaries, foreign films, and quite a bit of cult fare. We saw pictures like “Akira,†“Brazil,†“Frankenhooker,†“Vampire Hunter D,†“Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer,†and “Robotjox†at the old Drexel North.
Outside wasn’t much but the inside was fun. The lobby had a weird futuristic shape and a bizarre color scheme and was sometimes decorated with props from past sci-fi marathons. It had a kitschy retro-future feel.
They usually had a drawing before the show where patrons could win promotional items like t-shirts, posters, and soundtrack CDs or free passes to upcoming shows.
Screenings were preceded by a mock 1950s educational film called “A Trip to the Movies.â€
The building is now (2009) home to a fitness center.
Okay, retract my earlier comment – I had the Drexel North of Columbus confused with the Drexel of Bexley – so I posted the photo link there as well. Apologies!
Wow, this was a nice little theater when I visited in 1996 – sorry to hear it’s defunct.
The theater:
View link
The concession stand:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34152329@N06/?saved=1
I attended the 1990 horror marathon at this theater for the world premiere of my friend’s short film, “Night of the Living Bread.” I didn’t even come close to lasting the full 24 hours, but it was a lot of fun. It was nice to hear that the marathon tradition continues, even after this theater was torn down.
The Columbus Metropolitan Library has an online historic photo collection with several photos of this and other theatres.
Beechwold Theatre marquee
Beechwold Theatre exterior and interior
(click on the thumbnails to see full-size photos)
Here’s a whole web site about the Demise of the Drexel North, with photos and some history of the theater.
According to this site, CVS purchased and then closed this Revco store several years after it opened. It sat vacant for two years, and then in August 2003 became the Columbus Sports Connection gym.
When it was still the Beechwold and the Camelot North, it belonged to a small local second-run chain called ‘Academy Theatres’.
They turned this into the Camelot North around the same time as they remodeled the Esquire into the Carousel East.