Apollo Theatre

Date

1914-2009 (private); 2009-present (college)

Location

19 East College Street

Architects/Collaborators

Builder unknown

Style

Vernacular with Zig Zag Moderne elements

History

The Apollo Theatre is one of several businesses in the Hobbs Block on East College Street. Built by William Hobbs in 1913, this building housed Oberlin’s first 300 seat theater. For years, the eastern storefront was the well-appointed Hobbs Bakery and Restaurant. In 1917 the building was sold to Ira West; in 1922 he sold it to a company that owned several theaters in Lorain County. Mr. West repurchased it later that year. Mr. West also owned the silent moving picture theater on South Main, the Rex, and for a few years he operated both. In 1923 the Apollo was purchased by a local family, the Steels, who introduced the talkies to Oberlin there in 1928. The first level of the building was remodelled in the 1930s, giving it the Moderne elements of vitriolite, black and red brushed aluminum and plate glass. The Steel family continued to own and operate the theater until they decided to sell it in 2009. Oberlin College purchased the theater and adjacent residential and commercial space.

In 2009, the Apollo underwent $1.2 million in renovations which "dealt with bringing the infrastructure up to current codes, improvements were visible: a revamped lobby, ada accessibility throughout, and a new high-definition projection system and state of the art sound system. Still, retaining the historical and architectural significance of the landmark was a priority throughout the renovation. The much-loved outdoor ticket booth continues to greet patrons, and the lobby's Zig-Zag Moderne features and vinyl-padded walls have been preserved." [Fowler, 2009]

The Apollo Theatre received the Award for Theater Restoration in 2013 from the Cleveland Restoration Society and the American Institute of Architects-Cleveland. The College operates it as both a movie theater and as a new home for the Cinema Studies Department.

Sources

Ohio Historic Inventory for Apollo Theatre, Ohio State Historic Preservation Office, December 11, 1998, accessed from the Oberlin Heritage Center, May 22, 2015.

Yvonne Gay Fowler, "Apollo Gets a Hollywood Reopening," The Source, Oberlin College, October 7, 2009, accessed May 22, 2015.