Sidney – Historic Theatre
Historic Theaters
CASE Studies
Current Name of Theater: The Historic Sidney Theatre
Current Type: Performing arts center
Seats: 1,242
Screens: 3
Website: http://sidneytheatre.org/
Historic Names of Theater: Majestic Theatre, Ohio Theatre,
Address: 120 W. Poplar Street, Sidney, OH 45365
Contact: Sarah Barr, Executive Director
Email: office@sidneytheatre.com
Year Built/Style: 1921
Original Architect:
Original Cost:
Listed on National Register:
History of Theater: Built in 1921, for full stage performances and silent films, the Historic Sidney Theatre has been a fixture for the arts in Shelby County for decades. CB DeWeese opened the doors to the then Majestic on September 9th, 1921 with a touring producation of Robin Hood. Little is know on what inspired DeWeese to build the theatre however records indicate he was influenced by the Victoria Theatre in Dayton, Ohio where he visited often around the time of construction. By 1941 it was the Ohio Theatre when it was operated by Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp. It had a seating capacity of 1,300 with a single ground floor and the balcony. Many area residents recall performances from the 1940’s-60’s to include the Vienna Boys Choir, New York City Opera and Norman Vicent Peale just to name a few.
In the mid-70’s it was split into two theatres “giving it the stadium seating of today” and operated by the Chakeres Theatre Company. Sidney 3 stopped showing the late shows after 8:pm Sunday – Thursday in the late-1990’s and the end was near when on July 30th, 2004 with the opening of “The Village” they stopped later shows after 8:00pm all together and run just a 7, 7:15 and 7:30 all week with matinees on Saturday and Sunday.
Cost of Rehabilitation: $2,978,000
Architect:
Contractors:
Source of Funds:
Renovation Story: Chakeres Theatres Sidney 3 was closed as a movie theatre in September 2004 after more than 50 years of service to the Sidney community.
In 2009, Raise the Roof for the Arts, the non- profit organization that now owns and operates the Historic Sidney Theatre embarked on a journey to bring the facility back to its original roots as a performing arts venue.
Thoughtful considerations was given to all aspects of the restoration process. In planning the comprehensive restoration of the Historic Sidney Theatre the Board of Directors set a goal of $3.5 million dollars to bring the theatre back to its former glory. We have raised $2,978,000 towards the $3.5 million dollar goal.
By 2009, it had reopened as a performing arts center.
