Movie Theaters

Cleveland had many, many movie theaters back in the day. Children could walk to their local theater with a few cents in their pocket and spend the day watching two movies with cartoons as well. Movie theaters were the favorite teenage hang-out and a place of great childhood memories. Below is a list of those theaters that I was able to find, their location, and where available, the years that they were in operation.

ALMIRA – 3236 W. 105^th at Lorain Avenue. 1927-1952

AMBASSADOR – 12416 Superior Ave. ??? – 1950’s

AMPHION – W. 25^th and Walton 1918-1927

ASTOR – 8405 Hough Avenue. 1927-1966

AVALON – East 131^st at Miles Ave.

BALL PARK – 6900 Lexington. 1918-1921

BIJOU DREAM – 430 Euclid. 1915-1916

BROADVUE – 4172 Pearl Road at Broadview Rd. 1927-1987. The Broadvue was originally a vaudeville/neighborhood movie theater. In the 1970’s it began showing pornographic movies.

CANAL ROAD DRIVE-IN – Canal Road and E. 49^th St. 1963-1976

CAPITOL – 1400 West 65^th Street at Detroit Avenue. 1921-1981

CARTER – 2071 East 9^th Street at Euclid Avenue. 1917-1959. The Carter originally opened under the name of Miles Theater as a vaudeville theater. In 1920 the Miles Theater became a burlesque house and the name was changed to the Columbia Theater. It began showing movies in 1931, and at that time it became the Great Lakes Theater. In 1935 it was again called the Miles Theater and finally became known as the Carter Theater. The theater was torn down in 1959.

CASTLE – 7205 Wade Park. 1918-1924

CLARK NATIONAL – Clark Avenue.

CORLETT – 12711 Miles Avenue. 1920-1951. After the theater closed, it was used as a VFW hall. Currently, the building is a church.

COZY – Lorain and Clark Avenues. 1918-1925

DENISON SQUARE – 3822 West 25^th Street at Denison Avenue. 1916-1964

DOAN – 10402 St. Clair. 1919-1952

ÉCLAIR – 7606 St. Clair Avenue

EMBASSY – 701 Euclid near East 6^th Street. 1887-1977. This building was demolished and replaced with National City Bank headquarters and was one of downtown Cleveland’s last movie theaters. There was a tunnel that led to the Oaks Café on Vincent Street and stairs leading to a bar on Euclid Avenue. In 1889 it became the Star Theater. Prior to the 1890s, the shows were vaudeville, melodrama, and comic opera. Burlesque began in the 1890s. Per the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, “The Star was a refined burlesque house with women viewing the show from a side balcony, separated from the male audience by a heavy curtain.” In 1926 it was renamed the Cameo Theater and showed motion pictures. The Cameo was torn down in 1938 and the Embassy Theater was built. When it closed in 1977, it was torn down and replaced with the National City Bank Building.

ESQUIRE – 1717 Euclid Avenue just east of East 17^th Street. 1928-1951. This theater opened in 1928 as “The Cinema.” A short while later it was renamed “The Lake.” In 1948 it was renamed the Esquire. It was replaced by WJW-TV

EUCLID BEACH PARK AVENUE THEATER – 15600 Lakeshore Blvd. 1925-1935. This theater was located in Euclid Beach Park.

EUCLID THEATER – East 9^th and Euclid. 1919-???

EZELLA – 7007 Superior Avenue

FAIRMOUNT – 20601 Fairmount Blvd. 1942-1961

FAIRYLAND – 1884 West 25^th Street. 1915-1925

GARDEN – 3120 West 25^th Street at Clark Avenue. 1924-1968. This theater was generally only open on weekends and played second or third run films or double features. Children’s matinees were held on Saturday and Sunday. Sadly, in 1969 the theater was closed and it reopened as the Pussycat Theater. It was torn down a short time later.

GORDON – Lorain Avenue and West 65^th Street. 1919-1930

GORDON SQUARE 1918-1932

GRANADA – 11621 Detroit Avenue. 1927-1969

GRAND – 7026 Broadway. 1909-1956

HIPPODROME – 720 Euclid Avenue. 1907-1975. This theater offered opera, musicals, vaudeville, and movies. John Phillip Sousa once performed here. The building was enormous with the main entrance on Euclid with the lobby continuing through the block to a second entrance on Prospect Avenue. It was torn down and replaced with a parking garage.

