Who We Are
The oldest surviving theatre in central Ohio and one of the oldest in the state, the Southern Theatre opened in 1896 as part of a performance space and hotel complex on the corner of High and Main Streets. The Southern was designed for the presentation of theatrical touring productions, and later also accommodated silent films, vaudeville, first- and second-run motion pictures, dance, country music reviews, and community events. Over its life, the Southern has hosted singer Lillian Russell, actors Ethel and Lionel Barrymore, Maude Adams, Sarah Bernhardt, dancers Anna Pavlova and Isadora Duncan, John Philip Sousa, Al Jolson, George M. Cohan, Mae West, and W.C. Fields.
By 1901, the Southern was still struggling to cover the cost of its construction, said to have been approximately $1.5 million. Fred and Ralph Lazarus stepped in, purchasing the property at auction for $235,000. The brothers oversaw many renovations, including the installation of a projection booth and the removal of the first several rows of the arches so the newly installed pipe organ could be heard from behind. By 1931, the Southern was a full-time movie house.
After decades of increasing maintenance issues, the Lazarus family sold the facility to a realtor who planned on turning it into an apartment building and garage. It never came to pass through, and in 1979, the Southern Theatre was closed.
Rebuilding the Legend
In 1982, the Great Southern Hotel and Theatre were purchased by local developers who wanted to renovate the hotel. In 1986, property owners Bill and Barbara Bonner made a gift of the Southern Theatre to CAPA, which undertook a feasibility study in 1990 to determine the nature and scope of the renovations needed to bring it back to life.
Like the campaign that saved the Ohio Theatre nearly 30 years prior, the public drive to support the restoration of the Southern Theatre was wide-ranging and embraced both the public and the private sector. The State of Ohio provided leadership funding in the public arena, contributing $3.9 million appropriated in three separate biennial budgets, and the City of Columbus provided more than $670,000 in UDAG funding for the effort. Private support made up 58% of the$10 million project's total funding, with major support from 73 central Ohio businesses, local and national foundations, and more than 250 individuals.
On September 26, 1998, following an intensive, 14-month CAPA-led restoration, the 925-seat, jewel box Southern Theatre was reopened, providing a beautiful, accessible, and lively link to our community's past and its bright future
What We Do
Today, in addition to CAPA-presented concerts and performances, the Southern Theatre is home to Opera Columbus, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, Chamber Music Columbus, and the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra.
