A Legacy of Performing Arts Excellence – Cleveland’s Playhouse Square
The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is the most well-known area dedicated to the performing arts. However, you may be surprised to find that the second-largest such venue dedicated to various aspects of the arts is in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.
Now known as the Playhouse Square, it is the second-largest performing arts district in the United States. The Playhouse Square has been through a number of changes since it first opened in the 1920s.
Let’s look back into the history of Cleveland’s Playhouse Square and then explain why it’s rivaled only by New York’s Lincoln Center as one of the most prestigious performing arts venues in America.
Playhouse Square History
As the world emerged from the first worldwide military conflict in 1919, a local Cleveland developer aspired to build an area that offered local residents a respite. Joseph Laronge began his quest by building a movie house on East 12th Street in the heart of downtown.
However, Laronge’s aspirations were for something far bigger than a single movie house. Laronge begin to develop a plan for a three-block long row of theaters on Euclid Avenue. The series of performing arts venues would span from East 14th Street to East 17th Street.
Laronge and a New York businessman, Marcus Loew, formed a partnership called the Loew’s Ohio Theatres. The ambition was to build a world-renowned area dedicated to various facets of the performing arts.
Their project started small, building two theaters initially. Loew’s Ohio Theatres hired famous architect Thomas Lamb to employ his Italianate architectural style to the first pair of structures. Work on the first two buildings started in early 1920, with a grand opening in February 1921.
A month later, Charles Platt opened the Hanna Theatre. The Hanna Theatre was named after a prominent Cleveland politician, Senator Mark Hanna. Part of the Hanna Building Complex, the theater itself is not officially on Euclid Street.
It sits adjacent to the current row of performing arts facilities, facing East 14th Street. A fourth theater was completed in April 1921. The Pompeian-designed Allen Theatre is next door to the Hanna as part of the Bulkley Building.
The Allen Theatre was sold one year after it first opened to the Loew’s Ohio Theatre. Later in 1922, the final theater was opened. Originally known as the Palace Theatre, Cleveland performing arts enthusiasts know it as Connor Palace.
The Palace Theatre was built inside the Keith Building, which was in 1922 the tallest building in Cleveland. The opening of the Palace was lavishly extravagant. It was billed as the Showplace of the World and the largest electronic sign in the world announced the opening.
During its first decade, the area was referred to as the Playhouse Square. A local civic group made unsuccessful attempts to name the performing arts district the Euclid Square, but the efforts failed.
While no official date is listed, Cleveland’s performing arts district officially is now called the Playhouse Square. The area has lived up to its renown as a diverse area for performing arts. However, there were some lean years. Let’s look at the changes and rebirth that have created the Playhouse Square of today.
Surviving Changes
The Playhouse Square theaters were wildly successful for nearly 40 years. However, a few years after the end of World War II, the rise of modern television stole some luster from live performing arts.
Activity at the original five theaters waned gradually in the early 1960s as TV’s allure grew. The Ohio Theatre was damaged by fire in 1964, while vandals at various points damaged each of the other four during the tumultuous mid-1960s.
By July 1969, all theaters, except for the Hanna, were closed. It was a dark period for the Playhouse Square and downtown Cleveland. By 1970, there was a growing call to rebuild and reopen all five of the facilities.
The Playhouse Square Association was formed early in 1970 to begin the restoration process. Life magazine featured a two-page insert of a mural depicting the main lobber of the State Theatre.
The Hanna and the Palace were opened, but restoration efforts slowed in the early 1970s. Some felt the best course of action would be to raze the Ohio and State Theatres to save funds. The resistance from Cleveland residents was tremendous, and it never happened.
Beginning in 1973, the Playhouse Square Foundation began to secure long-term lease arrangements with the individual theaters. The first lease was for the Palace Theatre, with the Ohio and State Theatres being added shortly after.
Through a legislative action by the Cuyahoga County Commissioners, the county purchased the lease on the Loews Building. The success of a series of famed musicals helped draw attention to the district.
In 1978, the Playhouse Square became a part of the registry for historical places in the United States. Having two of the square’s venues saved from destruction and the designation on the National Registry of Historic Places helped fuel interest for further renovations.
Renovations
The unexpected success of feature presentations, and an enthusiastic push to rebuild downtown Cleveland, helped to fuel donations for restorations. Nearly $40 million was collected through both public and private ambitions.
The original plan was to leave the fire-ravaged Ohio Theatre until last. However, roughly $4 million was immediately directed towards an essential rebuild. The design was to open up the Ohio sooner than expect to house the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival.
Many felt the opening of such a renowned series of presentations would help improve funding efforts for the other restoration projects. The idea worked. While work on other venues, such as the State Theatre, started sooner, the Ohio restorations were completed in nine months.
The Ohio Theatre was the first of the four closed theaters to reopen. The State Theatre received a $7 million stage renovation and opened in 1984. Each of the State’s three lobbies were also renovated, the final completed in 1987.
Part of the restoration effort was to add parking facilities for the square. By 1990, many responsible for restoration decisions felt the three active theaters would be sufficient. The Hanna had remained in operation, albeit with any dramatic changes.
There were no calls to add the Allen Theatre to list either. However, in 1993, the Playhouse Square Foundation acquired a lease arrangement for the Allen. Ultimately, the theater was purchased in 1997.
This purchase made the Playhouse Square the largest performing arts district outside of the Lincoln Center in New York. Throughout all the renovations and purchases of the other four theaters, the status of the Hanna was often debated.
It eventually closed in 1989. To commemorate the 75th anniversary, the Hanna Theatre was reopened in 1996. Three years later, the Playhouse Square Foundation added the fifth of the original five theaters to its list.
In 1998, legislators created the Cleveland Theater District Development Corporation. The name was changed to the Playhouse Square District Development Corporation (PDDC). The PDCC continues to promote the awareness of the performing arts and monitor improvements in Cleveland’s world-renowned Playhouse Square.
Cleveland’s Playhouse Square Today
The success of the Ohio and State Theatres helped to feed further interest in the performing arts in Cleveland. Another $40 million in investments helped to add modern offices to the square, plus a lavish Wyndham Hotel.
The Playhouse Square Foundation set a precedent for performing arts organizations by establishing a Real Estate Services Division. The foundation not only continues to coordinate all operations for the Playhouse Square, they are also active in community development.
The Playhouse Square Foundation has been relentless in its efforts to help foster economic prosperity in downtown Cleveland. The neighborhood surrounding the Playhouse Square has benefited dramatically.
There are more than 1,000 annual performances at the Playhouse Square. It is estimated more than a million people visit Cleveland because of its marquee performing arts district. Construction started in 2018 on a 34-story apartment building.
The tower includes 318 eloquent apartments, plus a 550 car parking garage. Cleveland’s Playhouse Square may still fall second behind New York’s Lincoln Center, but there is a constant ambition to become number one by providing an excellent in the performing arts.