\M\M \M\M \M\M >>> GOING TO THE THEATER HAS ˇ ALWAYS BEEN SPECIAL TO ME, ESPECIALLY IF IT WAS ONE LIKE THE BEAUTIFUL OHIO THEATER IN DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS.

IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO SEE "THE NUTCRACKER."

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

>> I LOVE THE LINCOLN THEATER.

GOING TO SEE SHOWS.

I HAVE BEEN IN SHOWS THERE.

ABSOLUTELY MY FAVORITE.

>> I LOVE THAT ONE, TOO.

OTHER TOWNS AROUND OHIO HAVE BEAUTIFUL HISTORIC THEATERS, TOO, AND MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN PRESERVED AND RESTORED TO THEIR ORIGINAL DESIGN.

>> ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN JEFF DARBEE DECIDED TO CHECK OUT A FEW OF THESE HISTORIC THEATERS FOR HIMSELF, STARTING WITH THE HOLLAND THEATER IN BELLEFONTAINE, OHIO, AND LET'S JUST SAY IT DEFINITELY DID NOT DISAPPOINT.

\M\M \M\M >> WE ARE IN BELLEFONTAINE, THE COUNTY SEAT, ABOUT AN HOUR NORTHWEST OF COLUMBUS.

IT'S AN HISTORIC TOWN.

RAILROAD CENTER IN THE PAST.

THE SITE OF THE FIRST CONCRETE STREET IN AMERICA.

AND WE ARE GOING TO VISIT A REALLY INTERESTING HISTORIC THEATER THAT WAS ONCE THREATENED WITH DEMOLITION AND IS NOW THRIVING.

A LOCAL THEATER.

AND I THINK EVERYBODY WHO SEES THIS IS GOING TO SAY THIS IS REALLY SOMETHING.

>> HELLO, GREG.

HOW ARE YOU?

>> GOOD TO SEE YOU.

>> GLAD TO BE IN BELLEFONTAINE.

AT THE HOLLAND THEATER.

WHEN WAS THE THEATER BUILT?

>> IT WAS OPENED ACTUALLY IN 1931.

SO IT'S THE ONLY DUTCH-THEMED THEATER IN THE U.S.

>> IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY?

>> YEAH.

>> I HAVEN'T BEEN HERE IN QUITE A WHILE.

I'D LOVE TO HAVE A TOUR.

>> YEAH, LET'S GO INSIDE.

>> ALL RIGHT.

>> OH, YEAH THIS IS GREAT.

THE HISTORIC KIND OF POSTER FRAMES AND THE ORIGINAL WOOD BEAMS ACROSS THE ENTRY HALL.

>> YEAH.

>> THE BUILDING'S BUILT IN 1931.

WHO BUILT IT?

>> BUILT BY THE SHINE FAMILY.

THEY OWNED ABOUT 160 THEATERS AROUND THE WEST.

THEY HEARD PETER HULSKEN.

HE WAS ORIGINALLY FROM THE NETHERLANDS.

THAT'S WHERE THE DUTCH THEME CAME FROM.

>> THAT WAS HIS OWN CREATION.

IT WASN'T A NATIONAL TREND, WHICH IS WHY IT'S THE ONLY ONE IN THE COUNTRY.

>> CORRECT.

THIS IS THE ONLY THEATER WITH A COPYRIGHTED DESIGN BECAUSE HE CAME UP WITH THE DESIGN AND WANTED TO COPYRIGHT IT, SO NO ONE ELSE COULD MAKE SUCH A THING.

>> COULDN'T BE CREATED SOMEWHERE ELSE.

>> YES.

>> GREAT STORY.

>> NOW WE ARE ENTERING THE OUTER LOBBY.

>> YOU CAN SEE THE DECORATION GETTING MORE INTENSE WITH THE WOOD PANELLING, MURALS, VAULTED CEILING.

IS THIS AN ORIGINAL LIGHT FIXTURE?

>> IT IS.

WOOD PANELS.

