Newark Midland Theatre

Historic Theaters 

CASE Studies

Current Name of Theater:  Midland Theatre
Current Type:  Performing Arts Theater, performance hall
Seats:  1580 (now). 1,800 (originally)
Website: www.midlandtheatre.org
Historic Names of Theater:   Midland Theatre
Address: 36 N Park Place, Newark, OH 43055
Contact: 740.345.5483
Email: 
Year Built/Style:   December 20, 1928 / Spanish Revival
Original Architect: Harry C. Holbrook, Columbus, OH
Original Cost: 
Listed on National Register: District 2002
History of Theater:   
On December 20, 1928, just a few days before Christmas, the sidewalks of the Newark, Ohio Town Square were filled with shoppers in search of last-minute gifts. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, on North Park Place there was a line of people – hundreds of them – people standing in place for hours, or, according to an account in the local paper, paying young boys to stand there for them. They braved the elements so that they could be the first to get a glimpse of Newark’s newest entertainment establishment.
Finally, at 6:30 PM, the doors opened, and the excited throng filed inside. A half hour later, the Mammoth Moller organ rose from the floor, and house organist Helen D. Longfellow joined the orchestra in a stirring rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner”. The silver curtain opened, revealing a suspended American flag. Newark Mayor Robbins Hunter welcomed everyone, and then the show at long last was underway. The opening was a hit! The paper said that a “splendid program was arranged.” It began with a “colored art film, showing the American Indian and many scenic spots in the West.” Two vaudeville acts were followed by “The Shopworn Angel” starring up-and-coming actor Gary Cooper. One of the Vaudeville acts was the Columbia Quartet, which the review called…”four boys who sing a lot and chatter a bit. The voices are well-harmonized and they took several encores.” The review of Cooper’s performance was less flattering: “Gary Cooper is not the dominate lad he usually is….”
(By the way, the movies on December 20 were silents, but only a week later, the theater played a talking picture called “Manhattan Cocktail” – the first time a sound movie played in Newark!)
But the action on stage and screen was only half the show. What the first-nighters really wanted to see was the magnificent Midland interior…and on this score, they are not disappointed. Passing through the lobby and foyer, the customers marveled at the marble pillars and atmospheric design of the ceiling. Once seated in plush upholstered chairs, they took in the unique Spanish architecture. Everywhere you looked, there was velvet – red velvet carpeting, walls draped with rose velvet and gold fringe, velvet rails on the stairways and orchestra pit. Even the balcony was trimmed with lace. And suspended from the ceiling, a beautiful art glass chandelier. This was the setting in which audiences on the evening of December 20, 1928 – and thousands of audiences on thousands of evenings thereafter – experienced The Midland’s many offerings.
In 1978, The Midland Theatre, showing increasing decay and decreasing attendance, closed. A power outage during the “Blizzard of ’78” caused the boilers to freeze and crack, sealing the theatre’s fate.
For 14 years, The Midland stood unused. The splendor of the architecture had faded, and deterioration continued unabated. Talk arose of demolishing the once-proud theatre, now an eyesore and a hazard. All that remained was the shell of The Midland’s former glory…and the memories.
Cost of Rehabilitation: $8.5 million
Architect: 
Contractors: 
Source of Funds:  The Longaberger Company
Renovation Story: 
In 1992, Dave Longaberger and The Longaberger Company purchased The Midland. As a tribute to Dave’s vision, The company undertook an 8-year, $8.5 million renovation and restoration of The Midland. Longaberger had no desire to operate the theatre, instead entrusting the property to The Newark Midland Theatre Association, a local volunteer, non-profit organization.
When the construction crew started the task of renovating The Midland, its roof was gone, and the orchestra pit and lower part of the auditorium was filled with rain water and debris. After getting the water out, they built a ramp down into the pit (an appropriate description at the time!), took a front loader down into the mess and started scooping out the pit and then the auditorium.
In January 1929, The Midland Theatre Company published a message to the people of Newark. The message began, “In the erection of The Midland Theatre building, it really means more than just a well-built playhouse – it is the expression of faith which we have in this community.”