Schine's Holland Theatre, Bellefontaine Ohio
The Holland, which is located just east of the principal north-south commercial street in downtown Bellefontaine, Ohio, was built and operated by The Schine Circuit Theatres. This chain owned some 150 theaters in six states (Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) during the early and middle 20th century. The company located its theaters in small- and medium-sized cities, often owning two, three, or more theaters in a single city.
The Schine theater empire was founded by two brothers, J. Myer (1891-1971) and Louis W. (1893-1956) Schine. Arriving as boys from Latvia in 1902, the Schine brothers settled with their family in Jamestown, New York, and immediately began their working lives. Myer took a job as a mill hand, while Louis worked as a railroad "candy butcher" on trains in and out of Buffalo.
As young adults, the brothers at first took different paths. Louis joined the army in 1914 when World War I broke out, and Myer purchased a nickelodeon in Syracuse, New York. that same year. Finding that attendance and revenues were far less than anticipated, Myer was about to leave the entertainment business when he learned of a theater for sale in Gloversville, New York, a small town some distance east of Syracuse. Though the theater, called the Hippodrome, turned out to be the converted upper floor of a Masonic temple, Schine completed the purchase from the owner, Harry King. King was a former vaudeville performer who would stay with the Schine organization until his death in 1965.
Myer Schine renovated the makeshift theater and re-opened it as the New Hippodrome; he was rewarded by almost instant success. Upon his return from the army in 1918, Louis joined Myer in the business, and very quickly the brothers built their theater empire through leases and acquisition of individual theaters and whole theater chains, as well as by construction of new theaters in promising locations. A new theater the Schines built in Gloversville, the Glove, included office space that became the headquarters for the entire operation.
The Schine Circuit Theatres eventually had about 150 theaters in six states. New York had the largest number, with 28 in the Albany Division and 41 in the Buffalo Division. The Ohio Division had the next highest number, a total of 30 theaters; Pennsylvania had about 20; Kentucky had 17; Maryland had 11; and Delaware had three. The Schine chain was known for introducing innovations such as intensive training for theater managers, something offered by few other theater chains; it was among the first to install sound equipment and, later, Cinemascope; and, according to Myer's son, the Schines were among the first to install concession stands, the result of Myer's having noticed a pushcart vendor outside his Gloversville theater selling snacks to arriving patrons. Myer served on the board of Universal Studios, and famous actors frequently were seen visiting in Gloversville.
The Ohio Division included 30 theaters in 16 Ohio cities; nearly all of these cities were county seats: Ashland, Athens, Bellefontaine, Bucyrus, Delaware, Fostoria, Kent, Medina, Mt. Vernon, Norwalk, Piqua, Ravenna, Shelby, Tiffin, Van Wert, and Wooster. Athens had three Schine theaters; and, except for Medina, Norwalk, and Shelby, all the others had two.
Of the two in Bellefontaine, the Strand and the Holland, the Holland was the only one built by the Schine organization. The Strand still stands on South Main Street south of the courthouse and is in use as a retail space by a flooring company.
Early in 1930, the Bellefontaine Chamber of Commerce was occupied with trying to get a new theater built in the city. The Chamber was unable to reach agreement with various theater promoters until Myer Schine stepped forward and offered to build the theater. Working with the speed characteristic of construction projects of the time, the contractor, Hoseler Brothers of Tiffin, had the building ready for occupancy On February 12, 1931.
Peter M. Hulsken, Architect
Peter M. Hulsken of Lima, Ohio, was the theater's architect. He was born in 1881 in Arnhem in the Netherlands and attended the Royal Academy in Amsterdam and graduated from the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. He came to the United States in 1905 and worked in the office of Albert Kahn in Detroit, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1915. Hulsken worked in Lima for 40 years, until his death at 67 in 1949, the result of complications from a fractured hip suffered in a fall. Northwest Ohio did not have a large number of architects in the early 20th century, and Hulsken was among the most prominent. He designed numerous public and private buildings, several of them theaters for the Schine organization. In addition, he was the architect for Otis Hospital in Celina, and in Lima was responsible for the 1914 Thomas Building; the BPOE #54 of 1947; the Ohio Theatre (a Schine theater); the 1909 Eagles' Lodge; and the St. James Flats.
Hulsken apparently intended that his work on the Holland should be the most memorable, or perhaps the most personal, of his theater work. The unique design he developed for the building, and particularly for the auditorium, carried the Dutch theme out in a way that contained both historical references, depictions of actual buildings he himself knew, including his birthplace, and bits of whimsy such as the guardian lions, the whirling windmills, and the undying tulips.
