Loew's Ohio Theatre

We stopped by Loew's Ohio a couple weeks ago to see the new lobby. Needless to say the new lobby is quite spectacular and is a vast improvement over the two previous versions. The original lobby was destroyed by a fire in the candy stand on July 5, 1964. That lobby was subsequently replaced by a more modern lobby later that year. The 1964 lobby was replaced by a new lobby in 1982. A couple years ago it was decided to replace the modern lobby with a recreated version of the original lobby. This is a major contrast to what the Ohio was like 40 plus years ago. The Ohio used to leak like a sieve every time it rained, despite our continuous roof patching.  I can still remember the cold musty lobby of the 70's. Old ceiling tiles on the floor, the echo of footsteps in the dark. The Ohio was a spooky place back then, and it's good to see it in use today.

For contrast compare this circa 1980 photo of the grand stairs with the photo above that one, (photo from the Playhouse Square Archives).

 For a look at the disastrous 1964 fire see here.
An extensive look at the history of Loew's Ohio can be found here.