Strand Theatre (Delaware, Ohio)

Last updated
Entrance of the Strand Theatre OWUStrand.jpg
Entrance of the Strand Theatre

The Strand Theatre, is a movie theater located at 28 East Winter Street in downtown Delaware, Ohio, near the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University. Opened on April 10, 1916, The Strand is the tenth longest operating movie theater in the United States.

Movie theater Venue, usually a building, for viewing films

A movie theater, cinema, or cinema hall, also known as a picture house or the pictures, is a building that contains an auditorium for viewing films for entertainment. Most, but not all, theaters are commercial operations catering to the general public, who attend by purchasing a ticket. Some movie theaters, however, are operated by non-profit organizations or societies that charge members a membership fee to view films.

Delaware, Ohio City in Ohio, United States

Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County, Ohio, United States. Delaware was founded in 1808 and was incorporated in 1816. It is located near the center of Ohio, is about 30 miles (48 km) north of Columbus, and is part of the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Area. The population was 34,753 at the 2010 census, while the Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH Combined Statistical Area has 2,002,604 people.

Ohio Wesleyan University

Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts university in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges. Ohio Wesleyan has always admitted students irrespective of religion or race and maintained that the university "is forever to be conducted on the most liberal principles."

Contents

History

The theatre opened on April 10, 1916. It was first owned by Henry Bieberson. The building was originally the New York Cash Store, a department store built in 1908. [1] Near the exit of the theatre, one can see the original opening announcement from The Journal Herald, printed on April 8, 1916. The Strand has never been closed since its opening. [2]

Schine Theatres was a chain of theatres run out of Gloversville, NY. The chain had operated 170 movie theatres in 6 different states during their operation. [3] [4] In 1971 a previous Schine manager and his wife, George and Cindy Johnson, bought the single screen theatre. They presided over a renovation which included adding two more screens; in 1982 the second screen was added in the adjoining storefront, and in 1986 the original balcony was walled off and turned into its own screen. George and Cindy eventually retired back to Greece, selling The Strand to Jerry and Cathy Amato on February 11, 1994. [2]

Junius Myer Schine American businessman

Junius Myer Schine was a New York theater and hotel magnate.

The Amatos operated the theatre until Ohio Wesleyan University took ownership in 2002. The Amatos kept the theatre running during a rough time in its history. [5] This was an effort to preserve its place in the community of Delaware city and in history. When OWU took ownership, they helped create the Strand Theatre and Cultural Arts Association, a 501 (c) 3 Non-profit board that currently owns the Strand. [2]

On February 12, 2009 the Strand Theater & Cultural Arts Association received an award for the renovations made to the concessions area, and the restoration of the second floor windows. The Strand's manager at the time, Kara (McVay) Long, also received an award recognizing her efforts to promote the community and causes. [6] [2]

In 2010, the Strand announced plans for $5 million in renovations. The renovations planned to add digital projectors (which did occur), add three more screens, a blade with the Strand's name on the marquee, and a back entrance within the next three years. The Strand requested $50,000 in economic development funds each from Delaware County and the City of Delaware for new seats and wall coverings. [7] [8] On October 4, 2010, Delaware County commissioners granted $175,000 for renovations to the Strand. [9] The theatre continued showing movies on 35mm film until 2012. The final movie shown on motion picture film at the Strand was The Dark Knight Rises ; all movies exhibited there since have been digital.

Marquee (sign) signage

A marquee is most commonly a structure placed over the entrance to a hotel or theatre. It has signage stating either the name of the establishment or, in the case of theatres, the play or movie and the artist(s) appearing at that venue. The marquee is often identifiable by a surrounding cache of light bulbs, usually yellow or white, that flash intermittently or as chasing lights.

<i>The Dark Knight Rises</i> 2012 American superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan

The Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. Featuring the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the final installment in Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy, and the sequel to The Dark Knight (2008). Christian Bale stars as Bruce Wayne / Batman, alongside Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Morgan Freeman. Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, merciless revolutionary Bane forces an older Bruce Wayne to resume his role as Batman and save Gotham City from nuclear destruction.

In 2016, The Strand commemorated 100 years of continuous operation with its Century of Cinema celebration. A strip of stars in the sidewalk outside as well as a plaque inside indicate the donors that made renovations possible. A short documentary on the history of the theatre was also created at this time. [5]

Presently, The Strand is still running as a non-profit. They partner with local businesses and community members to sustain the theatre as an icon of the city of Delaware. They consistently show first-run films as well as host community events.

Related Research Articles

AMC Theatres movie theater chain

AMC Theatres is an American movie theater chain headquartered in Leawood, Kansas, and is the largest movie theater chain in the world. Founded in 1920, AMC has the largest share of the American theater market ahead of Regal Cinemas and Cinemark Theatres.

Strand Theatre or Strand Theater may refer to:

Thomas W. Lamb American architect

Thomas White Lamb (1871–1942) was an American architect, born in Scotland. He is noted as one of the foremost designers of theaters and cinemas in the 20th century.

Landmark Theatres is the largest specialised movie theatre chain in the United States dedicated to exhibiting and marketing independent and foreign films.

Cinemark USA, Inc. is an American movie theater chain owned by Cinemark Holdings, Inc. operating throughout the Americas and in Taiwan. It is headquartered in Plano, Texas, in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. It is the largest movie theatre chain in Brazil, with a 30 percent market share.

Ziegfeld Theatre (1969) former movie theater (1969–2016) in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, United States

The Ziegfeld Theatre was a single-screen movie theater located at 141 West 54th Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City. It opened in 1969 and closed in 2016. The theater was named in honor of the original Ziegfeld Theatre (1927–1966) which was built by the impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr..

