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Southern Theatre
The Southern Theatre's doors closed in 1979, and it just about became a parking garage-- just what the city needs. But after a $10 million renovation, it reopened again in 1998. Now owned and operated by the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA), the Southern Theatre hosts comedy and classical, contemporary, jazz and other musical performances on a regular schedule.
The Southern Theatre is part of what is affectionately referred to as theatre row-- a few blocks of downtown Columbus that has some of the finest, classical theatres in the country as well as one of the most contemporary.
The Southern Theatre at 21 E. Main St. in Columbus, Ohio, originally opened in 1896. At the time it was designed to be a fireproof hotel and opera house. Designed by the Columbus architectural firm of Dauben, Krumm, and Riebel, with decorations by Menno S. Detweiler, the Southern shows the influence of Chicago architect Louis Sullivan, with whom Detweiler hadworked. The Southern Theatre was built with fireproof brick, tile, iron and concrete, a big 
improvement over the other theatres in town at the time which had been built of wood andbrick and had all burned down within 4 years of each other in the late 1800s.
At the time it was built, the theatre was acclaimed for its fine acoustics and unique lighting system that was powered by electricity that it produced itself. In fact, the Southern Theatre was the first commercial building in the city to have electricity.
The Great Southern Theatre was proclaimed the most beautiful theatre in the state and, in actuality, there were few theatres in the entire country which could surpass its beauty or design. Its acoustics have been compared to those of Carnegie Hall. In fact, the acoustics of the theatre make it truly unique and that's important because most of the programming for the theatre is music.
The Theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
See also these other Columbus Theatres: