Loew's Dayton Theatre entertained Dayton for decades

The Loew’s Dayton Theatre was the first deluxe motion picture house in the city.

"The elegant theater with heavy carpeting, sweeping stairways and a mezzanine area where you could look down at the people seated below through a hole in the center of the floor," opened on May 4, 1918, according to research done by Dayton historian Curt Dalton and published on the website, Dayton History Books Online.

The theater is the subject of this week's update to the popular Then & Now photo feature, which explores past and present views of notable Dayton locations.

Explore>>> THEN & NOW: Looking back in Dayton

“The Remaking of a Nation” was the first feature picture shown in the 2,208-seat theater located at 125 N. Main St.

In 1972, it was renamed the Palace Theatre. It closed in April 1975 and was demolished a few months later. Today the site is used for parking.

Explore>>> ARCHIVE: All Then & Now special photo features

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Lisa Powell

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Then & Now: Where Dayton's first deluxe motion picture house entertained the city