Garden Theatre

Garden Theatre. . The Garden Theater is the premier live performance arts center in the Short North Arts District. The structure of The Garden Theater was originally used as a stable for quartering horses in the 1850s and 1860s. Following a fire, the building was rebuilt starting in 1917 and reopened as The Garden Theater in 1920, originally showing silent movies, vaudeville, dance, and operettas. , After the death of longtime owner Evelyn Miles in 1967, the theater went into decline. By 1970 it had become a striptease house and by 1980 was home to prostitutes. The Garden Worship center, a local church group, took residence and began renovations of the space in 1996. The group sold the theater to real estate investors in 2007 and was it was unused for several years. , Local professional theater group Short North Stage, which began formation in 2009, was officially established as a nonprofit group in March 2011. In July 2011, Short North Stage signed a long-term lease and began the process of revitalization to the structure and the performing arts that once filled The Garden Theater. , Renovations began immediately, amongst the unpainted walls, neglected carpeting, extensive floor damage, and lack of seating. By the end of August 2011, Short North Stage had repaired the floor, cleaned the interior of the building, and purchased seats. On October 1, 2011, to a crowd of 300 Gallery Hop attendees, Short North Stage ceremoniously turned on the recently repaired lighted sign above The Garden Theater’s marquee. The theater now hosts season after season of incredible performances, representing the Short North Arts District’s diverse and vibrant community.