Of the 30 Schine Circuit theaters in Ohio, the Theatre Historical Society of America has identified 4 that had been demolished as of early 1999, in Ashland, Delaware, Tiffin, and Van Wert. In addition, one has recently been demolished in Fostoria. Of the others, a few are known to be in fair or good condition; some are used as theaters or cultural centers (Ashland, Delaware, Norwalk, Tiffin), while others are in other commercial uses (Bellefontaine Strand, Shelby, Van Wert). Still others are deteriorated or fire-damaged, and the status of the rest is not currently known.
The Schine organization operated the Holland Theatre until 1966, after which time it was operated as a movie theater by various owners until the mid-1990s. The current owner acquired the theater in late December of 1999. The Holland is now in the hands of a non-profit owner whose sole purpose is to restore as much of the theater's missing character as possible and to make the building into a cultural center for its community. The Holland is fortunate also that it has survived with so much of its original design, materials, and finishes intact. It still impresses the viewer as much as it did on opening day. It was built as a small-town theater serving a local market, but it was unique in 1931 and it is unique today.
Building Description
Schine's Holland Theatre was completed in 1931 as a unique type of "atmospheric" theater. Such theaters were popular in the early 20th century, striving to create the feel of an exotic, faraway setting through the use of small twinkling lights set in a dark blue ceiling, to simulate a starry night sky; "cloud machines" that projected images of moving clouds on the ceiling; and the use of architecture and artifacts of Spanish, Moorish, or Italian derivation to simulate village squares, old courtyards, or ancient city streets.
Unlike all other atmospheric theaters, Schine's Holland Theatre employed a Dutch motif described as "Dutch atmospheric." According to the Theatre Historical Society of America, it is the only known example of this type in the United States; it was the work of Peter Hulsken, an architect from Lima, Ohio, who was born in the Netherlands.
The Holland Theatre measures 66 by 220 feet and is located on East Columbus Street, just east of Main Street, the primary commercial artery in downtown Bellefontaine (pronounced "Bell-foun-ten"), Ohio. Bellefontaine is the seat of Logan county, with a population of about 12,000, and the theater has a typical small-city setting. While Main Street still has a fairly intact streetscape of continuous building facades and storefronts, the immediate setting of the Holland is more diffused, with newer buildings and parking lots having replaced many older structures. The Logan County Courthouse is located just to the south and west, across Columbus Street, and nearby is the First Concrete Pavement in the United States. Directly across Columbus Street is a modern low-rise commercial building. A contemporary bank building is just west of the theater, and to the east a much-altered commercial building abuts the east wall of the theater's office/lobby block. Paved parking lots surround the theater's auditorium on the east, north and west. The high, steeply-pitched gable roof and stepped gable of the office/lobby block make the Holland a distinctive part of its streetscape.
The Holland's design was the work of Peter Hulsken, an architect from Lima, Ohio. Hulsken practiced in Lima for some 40 years and designed schools, courthouses, industrial structures, banks, and fraternal lodge buildings. He also designed several theaters for The Schine Circuit Theatres, builders of the Holland.
The Holland's primary facade is on the south, along Columbus Street. The building has a steel frame structure with a brick exterior wall. The brick in the front office/lobby block is laid in alternating header and stretcher courses, while that in the auditorium block is laid in common bond. The south elevation has two bays and an asymmetrical composition. The left bay contains two commercial storefronts on the first floor, with a band of five one-over-one windows on the second floor. The right bay contains the recessed theater entrance and a stairway to the second floor, with a band of five windows on the second floor. The second-floor windows open into the complex of offices once used by the Schine organizations as its Ohio headquarters. Above the right bay rises a distinctive stepped gable. This element strongly reinforces the Flemish, or "Dutch," design of the theater, together with the three piers that define the two bays; the arched bands of alternating brick and stone over the windows; the stone bands on the piers; the carved stone cartouches atop the piers; and the stone copings on the steps of the gable. The steeply-pitched slate roof is another distinctive element of this part of the building; it has a rear stepped gable which is mostly concealed from view and is much less ornamented than the front gable.
In contrast to the facade of the office/lobby block of the building, the rest of the Holland's exterior is extremely plain and unadorned. None of the facade treatment is carried around the corner on the west, and the entire auditorium block has no windows, just some ventilation louvers and exit doors.
When completed, the theater had both a suspended entrance marquee and a projecting lighted vertical sign above the marquee. Both are now gone, the vertical sign at some time in the 1960s and the marquee at some later date. A ticket booth once stood in the recessed entry but also was removed at an unknown date.
