Lorain's Summer Movie Theaters

My post last week about Lorain's 1960's-early 70's summer movie program for kids got me to thinking. The Palace theater is still around (and still shows some Summer Fun Movies) but where were the Ohio and Tivoli theaters located?

For others like me who have forgotten, the Ohio Theater was at 549 Broadway, just north of the Eagles building. The photo at left (from the Black River Historical Society's Lorain book) shows the theater with Ben Hur on its marquee and holiday decorations across the street, putting the photo around Christmas of 1959. The Palace theater can be seen to the right of the Eagles building.

Today the Ohio Theater is long gone, having disappeared from the Lorain phone book in the 1971-72 edition, right after the glory days of the summer movies.

Here's the same view from this weekend.

As for the Tivoli, it was located at 642 Broadway on the other side of the street and down just a bit in the next block. Here is its location today.

With each passing year, it's harder to imagine the Lorain of yesteryear that my parents always talked about, with all of those theaters on Broadway downtown (plus the Dreamland further south on Broadway in central Lorain). I'm glad I caught the tail end of that era at least!