Raymond K. Shepardson: The Father of Cleveland’s Playhouse Square Foundation

Ray at the opening of Brel, April 18, 1973. From the Cleveland Memory Project.

Ray Shepardson (January 13, 1944 – April 14, 2014) was a theatre restoration specialist and theatre operator credited by many with beginning the trend toward restoring old unused movie theaters into economic engines for their communities. He is the founder of the Playhouse Square association in Cleveland and is recognized as the visionary^[1] that helped motivate the creation of one of the nation’s largest performing arts districts. He was involved in 40 restorations throughout his career and operated several theaters after their restoration.

At the beginning, the Allen marquee, November 1971. Photo by William Gesten/Foto Arts Inc. Note the Loew’s Ohio marquee, about two years earlier Ray was looking for space for headquarters for the school district levy and the Ohio was it. This led to Ray forming the Playhouse Square Association.

Notably, Shepardson was instrumental in saving the Chicago Theatre which was weeks away from the wrecking ball before he managed to work with others to develop a funding scenario that would save and restore the building. The grand re-opening featured Frank Sinatra singing My Kind of Town.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer, December 24, 1987.

Shepardson oversaw the largest restoration of his career–the 5000 seat Fox Theater in Detroit. The multi-million-dollar restoration was heralded as one of the anchors that revitalized the downtown area throughout the 1990s. He is also recognized as the father and founder of the Playhouse Square Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio, saving the four theaters in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square – 1970-1979. Shepardson helped raise funds, plan, and begin the renovations.

The Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine, June 11, 1995.

Shepardson operated theatres and produced more than 2,000 performances. He was also an avid photographer and documented every stage of his later restorations.

Plain Dealer, March 19, 1972.

When Shepardson passed in 2014 at the age of 70, former employee Frank Dutton, a historian, industrial archaeologist, blogger, lecturer and photographer, wrote the following:

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Remembering Ray Shepardson

Today at 4 PM a memorial service will be held for Ray in the lobby of Loew’s State Theatre, 1515 Euclid Avenue at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland.

Ray on the cover of the PD Action Tab, June 1, 1973. This was about 6 weeks after Brel opened.

A brief reminiscence:

I can still remember one of the first things Ray said to me. It was on the mezzanine of the Allen, by the upstairs concession stand, just before the Richard Harris show. He shoved a cash box into my hands and said “you’re in charge” and disappeared as quickly as he appeared.  I didn’t even know what the prices were, fortunately Gordon Bell did.

Ray leaning on a fireplace in the main floor ladies lounge of the Palace, from the Plain Dealer, March 19, 1972. I always thought this was a good photo of Ray, wish I had a better copy.

During the lead-up to the Lily Tomlin show at the Allen, Ray was always walking around saying “and that’s the truth.” A week or so after that we spent a Sunday afternoon climbing all over Loew’s Ohio. We climbed up that vertical ladder against the back wall of the stage, stopping off at the rigging lost on stage left and going into the organ chamber. That was when we saw the giant hole. We continued up to the roof, emerging from that room under the water tower, and inspected the hole. A month or so later when Smitty and I were up there trying to figure out how to box in the hole, we didn’t want to get too close. Ray goes to the edge and jumps up and down saying “don’t worry it’ll hold.” That fall when we put “Home of the Playhouse Square Assn” on the front of the Allen marquee the bulb behind the “n” in Assn burned out, and there was debate on who the “Playhouse Square Ass” was.

There was a frenetic energy about Ray, excitement in his voice when he talked about the theatres and what the next plan was, it was quite infectious. That exuberance was always there whether we were sweeping trash up after some show in the Allen, or drinking hot chocolate in the frigid lobby of the Ohio. Later during the early days of Brel in the State we’d rearrange the seating every day, when any of us said the seats are too close together, Ray would say “they’ll be happy just to be here,” and they were for the next two years.

In a much simpler time I’ll always remember Ray and Ceil, playing badminton on the stage of the Allen, that magical summer so long ago.

Reprinted with permission from THS member Frank Dutton, who lives in Pennsylvania and has been contributing to his blog, Frank’s Place, since 2007.  You can visit his blog and see the original Ray Shepardson blog here:  http://frank-dutton.blogspot.com/2014/06/remembering-ray-shepardson.html

If you find this story fascinating, we have a treasure trove of information about the history of your favorite theatres. Sign up for an account on historictheatres.org and enter through the STAGE DOOR!

For nearly fifty years Theatre Historical Society of America has been celebrating, documenting, and promoting the architectural, cultural, and social relevance of America’s historic theaters. However, we can’t do it alone.  Support from cinema lovers, architects, historians and people like you are paramount to our success.  Become a member today, and help us preserve the rich history of America’s greatest theatres.