View Image Gallery

Lakewood has been known by many epithets, but probably its most recognizable is “The City of Beautiful Homes”, and it is that name that the Lakewood Historical Society showcases each year at the biennial House Tour.

At each House Tour, the Lakewood Historical Society tries to feature a variety of homes and buildings in Lakewood that are distinctive and representative of the accolades that the city has won from publications such as “Old House Magazine” who named it the best place to buy old homes.

This year there will be eight structures featured including the Hilliard Theatre that sits on Lakewood's West End.

Built in 1927, the Hilliard Theatre was heralded as “a theatre dedicated to wholesome entertainment-worthy of the community of which it is a part.” At the time, it was one of the premier theatre structures in the Cleveland area and has an array of distinguished elements including an arcade that gave both Madison and Hilliard Avenues access to the theatre.

While its exterior was constructed of brick and stone, it was the unusual auditorium that drew attention. Originally, the inside of the auditorium was meant to evoke the feel of a huge garden.

Mike Loje, a member of the Lakewood Historical Society with an interest in the Hilliard Theatre said that the reason that the theatre has garnered this kind of attention is because it doesn't “look like a high school auditorium.”

“Hilliard has various Spanish and art-deco influences,” said Loje of the theatre's interesting architecture. He continued that so much of the interior had been painted or covered over through the years, thereby covering up some of the unique features of the building. Incidentally, things like the colorful Spanish influenced tile was preserved as a result of this.

“When it opened in 1927, [Hilliard Theatre] most likely would have shown silent movies,” said Loje. Eventually the theatre moved to showing “talkies”.

In 1961, the name of the theatre was changed to the Westwood (not to be confused with the current Westwood AMC Theatre in Rocky River) and it remained such only until recently when its initial identity was restored. There were some repairs and refurbishing done in 1961 by the Art-Group (the owners) to bring the theatre up to standards. Seating was somewhat reduced and the concession stand was removed. In addition, this theatre was being run in conjunction with two East Side theatres owned by the same company.

It was during the time that the building was named “Westwood” that a series of controversies over the content of the films screened at the theatre evolved. According to The Cleveland Press, there were periodic complaints about the theatre from 1961 until the 1980s, starting with the screening of “The Truth” starring Brigitte Bardot.

The opposition of this “Art Theatre” was steadfast from the get-go as many prominent Lakewood citizens, from Councilmen to PTA leaders, urged the city to keep its moral standards above those of the foreign motion pictures with “little regard for commonly accepted standards.”

In the month of August 1961, there was a flurry of press surrounding the advent of this theatre as even a Baptist minister lashed out at the breach in moral standards. Dr. Orlando L. Tibbetts told the Cleveland Press in that year that he felt it was a “great pity” and that citizens should beware of sex peddlers sneaking in inappropriate films.

All this was before a single film was even aired on its screens. But before the end of the month citizen groups formed to protest against this cultural aberrance. The conflict did not seem to be resolved as the “scandals” continued well into 1980.

In April of 1980, the owner of the theatre was arrested for showing sexually explicit X-rated films. Both he and the projectionist were tried in Lakewood Municipal Court for airing two of these sexually violent films, “Her Name Was Lisa” and “From Holly With Love”.

In the end, the men were not convicted, a decision that continued to infuriate even the judge who presided over the case.

But after its “porno-house” era and shut-down in 1988, Bob Dobush bought the run down theatre in 1999 to stop it from being turned into a drug store.

“I'm trying to keep it from falling down,” said Dobush. “It's hard to say what's going to happen next. The apartments [adjacent to the theatre] are better than they were and there were improvements in the store fronts.”

Dobush has been using the surrounding store-fronts and apartment buildings to try to break even in the Hilliard Square upkeep. He hopes, however, to get some suggestions from outside parties on what could be done with the theatre.

“Any ideas are appreciated,” Dobush said. Visitors will be able to tour the lobby and look through windows to see into the theatre itself. “People would probably get a kick out of seeing it.”

“We're hoping to create some interest in the building,” said Loje of the Hilliard Theatre's presence on the House Tour. “A building like that is irreplaceable because of the craftsmanship. The right people might see it or hear about it.”

The Lakewood Historical Society House Tour will take place on Sunday September 7 from 1-6 p.m. Tickets are available for $15 at the following locations: Geiger's, First Federal, the Beck Center, the Oldest Stone House, Local Girl Gallery, and Rozi's Wine.