TOLEDO, Ohio — The Ohio Theatre and Event Center, the iconic neighborhood theater in the "Old Polish Village" on LaGrange St. in north Toledo, is getting a big boost in their efforts to renovate the building thanks to federal funding announced on Friday.
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D) announced $2.5 million in funding for restoration of the theater.
The Children’s Theatre Workshop of Toledo, which holds theater classes and puts on productions with young people in the area, recently moved into the building and will also benefit from the windfall.
The money will be used to restore the theater’s façade and marquee, and renovate interior space to be used for classrooms, according to the nonprofit group.
The Ohio Theatre has long been in need of renovation with scaffolding gracing the sidewalk in front of the building for years. Still, the north Toledo community has never given up on its neighborhood theater.
Kaptur said in announcing the federal money "Federal investments play a critical role in uplifting our people and unlocking our region’s full potential."
Built in 1921, the Ohio Theatre was an early home for vaudeville, silent films, and other performing arts in the city. In 2006, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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