In the 1920s, Hollywood was booming. Movies were immensely popular, and motion picture studios were building magnificent theaters all across the country. With a population of about 30,000 in 1927, Mansfield, Ohio, located in the heart of north central Ohio, seemed an ideal spot for a majestic movie house. And so the Warner Management Company spent $500,000 to build the Ohio Theatre. Despite near blizzard-like conditions, the Mansfield News reported that thousands thronged to the theater for the initial performance on January 19, 1928. Billed as "a temple of amusement for the benefit of the people of Mansfield," first-nighters marveled at the beauty of the new theater. There were marble floors and stairways, lead crystal chandeliers, and a $40,000 Kimball organ, which was lowered into the orchestra pit after use.

The opening night show was typical of many offerings at theaters of the day, with an organ concert before the show. After the organ music, there was a newsreel, followed by a two-reel comedy and three acts of vaudeville. Finally, the featured picture: Clara Bow in Get Your Man.

During the first two decades of Ohio's life, the theater occupied center stage in the unfolding drama of the city's life. Films such as The Wizard of Oz, the Marx Brothers' classic comedy A Night at the Opera, and Casablanca made their Mansfield debuts at the Ohio Theatre. Live performers such as Will Rogers, Harry Blackstone, Sr., and Fanny Brice also appeared here in the 1930s.

In 1939, The Rains Came, a movie based on Mansfield native Louis Bromfield's novel, received its world premiere simultaneously at the Ohio and Madison theaters. In the early 1960s, Broadway stars Dorothy Lamour, Imogene Coca, and Hans Conreid were among the stars that appeared in touring performances sponsored by the then newly formed Broadway Theatre League of Mansfield.

The theater was profitable for its first 20 years, but it wasn't long before television's impact was felt by movie palaces across the country. For the next 20 years, the building was barely maintained. The Kimball theater organ was removed and sold in 1968. Finally, it reached an all-time low in 1979 when it was turned into an X-rated movie house. When it featured the porn film, Deep Throat, protesters and community activists forced the current owners to cease operations. It looked like the show was over at the Ohio Theatre. The theater was dark, silent, and waiting.

Meanwhile, a small group of people had been working to revive another old movie house—the old Madison Theater, just down the street from the Ohio. Attempts were being made to get the Madison operating again. Surprisingly, it was a high-profile event held at our theater in the spring of 1980 that turned all eyes to the Ohio. The Miss Ohio Scholarship Pageant rented the theater, spruced up the building, and broadcast the competition across the State of Ohio. Everyone who watched saw that the Ohio was still a beautiful theater.

That set the wheels in motion. On August 18, 1980, through the generosity of local philanthropists Fran and Warren Rupp, the Ohio Theatre was purchased from its out-of-town owners and presented to the non-profit Renaissance Theatre, Inc. (formerly Madison Cultural Arts, Inc.—the group that had originally been formed to save the Madison Theater). The first order of business, in addition to the massive cleanup efforts and the relighting of the chandelier, was to change the name of the old theater. And, because the revival represented a resurgence of interest in theater arts, the name was changed to The Renaissance Theatre.

In 1984, a $2.25 million capital campaign was launched to restore the Renaissance. The seats were refurbished; new lighting, sound, and stage rigging equipment were purchased; a glass-enclosed skywalk was built connecting the theater to the new Holiday Inn next door; water-damaged plasterwork in the main auditorium was repaired; a new orchestra pit was constructed; and the Renaissance Theatre purchased and restored the former Kearns "Mighty WurliTzer" theater organ.

The Renaissance Theatre, located halfway between Cleveland and Columbus, earned its place on the National Register of Historic Landmarks. Planners had taken painstaking care to preserve the historic appointments throughout the facility, including the seats, which were completely refurbished rather than replaced. In December, 1991, the Board of Directors of the Renaissance Theatre received a memorable and generous Christmas gift: the deed to the property of the theater from the Fran and Warren Rupp Foundation.

On January 1, 1997, the Renaissance Theatre merged with the Mansfield Symphony under a new umbrella organization now known as simply The Renaissance. This not-for-profit organization has a mission of serving north central Ohio with diverse, quality programming and enhanced community service and of providing the region with a strong educational, cultural, entertainment, and civic center. The only large theater in north central Ohio, the Renaissance remains the home of the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program.

Patrons and employees alike have reported many ghostly encounters over the years. Footsteps have been heard on the elegant grand staircase and along the dark hallways and twisting corridors outside the second-floor grand ballroom. Spectral figures have been spotted on the balcony. Disembodied voices, laughter, and even music have been heard coming from the theater—long after the audiences have gone.

The projection booth is the purported haunt of "Pete"—who took up residence at the Renaissance shortly after his beloved projector was transplanted here from the demolished Madison Theatre down the street. The wall sconces in the elegant marbled grand salon in the lower lobby are said to have a mind of their own and, when the building is unlocked in the morning, are often found turned completely upside-down.

Whispered voices have been heard in their catacomb-like rooms under the stage—and on more than one occasion, actors and crew members have seen a shadowy "woman in white" standing in the wings during a performance.

Perhaps the most haunted area of the theater, however, is the lobby, which was where theater manager Edward Rafter was murdered in a botched robbery attempt on the night of Oct. 30th, 1929. A man, disguised in women's clothing, shot Rafter four times and then fled into the night. For over eighty years, witnesses have reported seeing a forlorn Rafter pacing back and forth along the marble floor—and some have even seen the ghost of his assailant, hiding menacingly in the darkest corner of the lobby