The Variety Theater
Location submitted by: sdonley on 12/15/2013
DBA Approved: Y
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PANICd#: 1310
Warner Brothers opened the Variety Theatre in the 1920's, and became independent by the 1950's.
11815 Lorain Ave
Cleveland , OH 44111
Open to the public: No
Lat: 41.461077
Lon: -81.770353
Database Summary:
Demographic Rank: 4
History: 2
Stories: 0
Claims: 3
Evidence: 0
Resources: 5
Retrievals: 2725
Vistor Rating: 0.0
Votes: 0
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History
History information is some background and history about the location. This is meant to be a basic summary. Below the history records you will find sources in which you can click on to find out more information. There may be multiple history records per location.
Warner Brothers opened the Variety Theatre in the 1920's, and became independent by the 1950's. The theatre, a huge theatre with a balcony, had shown sub-run films during the 1970's, and brought in cult midnight movies in the early-1980's. The theatre was also used as a "haunted theatre" for a couple of years in the 1980's, in which there was a haunted tour of the theatre, while horror films were playing on the screen. Lack of off street parking and the high cost of utilities and other expenses for a single screen theatre forced the Variety Theatre to close in 1984. Later on, a private school in the Cleveland area, Freedom Academy, used the theatre as a performing arts school. A boxing academy last occupied the Variety Theatre. Since 2006, the Variety Theatre has been in the process of restoration and renovation by new owners, the Friends of the Historic Variety Theatre, which hopes to reopen the theatre as a venue for both on-screen and live performances.
Added by: sdonley on 02/02/2015
DB#:222
Source(s):
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/5821
We have found an extremely detailed history of this location documenting the life of the building from opening until it was closed.
Due to copyright issues, we did not copy the page here; however, Here is the link to this page.
A very nice history listing and worth the read.
Added by: sdonley on 02/02/2015
DB#:223
Source(s):
http://www.westparkhistory.com/Articles/Variety/va...
Paranormal Claims
Here are the paranormal claims for this location. These have been found through Internet research, reports from members, or reports from personal interviews. To add a claim, please contact PANICd.com, and we will review and add your information.
| Claim # | Added | Added By | Claim |
| 2025 | 02/02/2015 | sdonley | A figure in white has been spotted on the first floor near the old water fountain. |
| 2026 | 02/02/2015 | sdonley | A man with red eyes is seen in the balcony. |
| 2027 | 02/02/2015 | sdonley | Noises of a man who fell to his death from the scaffolding are heard on the stage. |
Additional Resources
This is a collection of Internet resources for this location. This section will house links to other websites that contain information related to history, claims, investigations, or even the location's website.
| West Park History
Added: 12/15/2013 By: sdonley |
A webpage explaining the history of this location. |
| Photos
Added: 02/02/2015 By: sdonley |
Photos of inside of the location. |
| Forgotten Ohio
Added: 02/02/2015 By: sdonley |
Forgotten Ohio page listing for this location. |
| Friends of the Historic Variety
Added: 02/02/2015 By: sdonley |
Facebook page of the group trying to restore this location. |
| Article about Restoration
Added: 02/02/2015 By: sdonley |
An article explaining how a group is trying to get this location restored. |
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