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Ohio Theatre (Mansfield)
Encyclopedia
The Renaissance Theatre, previously known as the Ohio Theatre, is a restored movie palace
-type theater
located at 136 Park Ave. W in Mansfield, Ohio
. The 1,600 seat theater opened on January 19, 1928 as the Ohio Theatre and serves today as the largest performing arts center in North-Central Ohio. The Renaissance is home to the Miss Ohio
Scholarship Pageant, the state competition for the Miss America
Pageant.
Amusement Park in Sandusky
. In 1975, the pageant returned to Mansfield, first to Malabar High School Auditorium from 1975 through 1978, then to the Madison Theatre in 1979. In 1980, it was decided to televise the pageant. Because of inadequate stage depth and backstage space at the Madison Theatre, the Miss Ohio Board of Directors decided to move the pageant back to Mansfield's then-abandoned Ohio Theatre, reopening the facility and sprucing it up for the pageant's first televised broadcast. The pageant's return to the Ohio Theatre was the initial event that eventually led to the total renovation of the theater and its reincarnation as the Renaissance Theatre. (For more on the theater's history, go here). The Miss Ohio Pageant has been held at the theater continuously since 1980.
In August 1980, the Ohio Theatre became The Renaissance Theatre. In January 1997, the theater's name was changed to The Renaissance when it merged with the Mansfield Symphony. On May 31, 1983, The Renaissance was added to the National Register of Historic Places
. The original building was completely restored in 1985 at a cost of $2.25 million.
During the summer of 2008, construction began on expanding the Renaissance Theatre with the demolition of the condemned building that neighbored the theatre. Construction continued throughout the following year and the addition was opened into the existing structure in November 2009. The new porton of the theatre remained closed to the public until January 30, 2010, during the Grand Opening Gala. Grammy award winner, Sylvia McNair, performed for guests after dinner which was held in the new lobby. The new addition included the addition of an elevator that provided handicap access to all parts of the theatre for the first time, eleven offices for staff, a permanent music library for the Mansfield Symphony and Symphony Chorus, expanded restroom facilities, new concession area, two meeting spaces, and a coat check station.
On June 27, 2010, the marquee, that had been placed on the building during the 1984 restoration, was removed due to safety concerns. It was donated to the Mansfield Sailors and Soldiers Museum to be put on display at its original site, the area where the Madison Theatre stood. A new electronic marquee was installed on the new addition, during the 2008 expansion, to take the place of the Madison Marquee.
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
-type theater
Theater (structure)
A theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be produced. While a theater is not required for performance , a theater serves to define the performance and audience spaces...
located at 136 Park Ave. W in Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Richland County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau, approximately southwest of Cleveland and northeast of Columbus....
. The 1,600 seat theater opened on January 19, 1928 as the Ohio Theatre and serves today as the largest performing arts center in North-Central Ohio. The Renaissance is home to the Miss Ohio
Miss Ohio
The Miss Ohio Scholarship Program selects the representative for the U.S. state of Ohio to compete for the title of Miss America...
Scholarship Pageant, the state competition for the Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
Pageant.
History
The Miss Ohio Pageant played a significant role in the preservation of the Ohio Theatre. Mansfield originally hosted the Miss Ohio Pageant at the theater from 1959 through 1962. After Sandusky, Ohio's Jacqueline Meyer, Miss Ohio 1963, was crowned Miss America 1963, the Miss Ohio Pageant was relocated to the Ballroom Pavilion at Cedar PointCedar Point
Cedar Point is a 364 acre amusement park located in Sandusky, Ohio, United States on a narrow peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Cedar Point is the only amusement park with four roller coasters that are taller than...
Amusement Park in Sandusky
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
. In 1975, the pageant returned to Mansfield, first to Malabar High School Auditorium from 1975 through 1978, then to the Madison Theatre in 1979. In 1980, it was decided to televise the pageant. Because of inadequate stage depth and backstage space at the Madison Theatre, the Miss Ohio Board of Directors decided to move the pageant back to Mansfield's then-abandoned Ohio Theatre, reopening the facility and sprucing it up for the pageant's first televised broadcast. The pageant's return to the Ohio Theatre was the initial event that eventually led to the total renovation of the theater and its reincarnation as the Renaissance Theatre. (For more on the theater's history, go here). The Miss Ohio Pageant has been held at the theater continuously since 1980.
In August 1980, the Ohio Theatre became The Renaissance Theatre. In January 1997, the theater's name was changed to The Renaissance when it merged with the Mansfield Symphony. On May 31, 1983, The Renaissance was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The original building was completely restored in 1985 at a cost of $2.25 million.
During the summer of 2008, construction began on expanding the Renaissance Theatre with the demolition of the condemned building that neighbored the theatre. Construction continued throughout the following year and the addition was opened into the existing structure in November 2009. The new porton of the theatre remained closed to the public until January 30, 2010, during the Grand Opening Gala. Grammy award winner, Sylvia McNair, performed for guests after dinner which was held in the new lobby. The new addition included the addition of an elevator that provided handicap access to all parts of the theatre for the first time, eleven offices for staff, a permanent music library for the Mansfield Symphony and Symphony Chorus, expanded restroom facilities, new concession area, two meeting spaces, and a coat check station.
On June 27, 2010, the marquee, that had been placed on the building during the 1984 restoration, was removed due to safety concerns. It was donated to the Mansfield Sailors and Soldiers Museum to be put on display at its original site, the area where the Madison Theatre stood. A new electronic marquee was installed on the new addition, during the 2008 expansion, to take the place of the Madison Marquee.
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