Victoria Theatre Collection (MS-360)

The Victoria Theatre of downtown Dayton, Ohio, has its very own vivid and dramatic story to tell. Built by local distillery owners Joseph and William Turner, the Turner Opera House opened on January 1st 1866. After three years of satisfying crowds and successful ventures, the theatre was destroyed by fire in 1869. It was rebuilt in 1871 as the Music Hall by Dayton paper pioneer Col. Daniel E. Mead and the Music Hall Company. Over the next 100 plus years, the theatre would fight flood, fire, and demolition to become a historic relic to Dayton. It took multiple attempts to get a name to stay with the theatre. The name changed from the Music Hall to the Grand Opera House in 1885, to the Victoria Opera House in 1899, and finally, in 1902, to the Victoria Theatre. In 1913, both Dayton and the Victoria felt the devastating effects of a massive flood. The theatre was recognized as the “New” Victoria Theatre in celebration of its recovery after the flood in 1914, only to be taken down again by a fire in 1918. In 1919, the theatre was rebuilt and renamed the Victory Theatre by Schwind Realty executive William A. Keyes, in commemoration of the allied victory in World War I. The Victory enjoyed almost 40 years of success serving as the home for performers such as Fredric March and the Wright Players. It was also the birthplace of the Schwarz School of Dance (eventually the Dayton Ballet) in 1927 and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra in 1935. The Victory became a showcase for Warner Brother’s movies and headquarters for Disney films in Dayton during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.

Poor economy and low performance attendance left the Victory threatened by the wrecking ball. In 1971, the theatre was put on the list to be leveled into a new parking lot downtown. The Montgomery County Historical Society fought to get the structure on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, saving the Main Street facade from destruction. Local entrepreneurs James Burt and John Skilken brought new life to the theatre in 1972 with rock shows and midnight films, though the fun-loving crowd took a toll on the building. The theatre portion of the Victory was slated for destruction yet again in 1975, but the Save the Victory committee lead by Jim Latham, Fred Bartenstein, and numerous other committed community members raised essential funds to pay for building updates and operating costs.

The Victory Theatre Association, the organization that would manage the theatre, was incorporated in 1976, beginning the first ever planned theatre season in 1977. In 1978, the Victory Theatre Association purchased the building and restoration on the building began. Though financial troubles and talk of demolition followed the theatre into the early 1980s, the Victory remained on the corner of First and Main Street as the oldest and last remaining theatre in Dayton. Classic film series brought the community back to the theatre in the mid-1980s.

In 1988, the Arts Center Foundation, an organization founded in 1986 to aid the arts in Dayton, spear-headed a $17.5 million renovation of the building. Local businesses and philanthropists, such as Mrs. Virginia Kettering, also donated large sums of money to ensure the theatre would get the updates it deserved. After the large restoration in 1988, the theatre was again renamed the Victoria Theatre. Once construction was completed in 1990, the theatre was re-opened with the Viva Victoria celebration by the newly named Victoria Theatre Association.

Today, the theatre is still alive and home to the Dayton Ballet, along with many of Dayton’s art performances, including dance, theatre and Broadway style plays. The historic structure celebrated its 150 year anniversary in 2016.