Schine's Holland Theatre
Also known as: Holland Theatre; Log-240-7
Why it's listed
Completed in February 1931, this Bellefontaine movie house was built for the Schine Circuit Theatres, a chain of about 150 theaters in six states. Architect Peter Hulsken, born in Arnhem in the Netherlands, designed it as a "Dutch atmospheric" theater. The front office and lobby block has a steep slate roof, a stepped Flemish-style gable, stone cartouches and arched bands of brick and stone. Inside, the 1,000-seat auditorium was meant to feel like walking down a Dutch village street, with building facades drawn from towns such as Veere and Arnhem, lit windows, streetlamps, tulips and windmills with turning vanes. Hulsken copyrighted the design in 1930. The theater was multiplexed into five spaces in the late 1970s, and the marquee and vertical sign are gone, but major decorative elements survive and the partitions were being removed. The theater is considered the only known example of its type in the United States and is valued for architecture and its high integrity.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the theater is significant under Criterion C as a unique variant of the early 20th century "atmospheric theater." It is described as the only known 20th century theater in the United States designed in a Dutch motif. It also retains a high level of integrity that conveys the time and place of its creation.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 01000561, listed May 25, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 125 E. Columbus St., Bellefontaine |
|---|---|
| County | Logan County |
| Listed | May 25, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01000561 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1931 |
| Architect / builder | Peter M. Hulsken, architect, Lima, OH; Hoseler Bros., contractors, Tiffin, OH |
| Architectural style | Early 20th Century American Movements/Other/Dutch Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Work in progress as a theater: the 1970s multiplex partitions were being removed by the current owners to restore the full auditorium; the office/lobby block's current function is listed as commerce/office. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Downtown Bellefontaine Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.36152, -83.75862 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 01000561.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5881094
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.