Page 14 - AAA Magazine – AAA Ohio Auto Club – November 2018

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on Thanksgiving Day 1928 and became the
nexus of life in the predominantly African- American neighborhood.
Even after being renamed the Lincoln Theatre in 1939, the
space continued to operate as a movie theater and a nationally
recognized hotspot for jazz performers. The theater is significant not only for its
unique Egyptian Revival style, but also because of its history. According to the
Columbus Association for Performing Arts, which now owns and manages the theater,
from the 1930s to the 1960s, the Ogden gained a national reputation as a jazz mecca and drew
appearances from such well-known performers as Count Basie, James Brown, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Etta James and Columbus
native Nancy Wilson.
After highway construction divided the
highway and the neighborhood’s population plunged in the 1960s and 1970s, the theater
suffered decades of damage and was facing a date with a wrecking ball in 1991.
However, after repairs to the outer shell were completed in 1992, the building was added to the National Register of
Historic Places. In 2002, the city of Columbus purchased the theater and the architects at
Hardlines were commissioned to work on the $13.5 million renovation of the building.
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The Lincoln Theatre. Photo courtesy of Hardlines Design co.
The Lincoln Theatre. Photo courtesy of Hardlines Design co.
In May of 2009, the Lincoln Theatre reopened, and its restoration helped spur the revitalization of the neighborhood. Once again, the theater is a hub of activity in the neighborhood, as it is busy all year with performances, rehearsals and classes. The Columbus Jazz Arts Group schedules performances there and uses the top floor for its Jazz Academy.
In 2009, the restoration of the Lincoln Theatre received a Merit Award from the State Historic Preservation Office and subsequently received a Heritage Ohio award and the James B. Recchie Award from Columbus Landmarks Foundation.
Atmospheric Theaters in Ohio
In the 1920s, the design of atmospheric theaters became popular. The idea of the design was that the house would transport patrons to another locale, often a much more exotic one. The most prolific architect
of such theaters was John Eberson, an Austrian-born American architect. By the end of the 1920s, he had designed more than 100 such theaters around the United States, including several in Ohio.
Eberson’s touch is still felt by visitors today who attend a performance or movie at the Marion Palace Theatre
— which just celebrated its 90th anniversary in August. Eberson’s design makes you feel like you are stepping into a Spanish courtyard and features stucco walls, crawling vines and a night sky with twinkling stars and clouds that float overhead. The Marion Palace Theatre
is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of this significant architectural style.
According to the theater’s documented history, by the 1970s, the theater — then used mostly as a movie theater — had fallen into disrepair. Local businessman John C. Keggan rallied the support of other local