IT'S ALL ORIGINAL.

MOST OF THE DOORS ARE ORIGINAL.

THE PAINTINGS WERE UPDATED BY LOCAL ARTISTS ON THE ENDS HERE.

THE LOBBY DOORS USED TO START RIGHT HERE BECAUSE IT WAS ORIGINALLY A 1,400†FEET THEATER WHEN IT FIRST OPENED AND THE SEATS CAME BACK TO THIS BACK WALL.

WHEN THE RESTORATION WAS DONE, THEY ACTUALLY CREATED A NEW CONCESSION AND MERCHANDISE AREA FOR THE ARTISTS AS WELL.

>> THE THEATER, DOES IT CONTINUE IN OPERATION AFTER IT WAS BUILT, CONTINUOUSLY, OR WAS A TIME IT CLOSED?

>> IT WAS A MOVIE PALACE WHEN IT FIRST OPENED, THEN SOLD TO A DIFFERENT COMPANY.

IT WAS SPLIT UP INTO FIVE DIFFERENT THEATERS.

THEN THE RESTORATION, WHICH WAS COMPLETED IN 2019, ACTUALLY RESTORED IT BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL WITH A FEW MINOR UPGRADES.

>> HAD IT LOST SOME OF ITS DISTINCT FEATURES THAT MADE IT A GREAT DUTCH THEATER?

>> IT DIDN'T.

THEY KEPT THE ARCHITECTURE INTACT WHEN THEY MADE THE CHANGES FOR THE MOVIEPLEX.

IT WAS, YOU KNOW, PRETTY EASY TO RESTORE.

WE LOOKED AT THE PICTURES FROM HISTORY AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET IT PRETTY CLOSE BACK TO THE ORIGINAL.

>> YOU HAVE GIVEN ME A LOT OF INFORMATION.

I UNDERSTAND HOW THE THEATER IS LAID OUT, WHAT IS ORIGINAL, WHERE YOU HAD TO MAKE CHANGES.

ACROSS THE AUDITORIUM IS THE MAIN EVENT.

>> YES, IT IS.

I AM GOING TO PASS YOU OFF TO OUR CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, KRIS SWISHER, WHO IS GOING TO GIVE YOU DETAILS ABOUT THAT.

>> THANKS SO MUCH.

I APPRECIATE IT.

>> THANK YOU.

>> I'LL GO MEET KRIS.

>> ALL RIGHT.

>> OH, MY, WHAT A SPACE.

LOOK AT THOSE CLOUDS MOVING ACROSS THE SKY.

HELLO, KRIS.

>> HELLO.

WELCOME.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> DOESN'T FEEL LIKE OHIO IN HERE, DOES IT?

>> IT DOES NOT.

IT FEELS LIKE HOLLAND.

WHAT A WONDERFUL PLACE THIS IS.

TELL ME THE STORY.

>> THE ARCHITECT, PETER HULSKEN, GREW UP IN THE NETHERLANDS AND THE SECOND HOUSE ON BOTH SIDES IS A REPLICA OF THE HOME HE GREW UP IN.

THE FIRST TWO BUILDINGS ARE A REPLICA OF THE CITY BUILDING.

>> SO IT'S REALLY INSPIRED BY TRUE DUTCH ARCHITECTURE, TRUE DUTCH COMMUNITY.

>> CORRECT.

>> I NOTICED COMING IN THE CLOUDS ON THE CEILING.

THEY LOOK LIKE THEY ARE MOVING.

>> THEY ARE.

>> IS THAT THE ESSENCE OF AN ATMOSPHERIC THEATER?

IS THAT WHAT IT MEANS?

>> YES.

WHEN YOU COME IN HERE YOU THINK ALMOST LIKE, WHERE AM I?

