The Valentine Theater

The Valentine Theater is a building that I can remember hearing about when I was a child because of its historical value to the Toledo, Ohio area. I can remember thinking that it must be a magical place, as a child, having the word “Valentine” in the name.

I personally did not ever visit the theater in my childhood, as it was usually spoken of in the context of its history, not what it was being used as in the current times.

Then, I found this beautiful photograph from 9 Jan 1898 showing the curtain painting by Ludwig Bang and it made me want to know more about the Valentine Theater, where it got its name from, what happened to the theater itself and who was responsible for placing this icon into our area.

The Valentine Theater was George Ketcham’s tribute to his father, Valentine Ketcham. Valentine had moved to Toledo just before it was officially founded. He then operated a number of successful businesses in town, even becoming the first millionaire in Toledo, Ohio.

The inheritance that was left to his son, George, had allowed George to start his own business ventures which included opening a number of theaters throughout Ohio.

In the 1890s, an Opera House in Toledo had burnt to the ground which left many of Toledo’s businessmen scrambling to build a new one, but when George Ketcham announced his plans to build the Valentine Theater, all the other businessmen stepped aside. George had a hefty amount of funds and property to allow him to build the grandest opera house Toledo, Ohio would ever see.

George hired the city’s leading architect, Edward O. Fallis, who designed and built several historic homes in Toledo, Ohio during this time, to design and build this theater. Fallis used cutting-edge designs for the balcony and seats so that everyone within the theater could have a good view of the stage. He also included eighteen dressing rooms with private baths to entire those big-name acts to our newly established Toledo, Ohio. The interior was designed with silk and velvet and furniture in the Dutch and Colonial styles. The Valentine Theater was truly luxurious, coming with a price tag of $300,000.

The Grand Opening happened on Christmas night in 1895 with the entertainment being a play based on the Rip Van Winkle folk tale.

Now, because of Toledo’s location, many nationally-renowned acts were accessible to stop by the area to perform on their way to those bigger cities.

The Valentine would host greats like:

• Anna Pavlova

• Mark Twain

• Sarah Barnhardt

• and The Barrymore Family

In 1917, the Loews theater chain purchased the Valentine and moved the focus to vaudeville and acts like Harry Houdini.

In 1918, the Loews added a screen to the theater and began showing films as well as live performances.

It was around this time that other spaces near and around the Valentine were filling up with offices and restaurants.

From the 1890s to about 1929, Toledo City Council used the space for meetings.

In 1936, the Hotel Willard moved into the space.

In 1932 the Valentine Theater underwent its first major renovation. The reason was partially to upgrade due to the opening of the Paramount Theater that opened up nearby. The work was completed between 11p-11a to allow the theater to operate as normal during business hours.

Ten years later the theater was stripped of its Victorian and French decor and replaced with the trending Chinese/Art Decor style. The project was overseen by the same architect who helped design the Paramount, who, at the time was the Valentine’s main competitor. Once the theater was complete, it celebrated its newly designed facade with the premiere of Standing by for Action starring Robert Taylor.

During the 1950s, suburbanization was on the rise and television was a popular past time which caused the downtown theaters to suffer tremendously. Loews made the decision to sell off the Valentine. The Paramount would close in the 1960s and the property where it stood would be razed in 1965 to make way for a parking lot. The Valentine did not suffer the same fate, acting as an independent movie house during the 1960s, then showing second-run moving at cheaper prices in the 1970s.

In 1976, the theater tried to stay relevant, showing classic movies and hosting concerts, but one year later and rising costs to boot, the Valentine Theater would close its doors.

In 1977, for $468,000 the government bought the Valentine Theater (also called the Renaissance Building during this time).

In 1980, the building was practically abandoned, suffering from a leaking roof, and lack of heat. In 1983 surveyors recommended the building be demolished.

But, with the destruction of the Paramount, upset would found within the community and citizens didn’t want another theater building to be lost to history.

The Friends of the Valentine, or local activists, raised awareness and money to preserve the structure.

It would take over twenty years and about $28 MILLION dollars, but the restored Valentine Theater reopened on 9 Oct 1999 with a performance by the Toledo Opera.

The very next day, thousands of Toledoans showed up to TOUR THE THEATER.

Since then, over ONE MILLION GUESTS have visited the Valentine.

The Toledo History Museum moved into the Valentine Theater building in 2018. The museum works with other nearby historical organizations to display Toledo-related artifacts and educate the community. The museum was founded in 2005 and officially incorporated a year later. It was previously located on the second floor of the Milmine-Stewart House, above the Old West End Antiques Market.

This information was adapted from:

Brammer, Emily and Clio Admin. "The Valentine Theatre and Toledo History Museum ." Clio: Your Guide to History. November 10, 2018. Accessed January 17, 2023. https://theclio.com/entry/69391

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