May 2026.
After visiting Westerville recently, I had some spare time and decided to travel back to Newark to retake some photos. I did this for several reasons, in large part due to the fact that the Home Building Association Bank (designed by Louis Sullivan) was closed for renovations when I first visited in January 2025, but has since reopened. I also wasn’t satisfied with my cursory coverage of downtown and the poor weather that day. I didn’t seek out to redo everything, just bolster what existing photos I had, and get more of some more notable buildings. This article is an example of the latter category.
The Midland Theatre is an elaborate Renaissance Revival theater in downtown Newark. Beautifully restored, its terra-cotta ornament shines brightly in the sun and serves as a foil to the gray Licking County Courthouse immediately south. Although I briefly documented it and its history in my first Newark “dump article,” I figured its interesting details and the bright weather warranted a revisit.
The Midland Theatre is located at 36 North Park Place on Courthouse Square in Newark, Ohio. It is bordered by Church Street and Second Presbyterian to the north, Park Place and the Licking County Courthouse to the south, 2nd Street to the east, and the commercial buildings on Courthouse Square to the west.
History
The Midland Theatre and its surroundings in 1929. (Newark Walking Tour)
The Midland Theatre Company was established in 1927, purchasing the Auditorium and Arcade Theatre’s leases and commissioning the construction of a new theater. This new building was designed by Columbus architect Harry C. Holbrook, an example of Spanish Renaissance Revival architecture. Seating 1,800 people, it had elaborate finishes inside, such as velvet and silk. A massive chandelier was centered over the auditorium space. It featured a large Moller organ that was removed in 1964.
A view of the interior in 1929. (Wikimedia)
The Midland Theatre opened on December 20, 1928 as a movie and vaudeville theater. Apparently, demand for opening night was so high that visitors stood in line for hours and even paid local boys to stand in line for them. After a speech from mayor Robbins Hunter, two silent films and two vaudeville acts were performed. A week later, the movie Manhattan Cocktail was played (the sound equipment wasn’t completed upon opening), the first film with sound shown in Newark.
Photos of the decaying interior before its renovation. (Midland Theatre website)
The Midland Theatre served Newark for the following decades, showing popular films, live shows, and movies for children on Saturday afternoons. However, its attendance declined over the years (as was common with historic movie theaters), and it closed in 1978. After a power outage during a severe blizzard that winter, the boilers froze and cracked, leaking water through the ceiling and flooding the lower seating area of the theater. It remained vacant until Dave Longaberger (of basket company fame) purchased the theater in 1992, which restored the theater over the next eight years. Though Dave Longaberger didn’t live to see the theater restored, he entrusted it to a local nonprofit.
The Midland Theatre reopened in 2000, with its inaugural performance by Bill Cosby. Though it struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, it continues to show movies and live performances today.
Photos
Most of the theater uses buff glazed brick, but its details are in white terra-cotta:
The lighting was just so much better the day I came back. All of the details pop more.
More centered view of the marquee and entrance:
The columns that separate the entrance area from the office wings are very polychromatic and richly carved:
Lots of Renaissance flair with the curving corbel and crowning urn.
The central vaulted window has a twisty border and terra-cotta spandrels:
These spandrels are very fancy and in great condition.
Curvy parapet:
Unlike the fancy terra-cotta of the central module, the wings on either side are simpler, but they are crowned with a multicolored tile roof:
I love the earthy tones used on the roof:
The marquee is neon, unlike the original incandescent bulbs:
The box office has unique “Moorish” curving columns and elaborate ornament:
Perspective is a little wonky here, but this glass window is inside the vestibule and seems to be original:
The 2nd Street facade is simpler, with more regularly-spaced windows and a small parapet above the central window:
As indicated by its utilitarian appearance, this is where the main bulk of the theater’s seating is:
The rear has a larger area to house the equipment, as well as a smaller office area:
I’m glad that I was able to revisit and give this one the well-lit coverage it deserves.
Sources:
https://web.archive.org/web/20090503192239/http://www.midlandtheatre.org/history.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20081118194443fw_/http://www.midlandtheatre.org/marticles.htm#1219
https://www.midlandtheatre.org/about
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midland_Theatre_(Newark,_Ohio)
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