THEN YOU START PUTTING THE IMAGES TOGETHER, THE STORKS, WHICH ARE DUTCH BIRDS, AND YOU SEE TULIPS IN OUR TULIP BOXES AND YOU HEAR THE WINDMILLS AND SEE THE WINDMILLS GOING AROUND AND YOU THINK, OH, THIS MUST BE THE NETHERLANDS, AND THEN YOU ACTUALLY FEEL LIKE YOU ARE OUTDOORS BECAUSE OF THE STARS IN THE SKY.

>> THE STARS, THAT'S RIGHT.

THERE ARE STARS, WHICH ARE LITTLE LIGHTS IN THE CEILING, REALLY.

IT WENT INTO A PERIOD OF DISREPAIR.

WAS IT ABANDONED OR JUST NOT FULLY USED?

>> IT WAS CLOSED IN 1998.

>> OKAY.

>> AND IT REMAINED CLOSED FOR ALMOST THREE AND A HALF YEARS BEFORE WE WERE ABLE TO GET ALL OF THE MULTIPLEX THEATERS OUT OF HERE AND MAKE IT SO PEOPLE COULD ACTUALLY COME IN AND SIT DOWN AND ENJOY A SHOW WITHOUT LIGHTS, WITHOUT SOUND.

WE WERE BARE MINIMUM AT THAT POINT AND WE HAD OLD SEATS THAT WERE DUCT-TAPED TOGETHER.

SO WE HAVE ALL NEW SEATS NOW SINCE 2019.

BUT ONE ORIGINAL FEATURE OF THE ENDCAPS, WE TOOK THOSE OFF THE OLD ROWS OF SEATS THAT WERE IN HERE AND HAD THEM RESTORED.

>> SO YOU FORMED A NEW GROUP TO ACQUIRE THE THEATER AND DO THE RESTORATION?

>> CORRECT.

WE HAD A GRANT THROUGH THE STATE OF OHIO ALLOWING US TO PUT LIGHTS IN AND WE JUST DID A LITTLE BIT AT A TIME.

THE FIRST THING THAT HAPPENED WAS A NEW ROOF.

>> OF COURSE.

>> BECAUSE THE RAIN WAS COMING IN, YEAH.

SO THAT HAPPENED.

EVERYTHING GOT REMOVED.

IT WAS THE FIVE MULTIPLEXES, AND THEN WE BEGAN INCH BY INCH, THERE WAS A SMALL COMMUNITY THEATER GROUP FROM HOME-SCHOOL STUDENTS CALLED CENTER STAGE, AND THEY PUT ON A SHOW EVERY YEAR FOR TEN YEARS AND WERE ABLE TO DONATE $100,000 BACK TO THE THEATER IN PROFITS THAT ALLOWED US TO STAY OPEN AND TRY TO DO THE NEXT THING.

I SAY IT'S BECAUSE THE COMMUNITY WANTED TO KEEP IT HERE.

COMPARABLE TO THE OHIO THEATER.

IT WASN'T THE BIGWIGS THAT SAID THE THEATER SHOULD STAY.

IT WAS THE COMMUNITY THAT FELT IT WAS ANCHORED TO THE DOWNTOWN AND COLUMBUS AND THAT'S WHAT WE SAY THE HOLLAND IS.

>> IT'S REMARKABLE WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISHED HERE.

WHAT SORT OF EVENTS DO YOU HOST JUST KIND OF ON A REGULAR ANNUAL BASIS?

>> WE HAVE A LOT OF MUSICIAN PERFORMANCES THAT COME IN, AND WE ALSO HAVE A LOCAL THEATER GROUP CALLED WINNOW PRODUCTIONS.

WE PUT ON FOUR TO FIVE PRODUCTIONS A YEAR.

>> THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME THE STORY OF A WONDERFUL RESTORATION PROJECT, A THEATER THAT WAS THREATENED, TO A COMMUNITY RESOURCE.

IT'S GREAT.

IT'S A WONDERFUL PLACE.

THANK YOU.

>> I APPRECIATE THE TIME YOU TOOK TO VISIT US, AND I WELCOME YOU BACK.

>> THANKS.

>> YOU'RE WELCOME.

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