Celebrate 100 years of historic Robin’s Theater in Warren, Ohio

WARREN, OH (WKBN) – Warren is celebrating a grand birthday this weekend as Robbins Theater turns 100 years old. For 45 of those years, the Robins seat was vacant, but was put into use again three years ago after a complete renovation. Today, it regularly brings people to downtown Warren.

From the center stage, you’ll have a great view of the renovation of the 1,400-seat theater.

“The architecture is amazing. It’s Italian Renaissance,” said Megan Reed of the Trumbull County Historical Society.

Reed has a photograph of Robin from the late 1940s and a color shot from the early 1950s. When it opened on January 9, 1923, it hosted film and vaudeville performances.

“It cost about $300,000 to build. It was built by a guy named Daniel Robbins. He was a Warner Bros. partner of Warner Bros. fame,” said Reid.

Robbins closed in 1974 and remained unused for 45 years. The 2014 video shows Robbins at his worst, with peeling paint and a dented and dirty ceiling.

But then came developer Mark Marvin and his $5 million.

“Then maybe in the next month we’ll start adding real color to this place.” Marvin said in a 2019 interview We are in the midst of a two-year renovation project.

The project reached its climax Grand reopening on January 9, 202097 years since the day Robbins first opened.

“All the concerns people had, whether it was security or parking.

Three years after reopening, Robbins is still fine-tuning. The projector room has been demolished and rebuilt as Loge. Additionally, the show changes.

“We’re trying to do a lot of bigger shows now. It’s been kind of an experiment with Warren — what works and what doesn’t. We have some big announcements,” Hydaris said. rice field.

But anyone who takes the Robbins stage knows they’re walking on history.

“What historic preservation and historic buildings mean for cities, and the characteristics they bring to them, are certainly recognized and supported by academic research. is what we are doing,” Reed says.

Robbins will celebrate its 100th anniversary with upcoming concerts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Friday — Association, Buckingham, Box Tops

Saturday — Pure Prairie League, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Firefall

Sunday — Count Basie Orchestra