The Southern Theatre and Hotel is one of the oldest surviving theatre buildings in the state of Ohio. (Credit: Ken Drenten)
By Ken Drenten
The Southern Theatre at 21 S. High St. in downtown Columbus is the oldest surviving theatre in central Ohio and one of the oldest in the state.
The Southern Theatre opened Sept. 21, 1896 as part of a performance space and hotel complex on the corner of High and Main streets. The Southern was originally designed for presenting theatrical touring productions. The theatre later also accommodated silent films, vaudeville, first- and second-run motion pictures, dance, country music revues and community events.
Built to be self-sufficient, the theater was one of the first commercial buildings in Columbus to use electricity, and generated its own power. It also provided its own water supply from three wells built into the basement.
Among the spectacular productions that appeared on the Southern stage in its early years was a 1903 touring production of Ben-Hur, which featured a cast of 350 and a chariot race in which two teams of horses galloped on treadmills for a mile. The greatest names of the era played the Southern stage, including Ethel and Lionel Barrymore, John Philip Sousa, Sarah Bernhardt, Al Jolson and W.C. Fields. Actress Maude Adams flew from the stage to the balcony in an early production of Peter Pan.
Times changed, and by 1931 the Southern was a full-time movie house. After decades of increasing maintenance issues, the facility was sold to a realtor who planned on turning it into an apartment building and garage. Those plans never came to fruition and in 1979, the Southern Theatre was closed.
Take a quick look at theatres in Ohio, including the Southern Theatre. If the video link above does not work, please use this link — https://youtube.com/shorts/5f-ADzfiPCM?feature=share
In 1986, the property was gifted to Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA), which took on the effort to renovate the theatre to its former glory with funding from state and local government, businesses and individuals. The 925-seat theatre reopened in 1998, saving it from demolition with $10 million in renovations.
Today, in addition to CAPA-presented concerts and performances, the Southern Theatre is home to Opera Columbus, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, Chamber Music Columbus, and the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra.
The theatre building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Ken Drenten is creator and editor of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.
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