10 Facts About Playhouse Square

Playhouse Square is a theater district in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States.

In 1970, Raymond K Shepardson, a Cleveland Public Schools employee, formed a non-profit group named the “Playhouse Square Association” with the Junior League of Cleveland, Inc The cover of the February 27,1970 issue of Life was a two-page pull-out of James H Daugherty's The Spirit of Cinema America, a mural in the State Theatre's lobby.

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 1978, Playhouse Square was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

However, in 1993 the Playhouse Square Foundation agreed to rent the theater with the intention of purchasing it, which it did in 1997.

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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.

Playhouse Square is active in area development in order to give visitors a lively, welcoming and entertaining destination, while 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.

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 welcomes more than 1 million guests to 1,000+ performances and events each year.