Stanley Theater (Utica, New York) theater in Utica, New York, United States

The Stanley Theatre is a historic Baroque movie palace in Utica, New York. Over the years, it has gone through several changes of ownership, but has always been affiliated with Warner Brothers Pictures.

The Avalon Theatre is a historic theater located in downtown Easton, Maryland. Originally built as a cinema in 1921, The Avalon was billed as the "Showplace of the Eastern Shore." Today serves as the prime venue of the Mid-Shore area for performing arts, nationally and locally.

Showcase Cinemas is a movie theater chain owned and operated by National Amusements. It operates more than 950 indoor screens, with 32 theater locations in the United States and a number of other theaters across the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Argentina. In Brazil, Showcase is known as "UCI Cinemas".

Kerasotes Theatres

Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, LLC is a movie theatre operator in the United States. Based in Chicago, Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, LLC was the sixth-largest movie-theatre company in North America with 957 screens in 95 locations in California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, and Wisconsin.

The Marcus Corporation is an American publicly held company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company operates two principal divisions: Marcus Theatres and Marcus Hotels and Resorts. One of the company's principal assets, Baymont Inn & Suites, was sold to La Quinta Corporation in 2003. Marcus Cable, which merged in 1998 with Charter Communications, was founded by a member of the Marcus family, but held no direct corporate connection to Marcus Corporation itself.

Multiplex (movie theater) movie theater complex with multiple screens

A multiplex is a movie theater complex with multiple screens within a single complex. They are usually housed in a specially designed building. Sometimes, an existing venue undergoes a renovation where the existing auditoriums are split into smaller ones, or more auditoriums are added in an extension or expansion of the building. The largest of these complexes can sit thousands of people and are sometimes referred to as a megaplex.

Briarwood Mall

Briarwood Mall is a shopping mall in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. The mall's three anchor stores are Macy's, JCPenney, and Von Maur. Surrounded by office and other development, the mall anchors the southern Ann Arbor commercial area around Eisenhower Boulevard and I-94. It serves as the primary shopping mall for all of Washtenaw County. Simon Property Group currently manages and co-owns the mall. Briarwood is considered a Class A mall property by developers based on its sales per square foot. Many restaurants, hotels and stores surround the mall.

Fairlane Town Center

Fairlane Town Center is a super-regional shopping mall in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan. Its anchor stores are Macy's and JCPenney. The mall includes an AMC Theatres multiplex, as well as H&M and Forever 21 among major stores. The mall is adjacent to the former Hyatt Regency Dearborn and former Ritz Carlton hotels. The University of Michigan–Dearborn, Henry Ford Community College, The Henry Ford, and the Ford Motor Company headquarters, who has offices occupying a wing of the mall itself.

Classic Cinemas American movie theatre chain

Classic Cinemas is the largest Illinois based movie theatre chain. Headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois it operates 14 locations with 111 screens under Tivoli Enterprises, Inc. ownership. Its first theatre and company namesake is the restored single-screen Tivoli, which has over 1000 seats, in Downers Grove, Illinois.

State Theatre (Ann Arbor, Michigan) movie theater in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

The State Theatre is an operational former movie palace located at the intersection of State Street and Liberty Street in Ann Arbor, MI.

Mississippi Lofts and Adler Theatre theater and apartment building complex in Davenport, Iowa

The Mississippi Lofts and Adler Theatre is an apartment building and theater complex located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by its original name, the Hotel Mississippi-RKO Orpheum Theater. The Hotel Mississippi was listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 2005.

Neighborhood Cinema Group, branded as NCG Cinemas, is a movie theater chain headquartered in Owosso, Michigan. The chain consists at present of 20 theaters with 147 screens. Most of the theaters are located in Michigan, especially in the Flint and Great Lakes Bay region and the Greater Lansing area. In recent years the chain has expanded to include theaters in the Chattanooga, Tennessee, Metro Atlanta, Chicago areas, Indiana and South Carolina then built another building in North Carolina. On July 21, 2017, another location was opened in Kingsport, Tennessee. The cinema operator planned its first foray into New York state in January 2019 with the opening of a 12-theater cineplex at the Hudson Valley Mall in Kingston, New York. Mall management company Hull Property Group said the cineplex would occupy the upgraded space of a 12-theater cineplex operated by Regal Entertainment Group that Regal closed August 16, 2018, five months to the day after Regal was purchased by British movie theater chain Cineworld Group plc.

References

  1. ↑ "New York Cash Store, Delaware, Ohio". delawareohio.pastperfectonline.com. Delaware County Historical Society. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Delaware Strand Theater - Heritage Ohio". Heritage Ohio.
  3. ↑ Schine Chain Theatres, Inc. v. United States, 334 U.S. 110 (1948). U.S. Supreme Court. May 3, 1948. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  4. ↑ "Movie Theaters Previously Operated by Schine Circuit Inc. - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  5. 1 2 Conchel, Anthony (20 December 2016). "Strand's 'Century of Cinema' continues - Delaware Gazette". Delaware Gazette. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  6. ↑ Main Street Delaware gives awards | ThisWeek Community News
  7. ↑ Strand Theatre seeks public funding
  8. ↑ Brand new Strand — Changes ahead for historic downtown movie theatre
  9. ↑ Commissioners OK $150k for Strand

Coordinates: 40°18′00″N83°04′00″W / 40.3°N 83.066667°W / 40.3; -83.066667

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.