Playhouse Square and the Cleveland Renaissance

In the 1970s, groups of Clevelanders united to save Playhouse Square, a collection of five beloved theaters, from demolition. This effort led to the renovation of the theaters and the revitalization of downtown Cleveland. Playhouse Square and the Cleveland Renaissance is a comprehensive history of the Square, featuring interviews with those involved in its preservation and reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 16 April 2024
Publisher: Kent State University Press

Shortly after the conclusion of World War I, five new theaters were constructed in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, all within a two-block radius. The concentration of these venues, which featured movies, vaudeville, and legitimate theater, became known collectively as Playhouse Square. For 50 years, the State, Ohio, Hanna, Allen, and Palace theaters enjoyed varying degrees of financial success until television, suburbanization, and urban decline darkened four of their marquees by the end of the 1960s.

In the 1970s, with the shuttered theaters facing demolition, groups of like-minded Clevelanders united to fight to save the Square, influencing the city's establishment to create formal plans to renovate the theaters and ensure their financial viability. Playhouse Square and the Cleveland Renaissance tells the story of how the rejuvenation of Playhouse Square became one of the main catalysts for Cleveland's larger comeback from postindustrial decline, inspiring and serving as a model for other urban renewal efforts across the city.

John Vacha is the first to write a comprehensive, in-depth account of Playhouse Square's history, beginning with the Square's 1921 opening and describing how the COVID-19 pandemic once again left its theaters temporarily empty before their triumphant reopenings in 2022. Richly illustrated and featuring interviews with the central figures involved in saving the Square, Playhouse Square and the Cleveland Renaissance is a powerful story that will appeal to theater history buffs and preservationists alike—reminding readers of the significant role the performing arts serve in shaping a city's culture.

Weight: 684g
Dimension: 179 x 256 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781606354742