JENNINGS – 2236 West 14^th Street. 1916-1950

JEWEL – 12412 St. Clair Avenue. 1916-1959

KNICKERBOCKER – 8315 Euclid Avenue. 1913-1952

LEXINGTON – 1779 East 55^th Street. 1922-1964

LINCOLN – 3375 West 25^th Street. 1919-1950

LOEW’S PARK – 10209 Euclid Avenue at East 104^th Street. No dates available

LOEW’S STILLMAN – 1111 Euclid Avenue. 1916-1963. This theater was built on the site of the Stillman Hotel and was the most luxurious theater built in Cleveland. It was torn down in 1965 and replaced by a parking garage for the Statler Arms Apartments.

LORAIN – 4601 Lorain Avenue. 1923-1969

LORAIN FULTON – 3405 Lorain Avenue. 1921-1963. This theater was a second run theater.

LYCEUM – 3545 Fulton Road at West 41^st Street. 1915-1977. Generally, the hours for this theater was Friday through Sunday. During the 1970s it showed pornographic movies and was finally demolished and became the Fulton Branch of the Cleveland Public Library.

LYRIC – 11601 Lorain Avenue at West 116^th Street. 1925-1961

MADISON – 9400 Madison Avenue. 1915-1969

MAIN – 2510 Scoville. 1916-1949

MAJESTIC – 1779 West 25^th Street. 1918-1925

MARVEL – 2785 West 25^th Street. 1919-1953

MEMPHIS – 4910 Memphis. 1933-1951. German movies were shown here in 1951 just before it closed.

MEMPHIS TRIPLE DRIVE-IN – 10543 Memphis Avenue. 1954-2006. As well as showing movies, a flea market operated here three times a week.

METROPOLITAN – 5012 Euclid Avenue near East 55^th Street. 1915-1948. This is currently the site of the Agora Night Club.

MORELAND – 11820 Buckeye Road at East 119^th Street. 1920S-??? This originally opened as a vaudeville house.

NEW BROADWAY – 5811 Broadway Avenue. Dates unknown. By 1952 this theater was operating as a bowling alley.

NEW VICTORY – 3990 East 71^st Street

NORVAL – 5306 Storer Avenue. 1918-1952

NORWOOD – East 62^nd Street and St. Clair

OLYMPIA – 3353 East 55^th Street at Broadway Avenue. 1918-1980. This theater opened before 1916 as a vaudeville house.

PARIS ART THEATER – 3153 West 25^th Street. 1918-1990s. This was originally the Southern Theater. In 1967 it was renamed the Paris Art Theater Picture Show and began showing X-rated movies.

PARK – 1207 Starkweather. 1907-abt 1941

REGENT – East 117^th Street and Buckeye Rd.

RIALTO – 1879 West 25^th Street. 1919-1950

RIDGE – 3116 West 73^rd Street. 1918-1950

RIVERSIDE – 16901 Lorain Avenue at Rocky River. 1938-1994. It was demolished in 1994 and replaced with a Walgreens Drugstore.

ROXY – 1882 East 9^th Street. 1931-1977. This theater was the best-known burlesque house in Cleveland. It first opened as “The Family Theater” in 1907. It was a movie house by 1909 and was named the Orpheum Theater in 1913. It became the Roxy in 1931. By 1933 it was known nationally as a burlesque house. Abbott & Costello and Red Buttons visited there to see shows. In the end, from 1968 to 1977, the Roxy offered live entertainment and X-rated movies. In 1972, the theater was bombed, but it reopened in 1973. It closed in 1977 and was torn down for National City Center. The name lives on in the Roxy Bar and Grill.

SOUTHERN – 3153 West 25^th Street. 1916-1960

STANDARD – 811 Prospect Avenue. 1914-1989

STORK – 8410 Lorain Avenue. 1918-1952

SUN – Buckeye and East 89^th Street

TELENEWS – 241 Euclid Avenue. 1941-1954. Telenews is an interesting theater. It showed all news – kind of like the CNN or Fox News of today! This was popular because of World War II. In 1950 the name changed to the Coronet. Next it was named the Tower and it closed in 1954.

VARIETY – 11815 Lorain Avenue. 1927-1984. This theater was taken over by Freedom Academy and used as a performing arts school. It still stands today and “Friends of the Historic Variety Theater” hopes to reopen it.

WORLD WEST – 17400 Lorain Avenue in Kamms Plaza. 1970-1985

YALE – St. Clair at East 82^nd Street