{"nrhp_refnum":"83002040","name":"Ohio Theatre","other_names":["136 Park Avenue West"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"136 Park Ave., W.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Mansfield","county":"Richland County","state":"OH","lat":40.759004539000045,"lon":-82.52102178699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-05-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, brick and glazed terra cotta movie palace at 136 Park Avenue West on the western edge of downtown Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio, built in 1928 in the Neoclassical style.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as evidence of the 1920s commercial building boom in downtown Mansfield. It is one of two large movie palaces from that period and the only surviving theatre in the city with rich Neoclassical ornamentation. Its interior detailing, especially the plasterwork, makes it an impressive example of theatre architecture.","narrative":"Built in 1928 at 136 Park Avenue West, this movie palace sits on the western edge of downtown Mansfield. Its terra cotta-clad Neoclassical front has storefronts below and large Chicago-style windows above, separated by pairs of Corinthian pilasters. Behind the front, a plain brick block holds the 1,500-seat auditorium, which has a large chandelier, rich Neoclassical plasterwork and a good proscenium arch. The original marquee has been replaced and the storefronts modernized. The theatre reflects the commercial building boom that reshaped downtown Mansfield in the 1920s. It is one of two large movie palaces from that period and the only surviving theatre in the city with rich Neoclassical ornamentation; the other, the Madison, is Art Deco in style. Its facade matches that of the Palace Theater in Lorain, although the auditoriums differ. A non-profit civic organization acquired it and converted it into the Renaissance Theatre, a civic and cultural center, and it is widely regarded as one of the city's prime historic landmarks.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Neo-Classical","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as good inside and out. It is in theater use, and a non-profit civic organization has turned it into a civic and cultural center known as the Renaissance Theatre. Marginal profitability is noted as a threat.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.68604-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/83002040.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83002040/ee3715aa38-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83002040/ee3715aa38-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"User:OHWiki","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Renaissance_Mansfield_Ohio.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">User:OHWiki</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Renaissance_Mansfield_Ohio.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71986040","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Theatre_(Mansfield,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7312448"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/richland-county/ohio-theatre-83002040/"}