Southern Theatre history
• Opened on Sept. 21, 1896. • Columbus’ oldest existing theater.
• Columbus’ only remaining double-balcony theater.
• One of only 250 theaters in the US built in the 19th century that is still standing.
• One of the first fully electrified public buildings in Columbus. (It had its own power generator in the basement.)
• Before the Southern was built, theaters in Columbus were wooden structures that were lit with gas jets. Within a four-year period prior to the Southern being built, three of these older theaters were destroyed by fire.
• The “modern” construction of the Southern included iron, steel, brick, and stone along with thousands of red clay tiles. The theater also used electric light bulbs instead of gas jets. These things helped to make the theater “fireproof,” and helped it last for more than 100 years.