Part-time Executive Director Hired to Oversee Work on 102-year-old Building
Posted by CC on August 3rd, 2008 9:36 am
The planned restoration and re-energizing of the Akron Opera House was announced by Akron Community Theater president Doug Olson and Akron Mayor Harold Higman, Jr. Built in 1906 by the American Life Insurance Company of Des Moines, the multi-use building held the theatre in the upper level and retail on the first floor. Until the Great Depression, it hosted local music and theater, Chautauqua, and medicine shows. It closed during the Depression and reopened in 1970, after a community effort to clean up the building and return it to its original use. The building is considered eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The revitalization of the building will take three years and may include a theater museum in the retail space. Akron Community Theater’s newly hired part-time executive director Mark Cline will oversee the restoration and raise funds.
To find out more, go to: www.lemarssentinel.com