The two commercial spaces in the left bay have been altered from their original appearances, with changes to the storefronts, entrance doors, and interior finishes. The entry lobby runs along the east side of the first floor and is reached by three sets of double doors in the recessed entry. To the left of these doors, a single door leads to the stairway to the second-floor offices. The corridors and offices on the second floor are of a very plain design, with little ornamentation. This area retains its original circulation pattern, ceiling heights, doors, and windows.
The entry lobby retains its original flat ceiling, ceiling beams, poster cases, slate floor, recessed blind arches, and ornamental medallions. The entry lobby floor slopes upward from the entrance and enters the main foyer at that space's far eastern end. The foyer is a barrel-vaulted space that has retained its original volume, though its finishes have been altered. On the north wall of this space, a flight of stairs leads through double doors to the paired balcony stairs, while wide rectangular openings at either end of the north wall lead into the auditorium. The original decor in the foyer included wainscoting in simulation of a Dutch "great hall," with reproductions of Dutch Masters paintings, end wall lunettes, and the coat of arms of Holland over the balcony stairway. All these elements have been either removed or painted over, with the exception of the wainscoting, which has been painted but is otherwise intact.
The 1000-seat auditorium (400 in the balcony, 600 on the main floor) is the Holland's most compelling space. Although it has undergone numerous changes (it was "multiplexed" into 5 theater spaces in the late 1970s, and the cloud machine has been removed), it retains major elements such as the Dutch village architecture on the side walls; Art Deco aisle standards on the seats; and painted heraldic panels on the face of the balcony and around the proscenium. The 1970s multiplex partitioning is being removed by the current owners. These walls separated the balcony from the rest of the auditorium, so when the work is done the entire space will be returned to its full volume. The projection booth survives, somewhat altered, above the rear wall of the balcony.
The architect for the Holland, Peter Hulsken, was born in the Netherlands and chose a design distinct from that of any other atmospheric theater. The auditorium was intended to give the viewer the sense of walking down the street of a Dutch village. The architect drew the designs for the various building facades from his own knowledge and experience of actual buildings, including his birthplace. He even copyrighted the design, on November 15, 1930.
Working back from the proscenium, the first three facades are the same on both walls; the first facade is based on a building in Veere in the Netherlands; the exit ways are designed after a gate in Eukhuizen and are surmounted by windmills with motorized vanes that slowly turn; and the next facades, which have stepped gables, represent Hulsken's birthplace in Arnhem. The other facades, which vary in design, are drawn from other cities. The effect is further carried through by means of lighted windows in the "houses," dimly lit streetlamps on the building walls, and rows of tulips that are perennially in bloom. Lions in various regal poses provide appropriate security, as do ornamented "city walls" that extend up into the balcony, topped by parapets and copings and ornamental urns.
Looking northwest from Columbus and Madriver streets. The Holland's step-gabled office/ - lobby block is at left; auditorium is at right (2000)
Looking northwest at south elevation of office/lobby block (2000)
Looking north at south elevation (2000)
Looking northeast at south elevation and west side along alley (2000)
Looking south along alley on west side of the Holland. Flyspace and stage area of auditorium are at left center (2000)
Looking southwest along east side of auditorium (2000)
Looking southwest at rear of office/lobby block at south end of building (2000)
Looking east along south elevation of building (2000)
Detail of south elevation, showing stepped gable and stone trim. Steel supports for vertical sign are still visible in center of facade (2000)
Looking south from rear toward front of eastern commercial space, first floor (2000)
Looking north; main entry doors to theater are on right; door to second floor offices is at left (2000)
Looking south down main stairs from second floor to entry door (2000)
Looking south in main corridor, second floor office area (2000)
Looking north in westernmost office area, second floor (2000)
Looking north from entrance doors into lobby, first floor (2000)
Looking east from west end of foyer, first floor. Stairs to balcony are at left (2000)
Looking north in auditorium at stage area, altered when theater was multiplexed in late 1970s. Current owner is removing these alterations (2000)
East side wall of auditorium. Stage is at left, edge of balcony at right (2000)
West side wall of auditorium. Balcony is at left, stage is to right (2000)
Detail of aisle standard (2000)
Detail of balcony face; current owner is removing drywall partitioning to re-open balcony (2000)
Looking northeast from upper corner of balcony. Removal of partitioning from 1970s multiplexing is underway at left to re-open balcony to rest of auditorium (2000)
Looking east in projection booth, south end of balcony (2000)