Grand Theatre
114 W. Perry Street,
Paulding,
OH
45879
114 W. Perry Street,
Paulding,
OH
45879
No one has favorited this theater yet
Additional Info
Previous Names: Grand Opera House
Nearby Theaters
The Grand Opera House appears on the 1895 Sanborn map, replacing two storefronts on the 1892 map. The structure was two stories, with a deep stage at the rear. It does not appear to have had a balcony. There were two small commercial spaces flanking a central entrance hall. The 1905 Cahn guide notes that the theater was on the ground floor, and credits it with a capacity of 800.
Movies are not noted on the 1913 map. Unfortunately, the 1926 and 1944 maps in Ohio’s database were incompetently scanned, and nothing can be made out on the block where the theater was located. Later the seating capacity was reduced to 600-seats and the theater was destroyed by fire on Labor Day, 1946.
The Paulding Theatre was later constructed in the same location.
Contributed by
Seth Gaines
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 1 comments)
A post about the recent demolition of the Paulding Theatre on the Facebook page of the John Paulding Historical Society says that the building was built in 1893. A period source says that it was slated to open on February 19, 1894. Another new theatre, called the Model Opera House, had opened in January.
The side walls of the Grand survived the 1946 fire, and the 1949 Paulding Theatre was essentially a steel framed structure built inside the brick shell of the old Grand. Part of the Grand’s front wall also survived the fire and was revealed under the newer building as it was demolished, seen for the first time in 75 years.
The Historical Society seems to think that the building was extended back to the alley for the first time after the fire, as that part of the building had cinder block walls, but I think the cinder block portion of the building must have occupied the location of the old stage house, which either didn’t survive the fire, or was simply too tall for the new, stage-less movie theater and thus was demolished.