Playhouse Square and the Cleveland renaissance / John Vacha.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Vacha, John, Author.

Contributor:

Kent State University. Press, Publisher.

Rosengarten Family Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Playhouse Square Center.

Playhouse Square Entertainment Center.

Playhouse Square Foundation.

Theater and society--Ohio--Cleveland.

Theater and society.

Theater--Economic aspects--Ohio--Cleveland.

Theater.

Urban renewal--Ohio--Cleveland.

Urban renewal.

Cleveland (Ohio)--Economic conditions.

Cleveland (Ohio).

Cleveland (Ohio)--Social life and customs.

Economic history.

Manners and customs.

Theater--Economic aspects.

Ohio--Cleveland.

Physical Description:

xii, 324 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm

Place of Publication:

Kent, Ohio : The Kent State University Press, [2024]

Summary:

"Shortly after World War I ended, five new theaters were constructed in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, all within a two-block radius. The concentration of these venues, which featured movies, vaudeville, and "legitimate" theater, became known collectively as Playhouse Square. For 50 years, the State, Ohio, Hanna, Allen, and Palace theaters enjoyed varying degrees of financial success until television, suburbanization, and urban decline darkened four of their marquees by the end of the 1960s. In the 1970s, with the shuttered theaters facing demolition, groups of like-minded Clevelanders united to fight to save the Square, influencing the city's establishment to create formal plans to renovate the theaters and ensure their financial viability. Playhouse Square and the Cleveland Renaissance tells the story of how the rejuvenation of Playhouse Square became one of the main catalysts for Cleveland's larger comeback from postindustrial decline, inspiring and serving as a model for other urban renewal efforts across the city. John Vacha is the first to write a comprehensive, in-depth account of Playhouse Square's history, beginning with the Square's 1921 opening and describing how the COVID-19 pandemic once again left its theaters temporarily empty before their triumphant reopenings in 2022. Richly illustrated and featuring interviews with the central figures involved in saving the Square, Playhouse Square and the Cleveland Renaissance is a powerful story that will appeal to theater history buffs and preservationists alike-reminding readers of the significant role the performing arts serve in shaping a city's culture"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Another op'nin'

High times, hard times

Backing the home front

Postwar peak to pits

"It was those murals"

In search of a plan

Widening the vision

A national model

Epilogue: Remembering a forgotten man.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Rosengarten Family Fund.

ISBN:

9781606354742

1606354744

OCLC:

1394113829

Publisher Number:

99996274187