Clinton Theater
On New Year's Day, 1927 the Clinton movie theater opened,
showing Frank Capra's comedy The Strong Man. This theater was
built as part of the James theater group. It was designed by
architect Henry Holbrook in the Adams style with decorative ter-
ricotta and a beautiful lighted marquee. The main theater sat
1,500 guests and featured a domed ceiling with pearlescent finish
and multicolored recessed lights. At the time, the building was
air-conditioned-only the second such building in central Ohio.
Two store fronts flanked the main ticket office. Above those
store fronts was a full-sized ballroom that guests could use for
dancing during intermissions. The lobby was lined with green
marble and fluted columns.
Early on the theater's original owner sold out to his manager James
Real Neth. In 1948 the marquee was replaced. In 1973 the last
movie, Burt Reynold's White Lightning, was projected on the big
screen. After that the theater served as a warehouse to the
successful Clintonville Electric Company.
In 2010 citizens worked to convert the theater into a Farmer's
Market with parking and a community gathering space. Unfor-
tunately the Clinton Theater was demolished in October of
2010. A piece of the building's terracotta crown is preserved
on Memory Lane.
Memory Lane
In
the early 1900s, Clintonville's population began to swell. Once
a farm village, it had become a small town with a theater, soda
shops, a bowling alley, barber shops, and grocers. Citizens wanted
another bridge across the Olentangy River so they could use Olentangy
River Road as an alternative to High Street. In 1939 the Franklin
County Engineers designed and built the North Broadway Bridge.
The bridge project created an entry directly into Clintonville and
the newly formed Clintonville Women's Club wanted that entry to
be beautiful. The plan was to line the street with blooming trees
and to dedicate each tree in memory of a citizen or group whose
efforts helped define the community. The award-winning project
would be known as "Memory Lane." The first trees were planted
near High Street.
Shortly after the project began, America entered World War II. In the
years that followed, more than 100 trees were planted in memory
of the "Clintonville Boys." When State Route 315 was routed through
the area, much of the memorial was removed. The original WWII
plaques were collected and placed in Union Cemetery.
Memory Lane continues. Over the years, replacement trees have
been planted by caring citizens. The Clintonville Bous are now
recognized by a black granite monument. Other memory gardens
are present. Take a walk down Memory Lane!
In
memory of Micaela Stratton- a dedicated citizen of Clintonville
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