Fairborn Theatre

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Fairborn Theatre
Fairborn Theatre 51217652190.jpg
Front and northern side
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Location34 S. Broad St., Fairborn, Ohio
Coordinates 39°49′10″N84°1′40″W / 39.81944°N 84.02778°W / 39.81944; -84.02778 Coordinates: 39°49′10″N84°1′40″W / 39.81944°N 84.02778°W / 39.81944; -84.02778
Area1.1 acres (0.45 ha)
Built1948 (1948)
ArchitectLloyd Zeller, Herman Hunter; C.W. Fry Construction Company
Architectural styleModerne
NRHP reference No. 05000755 [1]
Added to NRHPJuly 27, 2005

The Fairborn Theatre is a historic movie theater in the city of Fairborn, Ohio, United States. Built soon after World War II in an Air Force community, it has been named a historic site because of its aviation-themed architecture.

Contents

Architecture

Architects Lloyd Zeller and Herman Hunter designed the theater, [2] which is built of brick on a concrete foundation and covered with an asphalt roof. [3] Built by the C.W. Fry Construction Company, [1] it comprised a thousand-seat theater when it opened in 1948. [2] Located near an Air Force facility, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, [4] the theater features period aviation-related elements such as an interior painting of soldiers and aircraft of World War II. [5] As an example of Streamline Moderne architecture, the theater includes elements such as streamlining and metal detailing. [2] Its location along State Route 444 makes it an example of Fairborn's automobile-related commercial development. [5]

Preservation

Chakeres Theatres operated the Fairborn Theatre from 1948 until the early 1970s, when it was temporarily closed to be remodelled into a two-screen operation. Following remodelling, the theater ran until January 2000, when Chakeres ceased operating it; the company retained ownership until 2002, when it donated the building to a Fairborn arts organization. Soon afterward, more than ten years of renovation began; carried on largely by volunteers with a small budget, renovations have included ridding the building of asbestos, roof maintenance, and removing the wall separating the two theater rooms to restore them to their original one-room format. [6] Some of the estimated $5.5 million cost of restoring the theater was paid by the Ohio Department of Development, which in 2010 granted $48,000 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money to the arts organization. [4]

In 2005, the Fairborn Theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, qualifying because of its historically significant architecture. It is one of three register-listed properties in Fairborn, along with the 1924 Bath Township Consolidated School and the 1799 Mercer Log House. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Fairborn Theatre, Fairborn Archived 2013-04-15 at archive.today , Ohio Historical Society, 2012. Accessed 2012-12-31.
  3. Fairborn Theatre, Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2012-12-31.
  4. 1 2 "Ohio Aids Fairborn Theater's $5.5 Million Upgrade", Dayton Business Journal , 2010-10-23. Accessed 2012-12-31.
  5. 1 2 "Local Structures Deemed Historic", Dayton Business Journal , 2005-08-22.
  6. Crowe, Amanda. "The Future of the Fairborn Theatre", Fairborn Daily Herald , 2012-12-02. Accessed 2013-01-01.