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Marcus Loew (/ l oʊ /; May 7, 1870 – September 5, 1927) was an American business magnate and a pioneer of the motion picture industry who formed Loew's Theatres and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio (MGM).
Opened as the Empress Theatre on November 2, 1914 presenting Marcus Loew’s vaudeville. By 1915-16 it had been renamed Knickerbocker Theatre. This long-time fixture of downtown Columbus originally featured both vaudeville acts and motion pictures.
Built in 1913, the complex was the Canadian flagship of Marcus Loew's legendary theatre chain. Designed by Thomas Lamb as a "double-decker" theatre complex, it contained the Winter Garden Theatre, constructed on top of the Elgin Theatre (originally known as Loew's Yonge Street Theatre).
The Ohio Theatre was part of the Loew’s chain of movie palaces founded by Marcus Loew, who also founded the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) film studio. As movies became increasingly elaborate productions featuring prominent stage actors, movie theaters followed suit.
The roof garden was enclosed into a conventional 925-seat theatre and re-named Jardin de Paris, becoming home for the first editions of Florenz Ziegfeld’s “Follies”. In 1915, Marcus Loew, still years away from becoming a mogul, took over the New York Theatre and Roof and converted them into cinemas.
The Loew’s and United Artists' Ohio Theatre opened on March 17, 1928 with Greta Garbo in “Divine Woman” plus a stage show featuring John Murray Anderson’s production of “Milady’s Fans” and six acts of vaudeville. Designed by noted architect Thomas W. Lamb, it had a seating capacity for 3,079.
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As one of Ohio’s busiest venues, the theatre presents over 100 performing arts shows a year, as well as world-famous tours, and regular performances from BalletMet, Broadway Across America and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
