Utopia Theatre

Main Street,
Painesville, OH 44077

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Additional Info

Architects: Alexander C. Wolfe

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Utopia Theater Painesville Ohio

The Utopia Theatre in Painesville, Ohio was constructed at a cost of $75,000 opened on or about September 1, 1914 and was described in opening advertisements as:-

“one of the prettiest and most complete structures in the State of Ohio, seating one thousand people. Strictly fireproof in every detail. On the main line going East or West and only 30 miles from Cleveland and with a drawing capacity of 25 thousand would like to hear from only the best Musical, Dramatic and Minstrel combinations. Playing to only one attraction each week. Address: Utopia Amusement Corp., Painesville.”

The Utopia Theatre was demolished in 1939.

Contributed by Lou Rugani

Recent comments (view all 4 comments)

CSWalczak
CSWalczak on September 22, 2012 at 1:26 am

Another old postcard view followed by a photo what the site looks like now (the Lake Theater is also gone).

billsmith
billsmith on September 22, 2015 at 10:09 pm

The Utopia Theatre in Painesville was torn down in 1939, the same year the Lake Theatre was built, but the Utopia was not torn down to accommodate the Lake Theatre. They were on different streets. The Utopia on Main Street, and The Lake on State Street. Most of old downtown Painesville was lost in a serious urban renewal fiasco in the first half of the 1970’s.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on December 4, 2016 at 1:58 am

The July 26, 1912, issue of The American Contractor reported that a store building in Painesville would be remodeled into a motion picture theater for the Utopia Amusement Company. The architect was A. C. Wolfe of Cleveland.

The Cleveland Landmarks Commission’s list of Cleveland architects says that Alexander C. Wolfe (1880-1966) was active as an architect in Cleveland from 1911 to 1954.

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on April 9, 2018 at 7:36 pm

1927 image added via Larry Rose. Silent western film “Drums Of The Desert” on the Utopia marquee.

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