08/04/2025
Downtown Highlight: The Valentine Theatre
A modern glimpse into a storied history of downtown Toledo. Toledo's historic Valentine Theatre represents the best of past, present, and future entertainment.
Opening on Christmas Day in 1895, it was described as the "finest show house west of the Alleghanies,” opening night featured veteran stage actor Joseph Jefferson reprising his role as the title character in Rip Van Winkle. According to the Toledo News Bee, the new theatre left patrons awestruck.
In its heyday, the Valentine Theatre was just one of dozens in Toledo’s vibrant downtown theatre district. On St. Clair Street alone there was the Empire (later The Palace), the Rivoli, the Princess, the Pantheon, the Granada, not to mention the majestic Paramount Theater on Superior which seated 4,000, Burt’s Theater on Jefferson, the Victory on Adams next to the Valentine, and several more. Sadly by the 1980s the Valentine was the only downtown theatre left standing, the others falling victim to public indifference, fires and an urban renewal campaign which saw scores of historic buildings razed.
In October 1999, the newly renovated Valentine was magnificently reborn as a community arts center. More than 50 community groups, including the Toledo Opera, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Toledo Ballet, Ballet Theatre of Toledo, Toledo Repertoire Theatre, Toledo Jazz Orchestra as well as local high schools have used the theatre since the re-opening.
As a showcase for international tours, national tours and local productions, the Valentine transports audience members back to a day of architectural splendor and sophistication on a stage that provides state of the art theatrical technology.
Featuring Broadway tours, concert, and family friendly shows -- be engulfed in entertainment and history at one of their upcoming shows: https://valentinetheatre.com/events
