Construction Following
World War I, local developer Joseph Laronge, who had previously opened the Stillman movie house on East 12th street, envisioned a row of theaters on
Euclid Avenue between East 14th and East 17th streets. Laronge and New York City business magnate
Marcus Loew, among others, founded a partnership called
Loew's Ohio Theatres to develop the area. The organization's first two theaters, the
Ohio and
State (now known as the KeyBank State), were designed by eminent architect
Thomas W. Lamb in the
Italianate style. It was considered essential for the theaters' marquees to face Euclid Avenue, but because of space constraints the State Theatre was built at the back of the lot, although its lobby shares the Euclid frontage with the Ohio Theatre. now known as the Connor Palace, opening in November 1922 in the
Keith Building, which at the time was the tallest in Cleveland. was turned on to show that the Palace was open for business. Built by Edward F.
Albee in honor of his friend and business partner, B.F.Keith, the Palace was billed as the “Showplace of the World.” Headlining the opener was America's favorite mimic, Elsie Janis, who shared billing with Eduardo Cansino, Rita Hayworth's father. Albee invested over $2 million in the vaudeville venue, which became known as the “…swankiest theater in the country.” Designed by the
Chicago architectural firm of
Rapp and Rapp, the Palace was a regional flagship of the Keith-Albee chain of vaudeville theaters. The area surrounding the theaters soon became known unofficially as “Playhouse Square.” The Euclid Square Association, a civic group, tried to rename the district “Euclid Square,” although these efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. Plans to raze the Ohio and the State Theatres in 1972 and 1977 caused a public outcry, and in 1973 the newly formed Playhouse Square Foundation obtained long-term leases for the Palace, Ohio and State Theatres, while
Cuyahoga County commissioners purchased the Loews Building. In 1999, the Playhouse Square Foundation acquired the Hanna, making it the fifth and last of the original theaters to be purchased by the foundation.
Recent years The reopening of the State, Ohio and Palace Theatres encouraged further development at Playhouse Square, including the $40 million Renaissance Office Building and a
Wyndham Hotel at Playhouse Square. In an unprecedented move for a not-for-profit performing arts center, Playhouse Square established a Real Estate Services Division in 1999 to support the organization's arts operations. Playhouse Square is active in area development in order to give visitors a lively, welcoming and entertaining destination, while also creating a neighborhood with a robust business environment. In 2002, Playhouse Square opened the
14th Street Theatre as a home for Second City Cleveland and a venue for improvisational comedy, musical comedy and avant-garde fare, often for extended runs. The venue was closed in 2013 and transformed into the private dining space Cibreo Privato, part of the Italian restaurant Cibreo operated by Driftwood Restaurant Group. In 2003, the area of East 14th Street near Playhouse Square was renamed Memory Lane-
Bob Hope Way in honor of the longtime Cleveland resident to commemorate the entertainer's 100th birthday. Playhouse Square and Cleveland's public broadcasting stations conducted a joint capital campaign to transform the One Playhouse Square Building into the Idea Center at Playhouse Square. Opened in 2005, it is now the home for Playhouse Square's community engagement and education programs and the downtown headquarters for radio stations
WKSU (simulcast over a regional network including
WCPN) and
WCLV, as well as TV station
WVIZ, incorporated together as
Ideastream Public Media. In 2008, the
HealthLine opened with a station at Playhouse Square. The line connects
Public Square to
University Circle via the
Cleveland Clinic. Also in 2008, the Hanna Theatre underwent a thorough renovation with improvements to its stage including a new hydraulic lift system. The Hanna is now home to Great Lakes Theater, Cleveland's classic theater company which previously performed at the Ohio Theatre. Through a collaboration called “The Power of Three,”
Cleveland Play House, Cleveland State University and Playhouse Square partnered to create the Allen Theatre Complex, featuring a reconfigured Allen Theatre (re-opened 2011) and two new theaters that opened in 2012. Cleveland Play House and Cleveland State University's Department of Theatre and Dance are now resident companies at Playhouse Square. The Cleveland Play House administrative offices and all of Cleveland State University's arts programs are now located in the Middough Building on Playhouse Square's campus, adding to the vibrancy of the neighborhood. Playhouse Square welcomes more than 1 million guests to 1,000+ performances and events each year. Its KeyBank Broadway Series season ticket holder base (more than 45,000) is the largest in the country, making Cleveland one of fewer than 10 markets that can support a three-week run of a touring Broadway show. Improvements to the Playhouse Square neighborhood - including a digital signage network, upgrades to U.S. Bank Plaza, a retro signage feature and the
GE Chandelier, the world's largest outdoor
chandelier, located above the intersection of Euclid Avenue and East 14th Street - were completed between April 2013 and April 2014, culminating in a ceremony on May 2, 2014, entitled "Dazzle the District." In 2014 a $100 million capital fund campaign was initiated with a $9 million gift from the Chris Connor family of Cleveland. In honor of their gift the Palace Theatre was renamed Connor Palace. In April 2018 Playhouse Square began construction on
The Lumen, a 34-story apartment tower. The tower adds 318 apartments to downtown Cleveland and contains a 550 space parking garage. The Tower opened in 2020. The architecturally-significant
Greyhound Bus Station on Chester Avenue was purchased by Playhouse Square on April 4, 2024, and it is anticipated that the building would be redeveloped into a mixed-use venue. ==List of theaters==